Explore how to communicate your cultural offerings effectively to Experience Seekers:
Tone
This group needs quality, clear information to help them make decisions and assess whether an opportunity fits their needs and (their peer group’s) identity.
- Ethically and environmentally minded, this group will seek out organisations and activities that align with their principles.
- As this group is unlikely to be loyal to any one organisation, making sure that communications are engaging will keep their interest – and the organisation on their ‘possibles’ list – and they are most responsive to advertising that involves interactivity and is entertaining.
- Activities, special open days or tasters may well be the way to highlight an offer to this group, if they don’t connect with an organisation’s core offer.
- They are mostly likely to be show or event led so mass promotion with a wider reach must be balanced against direct, personalised and relevant digital communications.
- Led by recommendations and the vibe on social media, they are to an extent self-organising, so finding an entertaining and engaging way of introducing new opportunities is vital – without it being too much of a ‘sell’.
- Loyal only to the idea of going out and engaging with new things, their social networks (on and offline) will drive their choices, as well as some spontaneous or more random decisions.
Channels
They seek out information online and are looking to feel informed in order to make decisions from a variety of offers, so e-comms are key, backed up by an informative, engaging website and entertaining social media content.
- As frequent users of social media they search out information online, are looking for endorsements, suggestions and new ideas – mainly from their peers – and are keen to share and follow recommendations.
- As they are not experts in any particular field and unlikely to be particularly ‘loyal’ to one organisation, the challenge is keeping their interest live through shareable interactive content, while acknowledging that they may also have a preferred influencer – whether a friend, creative, newsletter, curated culture site (e.g. Time Out), critic or other journalist/presenter.
- Making digital content work beyond the organisations’ digital channels will broaden its reach by working in partnership or simply by making content easily ‘shareable’ – online advertising, promoted tweets and Instagram ads/news feeds could be essential in bringing the offer to this group’s attention.
- Targeted media, tourist sites, local listings or organisations with a following that matches the profile of this segment (i.e. health clubs, bars, cafes, restaurants) could be effective, and making the right kind of offer to local businesses to attract their employees may bring rewards.
- They are out and about a lot so ambient advertising on the streets, public transport and in local media is visible to them and they are receptive to its messages (if it interests them), so partnerships to broaden the reach of the message – working through third parties both on and offline – to promote and endorse cultural offerings could be effective.
- There is an expectation from this group that the latest new offerings will be listed in national and/or local listings and print advertising may reach them through The Metro and The Guardian (2nd highest reading of all groups) or a regularly read local paper.
- Other broadsheets The Financial Times and The Independent also correspond to their political views (although some also read tabloids such as The Daily Mail).