Precision Marketing is all about getting the right messages to the right people in the most effective way possible.
The ‘3Ms of Marketing’ technique helps to achieve that precision. The three Ms are: Market, Message, Medium – and it’s important to deal with them in that order. This technique invites us to think things through in a rational way, dealing with each market segment (or ‘customer type’) in turn.
Firstly, for each product or service, list the different types of customer that you are targeting. Secondly, for each customer type, list the marketing messages you need to convey. Then thirdly, for each message to a market segment, choose the most effective medium to convey the message to that type of customer. The right medium might be an email, an article in a newspaper, a text message, a poster in the right location, or a radio advert, for example.
This is why it is meaningless to evaluate different marketing media relative to each other unless you put them in context. In other words, the answer to the question “Is a website better than a press campaign?” is “It depends…”. That is, it depends who you are addressing and what you need to say.
The beauty of this process is that it untangles a pile of bright ideas about media, messages and markets – and lays them all out in straight lines, aligning a market with a message and then a medium in a precise way.
When each ‘Market-Message-Medium’ communication is identified, the best ones can be prioritised (you won’t have the time or resources to do them all) and put together into a coherent precision marketing campaign.
When constructing marketing messages, we need to differentiate between features and benefits. Irrespective of the features we think are important, the customer will buy on the basis of the benefits to them, asking “What’s in it for me?” Features and benefits can be separated according to this simple test: if the customer’s reaction to your marketing message is “So what?”, then you’ve been talking about features, not customer benefits.
Often we want to enthuse about what we create from our own point of view, but effective marketing requires us to look at it from the customer’s point of view. So, for example, customers want to know about how your design will increase sales, how your product will make them look good, or how your cultural heritage offering will entertain, educate or be part of a great day out. We need to devise marketing messages that press their buttons, not ours.
Tight budgets for marketing communications can be a problem – or a blessing in disguise. Financial constraints can help us to become more creative and prompt us to look for low-cost marketing methods which are highly effective, for example press releases which result in editorial coverage. ‘Word of mouth’ publicity managed well can become ‘Viral Marketing’, in which people pass along the news or ‘story’ about your product or service in an energetic and excited way, ‘infecting’ many other people with their enthusiasm in a manner akin to the spread of a virus. For this there needs to be a ‘story’ about your product or service such as those described in the book Buzz Marketing by Mark Hughes. Or it could be a product or service that gets passed along from person to person, carrying your message with it as it spreads. In our online world, digital files such as e-books, photos, music, videos and text spread around the internet at the speed of broadband, from one sender to multiple recipients. The MUTU viral video of graffiti art spreads the word about the artist and his art because it is shown in a fascinating film that people really want to pass on to all their friends.
Further information about a range of marketing communication techniques and media which might be appropriate to your creative enterprise or cultural organisation can be obtained from organisations such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Arts Marketing Association (AMA), and trade associations or professional institutes in your own sub-sector of the creative industries.
In your marketing communications campaign there might be a place for Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and other platforms and networks. But before you become seduced by these exciting and powerful technologies, think about the two ‘Ms’ first: Market and Message.
In other words, be clear about who you are targeting and what you need to say to them. Then choose the most suitable medium or media that will help you deliver your key messages to your carefully selected customers.
Precision marketing
There is more information about precision marketing in David’s books, other publications, videos and free resources.
David Parrish inspires and empowers creative entrepreneurs world-wide as an international creative industries speaker, consultant, trainer and author.
Business Adviser – Creative and Digital Industries
Creative and digital businesses grow with the help of David’s expertise in creative entrepreneurship. He shares his expertise through his speeches, training workshops, coaching and books on business growth.
David advises businesses on strategic development, marketing, leadership and growth in his capacity as a qualified and experienced business adviser and management consultant, working world-wide.
He helps clients by drawing on his own direct experience as an entrepreneur as well as his work helping hundreds of creative, digital, cultural and arts businesses around the world. His direct experience is backed up by academic qualifications and professional accreditations in business strategy, marketing and leadership. He is a Chartered Institute of Marketing ‘Chartered Marketer’. David has an MBA (with distinction). In addition, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management (FInstLM). He is also honoured to be a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
David is a UK expert and international creative industries speaker. He has helped hundreds of businesses in more than 60 countries to achieve greater success on their own terms. This is achieved by using smart business development techniques that fit with their creativity, ambitions and values. His creative industries consulting focuses on the needs of creative industries businesses, cultural enterprises and arts organisations.
Successful creative enterprises integrate creativity and business. David’s T-Shirts and Suits® approach helps creative people (‘T-Shirts’) use smart business thinking (‘Suits’). His entertaining and inspirational speeches illustrate ways in which businesses can use creative business models and powerful business techniques to achieve greater success. His creative industries consulting with individual businesses guides them to success by combining their creative passion, strengths and goals with a winning business strategy tailored to their own needs, values and circumstances.
Creative Business Books, eBooks and Audiobooks
David has written two books and several other publications especially for creative businesses. He brings his own experience of setting up and growing businesses in the creative and cultural industries. David is actively involved in the creative and digital industries as a company director and management consultant. He also shares the learning he has gained from working with hundreds of successful creative enterprises around the world. His books are available in paperback, eBook and Audiobook formats. They have been translated into several languages and published in various countries in several continents.
What they say about David Parrish…
Here are a few examples of what people say about David Parrish. His clients worldwide say how they have benefited from David’s creative industries keynote speeches. They also recommend his business advice, training, presentations, lectures and books:
“It was a pleasure to invite David to give the keynote speech at the Third International Creative Industries Conference in Novi Sad, Serbia. His speech about ‘Creative Business in the Digital Economy’ was enlightening. It was ideal for our audience that included startups, government officials, investors and agencies from Serbia and other countries. David’s speech was also broadcast on TV to reach an even wider audience. We were delighted with the positive impact that David made on the creative industries here in Serbia.”
Tatjana Kalezic. Creative Industries Cluster of Vojvodina KVIK.
http://www.kvik.rs
“The choice to work with David was definitely the right one. In less than two days time we had crafted a cohesive short term and long term strategy that provides for desired growth, protects our IP, enables investment, and allows us to retain creative control of our technology. David’s ability to listen to your situation, to understand it, and then determine a course of action based on your specific needs and goals is rare and a makes David a joy to work with.”
– Aric Wanveer. Zero Gravity Creations LLC, Baltimore, USA
“David Parrish was a special guest of Creative Industries Summer School held in Moscow. Creative entrepreneurs from all over Russia said that David’s presentation was very inspiring, entertaining and very useful for them. His presentation “Creativity and Business: How to Succeed as a Creative Entrepreneur” was amazing and I am sure it will help develop creative entrepreneurship in Russia. David is a very bright and powerful expert.”
– Olga Kizina. Director. Creative Industries Agency. Moscow. Russia.
“Workshop participants were very impressed and inspired by David’s speech and book because he avoided using jargon, gave clear illustrations to describe what creative business is about and explained the general principles of running a creative business. He talked about some important issues, such as intellectual property, business formulas, knowing your competitors, knowing your market, and being prepared to say No.”
– HsinYi Ku. British Council, Taiwan
“David writes about creative business better than anyone I know.”
– Wayne Morris. The Creative Edge. New Zealand.
“David Parrish is a very inspirational speaker. The way he illustrates his points is excellent. He makes you laugh and instantly you start to think about your own ideas and projects.”
– Eli Folkestadaas. British-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. Oslo, Norway.
Read more testimonials about David’s work as an international creative industries speaker, consultant, adviser, trainer and author of two books, other publications and many articles.
David Parrish. (Photo: Cristina Poncu)
David’s Background, Experience and Expertise
Dave Parrish has been directly involved in the creative economy and cultural economy for more than 20 years, as an entrepreneur, manager, company director, management consultant, business adviser, coach, mentor, trainer, writer, and international creative industries speaker. For an insight into his personal background, business experience, values and his own perspective on creativity and business, read his story.