BLUE SAIL MARKETING TOOLKIT EAST NORFOLK
JANUARY 2011
1 KNOW YOUR MARKETS
4 PRIORITY MARKETS FOR EAST NORFOLK
A starting point for all good marketing and promotion is to
understand your customers – existing and potential.
This is about identifying which market groups or segments offer you
the best opportunity to sustain and grow your business. To help do
that and work out what you need to do to attract them, you need
some information about these segments. How do they spend their
work and leisure time? What is important to them? What motivates
them to visit a place? What sort of experiences do they want? How
do they make choices about where to go on holidays and how do
they plan and book a holiday?
The Tourism Marketing Framework identifies four market segments
that offer the best prospects for East Norfolk. We’ve given each
market a descriptive title that gives a feel for what sort of people
they are and then we’ve set out some of their characteristics and
what is important to them.
Some of these market groups might be your customers already and
others might offer new opportunities for your business. Take some
time looking through the characteristics of each and what
opportunities they could offer your business. Other sections of this
Toolkit help identify ways to reach these market groups and ensure
you deliver them the experience they are looking for.
Remember not all market segments are right for every business;
you don’t have to target them all or you might want to prioritise
which you develop first.
1
BLUE SAIL MARKETING TOOLKIT EAST NORFOLK
JANUARY 2011
MINI-EXPLORER FAMILIES
This group all have children under 5 which means they have the
freedom to travel outside school holiday times. They will probably
be from the BC1C2 socio-economic groups and will be travelling as
a family or as a group of families. Some might be travelling with
grandparents and others with extended families that might include
older children too.
They are called ‘explorers’ because they are interested in trying out
new destinations and new experiences. However, if you are
travelling on holiday with very young children you don’t want too
long travelling to your destination, so these families are likely to be
living in the East of England and in the Midlands. If you run a visitor
attraction, cafe or shop there may be opportunities for you to attract
mini-explorer families staying in Norfolk resorts like Great Yarmouth
and looking for a good day trip from their holiday base.
What they are looking for
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Safe places to stay where children can play outside
Good value – places to stay and eat
Sunny weather, beaches, sand, safe paddling
Places to go outside school holidays which still cater
for children
 Special deals and offer
 Self-catering
 Wet weather alternatives – e.g. swimming pool, indoor
play.
2
BLUE SAIL MARKETING TOOLKIT EAST NORFOLK
JANUARY 2011
BUDDING-EXPLORER FAMILIES
This group all have children aged 5-12 that means they are largely
restricted to travelling during school holidays.
They share many of the same characteristics as our mini-explorer
families. That means they will probably be from the BC1C2 socioeconomic group, travelling as a family or as a group of families and
be interested in trying out new destinations and new experiences.
The combined cost of raising children and mortgage
repayments means value for money is really important to them and
so is time spent doing things together as a family. Depending on
the age of their children these families might be prepared to travel
further – up to 3 hours - though they are still likely to live
somewhere in the East of England and the Midlands.
What they are looking for
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Safe places to stay where children can roam outside
Good value – places to stay and eat
Sunny weather, beaches, sand, paddling and swimming
Safe cycling
Special deals and offer
Self-catering
Some nearby wet weather alternatives for children
A big attraction as a treat - e.g. Bewilderwood, a boat trip
There are day trip opportunities in this market as well from resorts
and also from Norwich. .
3
BLUE SAIL MARKETING TOOLKIT EAST NORFOLK
JANUARY 2011
EXPERIENCED EXPLORERS
This group is a part of the growing market of empty-nesters –
couples whose children have left home and who are likely to have
paid off the mortgage. Experienced explorers are likely to be aged
between 60-75, BC1s and travelling as a couple or with friends.
They are likely to live in the East of England, the Midlands or
London. Importantly, they are fit, healthy and active and may be
visitors to Norfolk already but not yet explored this part of the
County.
They are well-travelled so are confident and independent, curious to
find new places to visit and to try out new activities. Because they
are well-travelled, they are a good judge of value for money and
know what they want from a holiday and short break. Many will be
retired, so they have the flexibility to travel throughout the year.
What they are looking for
 Interesting and good quality places to stay – serviced &
self-catering accommodation
 Good food
 Good value
 Walks and cycling
 Learning hols – painting, photography
 Bird & wildlife watching
 Pretty villages
 Interesting shops
 Arts and culture
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Good food is important to them and now they have more time and disposable income, they are looking to rediscover old pastimes and find new
ones.
4
BLUE SAIL MARKETING TOOLKIT EAST NORFOLK
JANUARY 2011
RELAXING GREYS
This group is also an older market but while they remain healthy,
they are less active than our experienced explorers and seeking
more passive activity. They are possibly slightly older, between 6585 years and are BC1C2. They too travel in couples or sometimes
in groups. They are an established market for East Norfolk, which
means it is important to make sure we continue to offer them what
they want from a holiday.
What they are looking for
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Nice places to stay – serviced accommodation
Good value
Good service
Shops
Cafes, tearooms and pubs
Nice scenery
Pretty villages
5
BLUE SAIL SHORT TITLE
DATE
WORKBOOK – IDENTIFY YOUR MARKETS
Existing Markets
Your answers...
Which of the priority markets is the closest match to your ‘typical’
customer?
Make a note of any specific characteristics that you have observed
are typical of this group(s) visiting your business and which are
additional to the characteristics set out above
New Markets
Your answers...
Which of the priority markets are you going to target as potential
new customers?
Write down the reasons you have chosen these, e.g. good fit with
what my business offers, get a few of these customers already but
not very many.
6