Better audience targeting was the subject of PatronBase’s surgery session at our Future of CRM & Ticketing event. The session was a chance for participants to share their own experiences around target marketing and generate new ideas on how to make the most of CRM systems to improve efficiency.

Many arts and cultural organisations face the challenge of effective audience targeting to make sure that the right message, about the right event reaches the right people. Some of the key points from the session focused on:

• Starting with effective segmentation. You should think carefully about your customer and cluster them into meaningful groups. These could be based on, for instance, postcodes for local or community event targeting; stated interest area for specific types of programming (a contemporary dance enthusiast or a family event attender); or sales history to flag work by a returning artist.
• Giving different messages to different kinds of audiences. It is important to get to know your audience on a more individual level to make sense of their motivations for and barriers to attending. If you get to know them as people you can market your events to their personal needs.
• Emphasising the importance of quality data collection. This will improve your ability to target messages that appeal directly to your audiences’ individual needs and interests.

The afternoon’s conversations highlighted the ways in which quality data collection combined with knowing the varying concerns of your customers to generate practical solutions to build meaningful segments and to ensure more accurate targeting.

The Future of CRM & Ticketing event also featured surgery sessions from CCR, Circle Interactive, Information Commissioner’s Office, Spektrix and Tessitura.