Lincoln castle visit
Research Brief
The Lincoln Castle is over 900 years old, and through these times it operated as a castle, court, and prison. Lincoln existed during the Norman times and was the largest city in England. Hence, it is a location for one of the largest castle servers built by William the Conqueror. Several battles were fought to take over the castle, especially during the reigns of Kings Stephen and Nick. Nonetheless, many of the original structures survived the wars and visitors can watch them today (Bramwell and Rawding, 2013). It is also one of two castles in England that have two mottos. One major attraction from the castle is the original copy of the Magna Carta of which there are only four copies left in existence. In summer, free guided tours are offered at 11 am on weekends and during winter times. The castle offers fantastic views over the Lincolnshire countryside and the city from the castle. This report aims at identifying current market segments of visitors to the castle, identifying a range of market research methods that one could use to understand the needs of customers, and lastly to give recommendations on the appropriate marketing methods to be used to attract visitors.
Market research objectives
The primary objectives of this study are to find out the current market segment of visitors to Lincoln Castle and also to find out which marketing strategy is most effective in capturing a larger population. To summarize the conclusions and recommendations, the main group that visits the castle are people between 18 and 35 years, these are mostly students in universities and colleges. Thus it is recommended that the marketing team target young people and also offer free academic trips to students around the city.
The current market segment of visitors
The Magna Carta currently serves three market segments, which are the general tourists, the schools sector, and the American market (Ardley, 2010). The market segment is quite broad and could include visitors from abroad and home, including groups and individuals. These variables cover a broad range of differences including income, age, and background. Nonetheless, previous studies on customer segments have revealed that common factors exist between these groups of customers. For instance, a search for nostalgia desire for knowledge, and authenticity (Silverman, 2015). Evidence has continued to show that experiential marketing can become an integral part of the Magna Carta exhibition (Jnasen, 2010).
Experimental marketing was first introduced by Pine (2013), he noted that when people buy an experience, they prefer paying to enjoy more events that the company is staging, for instance, a trip to the Galleries of Justice provides tourists with the opportunity to experience a real trial from Victorian times, this is being taken to the cells where they are greeted by costumed warders and a hangman. This type of experience usually involves buying goods related to the attraction site.
Market research methods
Surveys- these include asking many questions to a sample group that is large enough to be valid statistically. Reviews offer primarily closed-ended questions, though some open-ended questions can be included in the survey. They can also be distributed via mail, telephone, the Internet, email, or person-to-person (Kotler and Makens, 2016). Surveys are used to identify customer segments and characteristics. Prioritize visitor needs and assess their satisfaction, gauge the public’s awareness of Lincoln Castle, and track changes in opinions and attitudes. For surveys to be successful, one needs to consider factors such as sample size and composition, and clarity of the target population. One should use more than one qualifying question to ensure the target population is the one responding to the survey, ensure you pre-test the survey questions with a small group of people to ensure they are clear and do not take long to complete. Also, for online surveys, one should consider the time, user self-select, and invitations and put measures in place to make sure that the survey is functioning, live, and capturing data.
Focus groups- these are moderated interviews and sessions with target groups that provide information on customer needs and behaviors. They are useful for feature prioritization, exploration, and comparative analysis. Also, one should consider limiting the length of the session and conducting focus groups with 5 to 10 participants per group. Use an informed moderator who can manage group dynamics and probe skillfully to obtain a deeper understanding of issues and get a broader view of opinions.
Personal interviews- these involve semi-structured discussions with individuals. In these, open-ended questions are used where the interviewer probes further to get a better understanding of underlying perceptions and responses. Best uses for personal interviews including in situations where the topic is too personal and where particular groups of people can easily influence a person's response.
Method employed
The research method used was the survey method in which a questionnaire was used to gather information from visitors. The survey contained visitor sections that required respondents to fill in their demographic information including income, age, travel party size, accommodation preferences, and season of travel and spending behaviors. This was done to gain a comprehensive picture of what visitors to Lincoln Castle looked like so that appropriate marketing tactics could be chosen, such as target marketing, which is more cost-effective and advantageous than non-target promotion. The use of questionnaires would help gather comprehensive information from all segments of visitors and help know what specific recommendations to make for the satisfaction of all visitors. Understanding the needs of every visitor would give the Lincoln Castle management team an idea of the specific actions to take to ensure the satisfaction of all visitors and more.
Findings
After the survey had been conducted, the results revealed that most visitors were between the ages of 18 and 35, and made visits to the castle mostly during wintertime. Also, many showed satisfaction with the marketing strategy applied by the castle’s managing team to create awareness and increase visitor numbers. The experimental method was mentioned many times in the questionnaire as the most preferred method of advertisement.
Conclusions
After surveying visitors’ views based on the marketing strategies and also their experience after visiting Lincoln Castle, the responses were quite positive and revealed that the experimental and target advertising had a significant impact on visitor experience and increased. Most visitors are people between 18 and 35 years old; this population includes young people who are mostly in colleges and universities, this shows that the site mainly attracts young people who mostly visit during the winter season because, during the summer season, they attend classes.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of the research above, it is recommended that the Lincoln Castle marketing team should target young people since these form 80% of all visitors to the castle. Also, it is recommended that they provide free academic trips to the castle for schools around England to help local students become more informed about their history and heritage.
References
Ardley, E., 2016. Decorative painting in England, 1537-1837 (Vol. 2). Country Life, Limited.
Bramwell, B. and Rawding, L., 2013. Tourism marketing images of industrial cities. Annals of Tourism Research, 23(1), pp.201-221.
Jansen, M. and Van Rekom, J., 2010. Scanning museum visitors: Urban tourism marketing. Annals of tourism research, 23(2), pp.364-375.
Kotler, P. and Makens, J.C., 2016. Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism, 5/e. Pearson Education England.Pine, N.J., 2013.Medieval Castles in England and Wales: A Political and Social History.Cambridge University Press.
Silverman, T., 2015. Cultural tourism and business opportunities for museums and heritage sites. Tourism Management, 16(5), pp.361-365.
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