Internal marketing environment

This article describes an organization's internal marketing environment. When you want to start a project or initiative, it is important to identify a number of things to determine how you will "market" it. This is called marketing. This involves looking at your own or internal environment as well as the outside world or external environment. Based on the marketing process, you can more easily create a plan of action, a budget and a communications plan.

What is the internal marketing environment?

By this is meant your own business environment or everything directly related to the initiative or project or its manufacture. When you analyze this well, especially during the SWOT analysis, you can gain insights into where you are stronger and where your areas of concern lie. There are not as many comprehensive models as there are for external analysis. We'll do a starter ourselves to make it easier to understand by distinguishing between the product-related characteristics and the organizational side to realize this product (or service, of course).

Product related issues

You have come up with a product or service that you want to market. This can be anything within the cultural sector, from a theater performance to a work of art and from a festival to clothing. It is good to put this on paper (initially for yourself). You can use a plan of action or a project plan for this. Even if you are not at all sure exactly how it will be, just start with it. Later during the external analysis and during the SWOT analysis, you will most likely come to insights with which you can adjust it. In any case, map out the following things.

Vision, mission and goals

Describe the vision, mission and goals as early as possible. Your mission and vision are often personal and are already fairly well established if all goes well. Your goals can be updated and expanded later.

Characteristics of the product or service you offer

Every product, service, initiative or project has certain characteristics or you want it to have. In the early stages, think of everything you would like most, regardless of whether it is entirely realizable. You can explore that later and make adjustments as needed. Ask yourself a long list of questions and answer them as specifically as possible. You can think of these types of questions:

• Where is it?
• What does it look like, how does it smell, how does it feel, etc.?
• What does it cost?
• How is it presented?
• How is it packaged?
• How does someone transport it?
• What are derivative products?
• Which artists are participating?
• What is the atmosphere like?
• Etc.

Elevator pitch

At first, write out your concept in a few lines. In fact, you should be able to tell it in about 30 seconds. Imagine yourself meeting someone you need briefly in the elevator and you want to make such an impression that you can explain it longer later. A more elaborate story will come after that.

Organizational aspects

In addition to the direct characteristics of the product, you can also identify your own or company's environment. These are mostly practical and personnel issues. With this you can determine to what extent you yourself are able to actually realize it in the end. There are, of course, quite a few parts to do with this but at least look at the parts below.

Who are you?

It is important that you take a moment to take a critical look at yourself. That way, you can determine whether you are the right person to carry out the product or initiative. Perhaps it is your job to come up with something and then you will have to find others to make it happen. A good way to do this is to map out the tasks and activities you expect to perform. There are often quite a few and chances are that you are not equally good at everything. In addition, it is perhaps even more important that you enjoy doing it. Put the tasks in a schedule and determine:

• What you like and what you are good at. You prefer to perform these tasks yourself.
• What you like but are not good at. Here you can try to assess whether you can learn it easily or whether you need to get someone to do it.
• What you are good at but don't like. Well, you can't have everything and especially in the early stages of your business you don't always have enough money to hire someone. Then it is convenient to keep doing it yourself for the time being.
• What you're not good at and what you don't like. This is what you find someone else for as soon as possible.

What people are involved (internally)?

You may not be alone at the start. That's great. Suppose you are working within an existing organization, then it is good to map out who you can use for this project or initiative. By properly determining what work will be involved and who you can use for that anyway, you can eventually see if you will need to hire others or not.

What facilities do you have available?

Determine what facilities such as production equipment, materials, transportation equipment, the work environment and the like you are going to need to start bringing the project or initiative to fruition. Look carefully at what you already have or can find within your organization. Then you will know what things you will need to hire or buy externally.

How much time can you devote to it?

Time is often an important factor. Sometimes you come up with an ingenious concept while also working full-time. This can affect the time you can devote to it. Make a schedule and determine whether your goals are realistic. Then you can see if you can speed things up by asking someone to help you.

What is the budget you have?

Most things cost money, after all. If you are going to realize a project or initiative, chances are you will incur costs. These may be directly related to the product (such as material costs) or to organizational aspects (such as renting office space). By mapping out your own or internal budget, you can determine what external forms of funding you will still need. For this you can later, for example, generate public income (perhaps through crowdfunding), seek sponsors or apply for grants and funds.

If, from your expertise, you yourself have knowledge that would fit this topic, or if you see opportunities to improve this text, we look forward to receiving your message at info@cultuuracademy.nl.