NESTA workshop: Book04

Book04 of the Nesta Toolkit is called 'In it for the long haul' and looks at how you should speak to customers so that you can remain in business.

The book covers 3 main areas:

• Marketing Mix
• Marketing Plan
• Financial Modelling

According to the Chartered Institute of Marketing: Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.

As part of the 'Marketing Mix' the book looks at the following:

- The 7P's of Marketing

1. Product
2. Place
3. Price
4. Promotion -how to engage with your target audience
5. People - you
6. Process -blueprint modelling
7. Physical environment

- Establishing Demand

-Is there a market/desire for your product?

-Is there a satisfactory demand for the product?

- The USP of a Product

Your business has to be UNIQUE.  Your USP has to be DIFFERENT to that of any other company.  The price must also be taken into consideration.


The USP of my service could be: The Gap between DJCAD graduation and industry that provides an opportunity of free space to act as a ‘starting block’ into the business/design world.

- Place

Where is your product/service sold?

- Price

The price of your product/service must be set at a level that the market will accept. There is a quote within the book from former DJCAD graduate, Johanna Basford that says:

''My top tips for pricing are know your market, know where you are in that market, be realistic and don't undervalue your product or your time.''

- Marketing and Promotional Tools

Consider how to get your product/service noticed.

• What message do you want to communicate?
• Who is the audience?
• What is the best way to communicate with them?
• What budget do I have?
• What measures will I use if I have been successful?

The 6 main tools for promoting your business and product and service are:

1. Public Relations
2. Advertising
3. Internet and online banking
4. Direct marketing
5. Sales promotion
6. Personal selling (you're the vehicle that is 'selling yourself')

- Public Relations

Public Relations (PR) is about creating and maintaining an image for your business/product that's the essence of its values and integrity, and that forms your reputation.

Bill Gates once said - ''If I was down to my last dollar, I'd spend it on public relations.''

-This can only emphasise how important PR is in the business industry.

Worksheet 04a: The Marketing Mix

This exercise helped me to be clear on the ways that I could market my service.

The marketing mix refers to the 7Ps of marketing that can help ensure that a business offer is in alignment with your company's business strategy.

Worksheet 04b: Critical Marketing Tasks

This task asked me to list all the tasks that would need to be carried out when starting a business of my choice.  It asked for associated deadlines and individual responsibilities for achieving the tasks.

The book recommends that we should regularly monitor and review the progress of our marketing activities, both in terms of staff resources and budgets.

Any deviation in progress or finances should be acted upon and the marketing plan amended accordingly.