Defining the target market 🎯
In the course of the e-Marketing & Social Media Marketing subject, our group dealt with the Lazy Loft Hostel in Costa Rica. Besides the travel longing 🏝 that came up through the research, one of the first questions we asked ourselves was, who is our target audience. To choose the right marketing tools and channels, it is essential to define in advance who is actually to be reached.
Through the input of a group member who was in Costa Rica herself and worked in the hostel and a joint brainstorming session, we defined 4 target groups that should be reached through our e-marketing and social media marketing measures. The four target groups consist of young travelers, young couples, backpackers, and digital nomads. To better understand the expectations and wishes of the target groups, we created so-called personas to give the target groups a face. As archetypal users, personas represent the goals and needs of the target group and make it possible to make informed decisions in the development of user-friendly products right from the start.
What all 4 personas have in common is a strong sense of community. They are generally open, interactive, and participative. From this, we could already deduce that all 4 personas are addressed with marketing messages that serve this desire for community. However, all 4 personas have also specific wishes, which can be served by marketing measures. Now I would like to introduce you to our 4 personas and their wishes.
Digital Nomad
A digital nomad is someone who yearns for the freedom to live and work around the world and uses technology to make this desire a reality. Usually, they stay longer than other travelers at the same place. Fun Fact: In 2016 43% of the workforce of the US was working remotely during some time of the year.
Our digital nomad is called Trisha. At an age of 28, she represents our oldest target group. She is from Madrid (Spain) and single. She is very self-motivated, which she needs to be, as she manages her work and free time independently. She can be described as a trouble-shooter, as we know that traveling often brings sudden challenges, but not for Trisha. Trisha is looking for accommodation with a stable and good internet connection and a quiet place to work so that she can fulfill her obligations. However, she is also looking for a place to relax, get to know the local culture, and is on the lookout for experiences and sporting activities.
This tells us that to reach Trisha, we need to emphasize not only the community spirit but as well the qualities of our hostel as a “workplace” for a digital nomad and additionally what the leisure activities around the hostel are.
Young Traveler
The young travelers just got their degrees and want now to travel the world and just see something new. This target market summarizes the youth, student, and educational travel market. Youth travel is becoming increasingly more important within global tourism. Estimation for 2020 (before pandemic) was 300 million arrivals. Usually, they don’t stay very long.
Our young traveler is Anika from Berlin (Germany). At an age of 20, she represents our youngest target group. Anika is single. The characteristics that describe Anika are that she wants to meet new people and network with others. She is looking for fun and great authentic experiences. Of course, a little party never hurts either. 🥳 Anika is not very demanding about accommodation, but she needs a good Wi-Fi connection so she can keep her online community up to date.
If we want to reach Anika with our e-marketing measures, we have to show her that she can have a lot of fun with us (during the day with cool experiences, in the evening with a great beach party).
Young Couple
In addition to the aforementioned, the younger travelers are becoming more and more concerned about nature. They support regional products and are keen to do some voluntary work.
In terms of our young couple Bonny (26) and Clyde (26), we need to show them a balance of privacy as well as community space during their holiday. Because, on the one hand, they want to enjoy their time together and have some romantic hours but on the other hand they want to meet others and are very outgoing. They want to get to know the country & the people. Furthermore, they are very concerned about the environment. Our two lovers are from Florida (US).
To attain this target group, we need to emphasize the sustainability of our company. Furthermore, the hostel has private rooms next to the dormitories, which gives them privacy. Thus, these should be brought into focus for our young couple.
Backpacker
Backpackers have a preference for budget accommodation; an emphasis on meeting other people and independently organize their travel schedule. They rather stay longer than making brief holidays. They generally can be reached with an emphasis on informal and participatory recreation activities. Flexible travel arrangements mean that backpackers stay until there is nothing new to experience. 😉 Market size: around 17.5 billion
Our backpacker is Bruno, 23 years old from Geneva (Switzerland). He can be described as open-minded, outgoing, and friendly. He is very good at motivating others for activities. But above all, he is a very funny guy who likes to have fun and always searches for the next adventure.
To reach this target group, adventures in the surrounding area must be offered in addition to the sense of community.
Finally, we now know who our guests are and can start posting and sharing. 🤩
