Advertising, Marketing & PR

Niches and Themes

A niche is simply a smaller, more specialist market. Finding your niche (or niches - no-one says you can only respond to one) means identifying which of the more specific segments you can go for and then developing services or products that really serve that niche, and tailoring some of your marketing activities to attract the right customers.

There are many niches that you could go for. A few are listed here, but you are in the best place to spot the gap in the market that will work for your business. See below for Making a niche work for you.

Walking and cycling

Segments: These well established activities are popular across a wide range of different segments (types of customer that share similar characteristics - see North East Customer Profiles). Customers from these segments often have an increased interest in really getting to know a place and getting a sense of the region and its heritage.

Suitability: Ideally you should be located on or near good walking or cycling routes (they don't have to be the really well known ones - a more offbeat set of trails could give you an extra selling point).

Facilities/offering: Secure storage facilities, washing/drying areas, water bottle refills, packed lunches, traditional and local quality food, maps, guides/tour guides, equipment hire/maintenance, transfers and luggage transfers.

Links well with: Other activities and active segments, culture, arts, rest and relaxation, history and heritage, international visitors.

Mountain biking

This is one of the fastest growing niches for our region. New trails opened at Kielder in September 2007 and this coincided with a launch of targeted promotional activity by One NorthEast. This has caused an increase in tourists in the region - especially out of season - and a flurry of interest from national and international mountain biking event holders.

Segments: A number of segments but especially Discoverers, Cosmopolitans and those in their twenty to thirties. Participants are often dynamic, open to new experiences, and enjoy getting a 'sense of place'.

Suitability: Ideally you should be located on or near good biking trails.

Facilities/offering: As for cycling: secure storage facilities, washing/drying areas, water bottle refills, packed lunches, maps, guides/tour guides, equipment hire/maintenance, transfers and luggage transfers, but also more inventive menus, live music, sales of clothing and equipment etc.

Links well with: Other adventure or extreme activities, international visitors.

Outdoor pursuits and activities

Outdoor pursuits covers a wide range of activities: climbing, watersports, golf, fishing, horseriding etc. It also covers the enjoyment of the natural environment and pursuits such as bird watching, wildlife appreciation etc.

Segments: Cosmopolitans, Discoverers, Traditionals.

Suitability: Businesses located near to areas for outdoor pursuits, businesses with strong links to outdoor pursuits.

Facilities/offering: Packages and itineraries that combine accommodation, food and outdoor pursuits, taster days, guided pursuits, maps, guides, clothing and equipment retail. Budget, medium and luxury accommodation with secure storage areas and wash/dry areas.

Links well with: Mountain Biking, Walking and Cycling, possibly Rest and Relaxation.

Families

Families are a key market for North East England. All the main segments - High Streets, Cosmopolitans and Discoverers are well represented amongst families and our region is seen as having lots for families to do. Yet families can be treated as a niche: identify their requirements and respond to them, and target them with your marketing.

Segments: Most segments.

Suitability: This niche is suited to flexible, accommodating businesses with a real understanding of family needs.

Facilities/offering: The key is to make it easy and entertaining: successful family days out and short breaks take the strain out of feeding, accommodating and entertaining families so that all family members, adults included, enjoy the experience. Link entertainment, attractions and activities to create an easily accessed and organised itinerary, coupled with family friendly accommodation and food providers. Maps, guides, trails. Organised activities require staff, instructors and guides who can appeal to children without patronising the adults. Well organised, interesting, varied and quickly served food is also essential.

Links well with: Visiting friends and relatives, outdoor pursuits and activities.

Visiting friends and relatives

Visiting, friends and relatives (VFR) provides for a significant proportion of tourism. Friends and family of all ages and lifestyles travel to visit, stay with and spend leisure time together. Businesses that can offer deals for local people and put together itineraries, ideas and packages that appeal to a variety of segments and ages will do well.

Segments: All segments.

Suitability: Most businesses of all types.

Facilities/offering: Deals for local people, family packages and itineraries.

Links well with: History and heritage, outdoor pursuits, gardens, food.

History and heritage

Segments: An interest in history and heritage extends across a wide variety of segments, including families, and is of particular interest to mature and older segments and traditionalists.

Suitability: Businesses of all types with strong connections to, or located at or near to, sites of historical or heritage interest or run by people with a strong interest in history or heritage.

Facilities/offering: Maps, guides, books, information. Itineraries, packages and deals with activities, entertainment and attractions with an historical or heritage theme. Themed food or historical food premises and accommodation in buildings of historical or heritage interest.

Links well with: Arts and culture, groups, gardens, rest and relaxation.

Gardens

Segments: Traditionals, functionals.

Suitability: Businesses - especially garden attractions, tearooms and accommodation - of all types located near to or with links to gardens.

Facilities/offering: Maps, guides, trails and information, itineraries and packages, arts, crafts, plants, produce, retail, locally produced food.

Links well with: Group travel, history and heritage.

Church/religious tourism

Segments: Popular across a number of segments, including families, but most popular with mature/senior segments and traditionalists.

Suitability: Calm, well ordered businesses with a sympathy for religious values and a proximity to religious sites or buildings or places of retreat or spiritual significance.

Facilities/offering: Maps, guides and information about local sights, sites and religious history, easy access to appropriate religious services, catering suited to the religion, a sympathetic environment and routine.

Links well with: History and heritage.

Food tourism

Food is a niche that crosses many segments. Food tourism is becoming increasingly popular - people travelling to enjoy excellent food, restaurants, and food festivals. Even where food is not the primary reason for travelling, excellent and good regional food can be a powerful motivator.

Segments: Many segments.

Suitability: Businesses that offer exceptional food, especially with regional and locally sourced themes.

Facilities/offering: Excellent food, local sourcing, quality accommodation, regional entertainment, arts and culture.

Links well with: Arts and culture, history and heritage.

Arts and culture

Arts and culture tourism involves theatre, music, crafts, galleries, museums and other cultural attractions.

Segments: Discoverers, cosmopolitans, traditionals, high streets.

Suitability: Businesses offering a strong connection to arts and culture.

Facilities/offering: Packages and itineraries, quality, comfortable/luxury accommodation with an arts and culture theme or near to arts and culture attractions, live music, innovative food combined with a sense of place, fringe and mainstream entertainment, maps, guides, trails, art/craft retail. Painting, pottery, sculpture, music etc lessons, workshops, demonstrations and courses combined with food, accommodation, and possibly visits to arts and culture attractions.

Links well with: History and heritage.

Urban culture

Urban culture revolves around shopping, popular culture, nightlife and popular restaurants.

Segments: Cosmopolitans, High Streets, Followers, Style Hounds.

Suitability: Centrally located businesses especially shopping, nightlife, music and chic restaurants.

Facilities/offering: Extra touches; combined accommodation/restaurant and nightlife or evening entertainment packages; stylish, fashionable surroundings, extra touches, popular entertainment, transfers from airports/stations.

Links well with: Arts and culture, food tourism, international visitors and visiting friends and relatives.

Wellbeing

The Wellbeing niche is all about health, beauty, pampering and emotional wellbeing.

Segments: It appeals to a variety of segments: High Streets, Cosmopolitans, Style Hounds.

Suitability: Calm, well ordered businesses with an interest in health, beauty and emotional wellbeing.

Facilities/offering: Spa breaks, health and beauty treatments, retreat facilities, organic, nutritious food, comfortable/luxurious accommodation.

Links well with: Rest and relaxation.

Rest and relaxation

Rest and relaxation is different from Wellbeing in that it is less about health and beauty treatments and more about getting away from it all, unwinding and taking life at a slower pace. It doesn't meant doing nothing, it means getting closer to nature, doing something new but at a relaxed pace, good food.

Segments: Rest and relaxation appeals to a variety of segments: Discoverers, Functionals, Cosmopolitans and especially to couples.

Suitability: Calm, ordered and well-run businesses. Rural businesses of many kinds and urban businesses linked to arts and culture. Accommodation businesses offering traditional, regional, comfortable/luxurious surroundings and facilities. Food businesses offering indulgent, regional or comforting food and surroundings.

Facilities/offering: Slow-paced itineraries, comfortable/luxurious accommodation, gentle outdoor pursuits (walking, cycling, golf etc), good food, history and heritage, arts and culture attractions/activities and low-key entertainment.

Links well with: Arts and culture, history and heritage.

Business tourism

Business people are also just people, so many segments are represented here. However business people also share certain characteristics: they are often on tight time-scales, need good but quick food, may arrive late and need to leave accommodation early and at the end of their day can be very drained. They often want good service but without too much individual attention, and value warmth but without too much familiarity. They are often single travellers who have to pack light so appreciate extra touches - books, newspapers, magazines, dvds, music, bathrobes, toiletries etc. They are often constantly working, so appreciate good communication and internet access. Extra facilities like printing, pens, paper, envelopes etc can come in handy.

Segments: A wide variety of segments.

Suitability: Easily located (but not necessarily town or city-centre) accommodation businesses with warm but unobtrusive and thoughtful service, good facilities and comfort with character are well suited to this niche. Eating and drinking places with fast, nutritious food and comfortable surroundings well suited to single diners will also do well.

Facilities/offering: Business deals, wireless internet access, printing and other facilities, quick but interesting, nutritious and varied menus, extra touches, late arrivals/early departures.

Links well with: History and heritage, walking and cycling, arts and culture.

Corporate

Corporate tourism is all about meetings, company away days, seminars and company events, hosting of customer events, incentives, team building, rewards for good service, etc.

Segments: Businesses of all kinds with 10 and more employees engage in occasional off-site corporate activities and businesses with 20+ employees do this regularly for their customers and staff. Business customers can be demanding and make last minute demands. They are also interested in the unusual or new. They expect good service as a given, not something they have to pay extra for.

Suitability: Business customers can be more demanding than leisure customers, and they will certainly want the strain taken out of the organising. This niche will suit well run businesses of all types with the ability to cater for groups efficiently and effectively. You'll need good planning and organisational abilities, an eye for detail, adaptability and a very strong customer focus - the business customer is always right! You'll also need good marketing capabilities - you'll need to raise your profile amongst businesses to win custom.

Facilities/offering: Comfortable/luxurious accommodation with extra touches. Good food and drink, with regional elements, well served and presented. Well lit, ventilated and equipped meeting rooms. Larger venue spaces. Good communications and internet connections. Access to audio-visual equipment and printing, photocopying etc. Interesting and well run programs of events and/or activities - especially the unusual and challenging. Effective and engaging staffing. Tailored programs. Extra touches.

Links well with: Luxury and group travel, business tourism.

Travel trade/group travel

The travel trade niche involves group travel, often by coach, to organised itineraries and accommodation.

Segments: Functionals, traditionalists

Suitability: Readily accessible businesses capable of handling groups of 25+ easily. Gardens, history and heritage businesses, arts and culture businesses, regionally themed businesses, serviced accommodation businesses.

Facilities/offering: Good access and parking, free places for guides/drivers, traditional food, quick service, good toilets, guides and traditional food, knowledgeable guide.

Links well with: Gardens, history and heritage

Cruise tourism

Segments: Cosmopolitans, Discoverers

Suitability: Readily accessible businesses capable of handling groups of 25+. Able to offer VIP service, tailor made programmes, personal touches and exclusivity. Behind the scenes experiences, knowledgeable guides and exceptional service offered. Flexibility is important. Prefer iconic attractions/venues, upmarket hotels and restaurants. Tend to be high spend, Age 55+.

Facilities/offering: Good access and parking for coaches, food and drink with regional elements, quick service and first class customer care.

Links well with: Luxury Group Travel and Group Travel.

Luxury group travel

Segments: Cosmopolitans, Discoverers

Suitability: Readily accessible businesses capable of handling groups of 25+. Businesses that can link in with the following themes: Historic houses and Gardens, Castles, Roman Heritage and City Culture. Able to offer VIP service, tailor made programmes, personal touches. Guests expect managed itineraries, well planned and organised.

Facilities/offering: Good access and parking for coaches, high quality food and drink with regional elements, well served and presented. Luxurious accommodation, extra touches with exceptional service offered.

Links well with: Cruise Tourism.

Schools, education

This niche is a form of specialist group travel.

Segments: School, college and university students cover a wide range of segments.

Suitability: Businesses of many types: attractions, activity providers, serviced accommodation providers, venue providers, arts and culture businesses, history and heritage attractions etc. Cheerful, adaptable businesses with good awareness of child protection and CRB checked staff, excellent health and safety, food safety and fire assessment, capable of taking groups of 30+. Businesses will do well in this niche if they can take the strain away from the teacher, lecturer or organisers. Awareness of current curriculums and the objectives of the educational visits will really help.

Facilities/offering: Secure, comfortable, robust accommodation with sufficient dining and public room capacity and good communications/internet connections. Good food, with some regional elements, capable of being served quickly. Audio/visual equipment. Well paced itineraries and packages with strong themes. Good interpretation and explorative, stimulating materials. Inspiring, experienced staff/instructors/guides.

Links well with: Other group travel, families - but not at the same time.

Green tourism

This is a rapidly growing niche that appeals to an increasing urge to travel and live responsibly. It is unlike other niches and tends not to be the main theme of a holiday or break, but a peripheral bonus that helps to make the sale. That said breaks and leisure which revolve around beach cleaning, restoring natural or man-made assets, or some other form of charity or environmental work are becoming more popular, a way to give something back and add meaning to a break.

Segments: Many segments respond to a green theme, though not necessarily as the primary holiday motivation: Cosmopolitans, Discovers, High Streets.

Suitability: Businesses with a genuine interest in the environment and with strong, active environmental policies. Businesses with additional links to environmental, charity or other volunteer, restorative work. Particularly (but not exclusively) suited to rural businesses.

Facilities/offering: Excellent recycling, power and water usage and waste disposal. Local sourcing/home producing. Organic or sympathetically produced food, locally sourced, well cooked and presented. Knowledgeable staff. Particular efforts to be in sympathy with surroundings. Packages, itineraries and programs that mix some leisure time with volunteer environmental or charity works. Bikes to loan, walking trails.

Links well with: Outdoor pursuits, walking and cycling, schools/educational.

Making a niche work for you

Identifying a successful niche can bring valuable extra business, give extra definition to marketing ideas and help you develop your products and services.

Aims
Your response to a niche will depend on your overall aims, so your first step is to identify what you are trying to achieve:

• do you want to build additional business across all periods?
• do you want to fill quieter, off peak times?
• do you want to develop one or two niches into your core trade, your bread and butter?

Take a personal interest
Once you're clear about your aims, look over the niches and see which ones appeal to you as a business and as a person. The most successful niches tend to be the ones you have a genuine interest in yourself. Not only does your business need to have the right facilities and amenities, but you'll need sufficient understanding and empathy to know what to offer and how to specialise, and you'll also need the enthusiasm and interest to both 'sell' your business to customers and to really communicate with them about their passions when they arrive.

Be objective

At the same time, you need to be objective - however keen you are on a particular activity or theme, does your business really have what it takes? Are you appropriately located, do you have the right facilities and amenities, can you network and create the right connections, do your staff have the right skills, are your procedures and processes able to cope with the new demands? Can you create a really appealing offering, one with an edge over your competitors? Answering no to any of these questions doesn't necessarily rule the niche out, but you do have to be objective and realistic and find positive solutions to barriers.

Do your research

Once you've honed in on a niche, do your research. What do customers with those interests want? What do businesses already operating in those niches supply? What is the right kind of pricing? What are the right kind of incentives? Where would you advertise to reach the right segments and what images, text and advertising devices would you need to really communicate what you've got to offer?

Use the internet to see what's being offered in other areas. Talk to businesses already catering to those niches. Talk to potential customers to find out their needs. Talk to ground handlers, event organisers and similar. Get in touch with your local and regional tourism organisation to see what the opportunities are and how you might maximise them.

Identify your marketing opportunities

How can you reach target customers for your chosen niche? Usually it comes down to research and lateral thinking. What magazines or papers could you advertise in? What websites could you link to or take out a display ad on? Are there specific advertising opportunities through your national, regional or local tourism organisation? Can you make direct contact with customers through direct mail, direct telephone calls, e-mail or leaflet drops? Are there trade directories you can be listed in? Are there event organisers or tour operators you can contact? What about PR or newsletters you could contribute stories to?

Before you actually take out advertising, first make sure you've got your fulfilment in place: the ability to meet any enquiries you generate. You will need to develop your website and your printed literature to reflect your response to your chosen niche - you can either adapt your existing materials or create additional pages, brochures, leaflets etc. You must also ensure your staff are fully trained and can respond to enquiries fluently and with conviction.

Do a soft launch

A soft launch is a bit like a pilot - you do a very limited amount of advertising hoping to get just a few customers who will effectively be your guinea pigs. You can use these customers to test your approach and procedures and to get early feedback before you launch your main advertising. Be prepared to give them extra attention to make up for any less than smooth elements of your offering.

Once you know you've ironed out any obvious hitches and your overall premise is good - launch your advertising/marketing activities in earnest.

Take customer feedback

Without being intrusive, continue to take and actively provoke customer feedback, and try to be constantly aware of the experience your customers are having. You can do this through structured means such as questionnaires (you can incentivise responses with an offer such as a free drink, 10% off, entry to a prize draw etc) or through more informal means (which often work better) such as observation, conversations and follow up calls.

Your customers are your best barometer for your performance, listen to what they have to say about what you are doing well and not so well, and take their suggestions for alternative or additional services.