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Part 1:
Getting
Started
Part 1:
Getting
Started
Rural Tourism Business Toolkit
Rural Tourism Business Toolkit
2
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
About this toolkit
This .pdf is the first part of a fully featured resource packed full with useful information and advice
for new and existing rural tourism businesses. It is designed to help with business evaluation,
market identification, development of effective communication and marketing strategies, and
is intended to encourage initiatives that offer great visitor experiences whilst nurturing the
environments that create them.
This toolkit has been created as part of the COOL Tourism Project by the COOL Partnership and
tourism development charity Hidden Britain.
The COOL Tourism Project
The COOL Tourism Project is a European partnership of 11 local authorities and organisations,
based in the east and south of England and in the north of France, who are working together to
help each other compete effectively in the global tourism market.
COOL Tourism aims to address the need for market research, product development and business
support in the partners’ areas, and to encourage rural tourism businesses to make use of the rural
areas’ environmental assets and local distinctiveness to attract visitors.
The project is being delivered with the support of the European cross-border co-operation
Programme INTERREG IV A, France (Channel) – England, co-funded by the European Regional
Development Fund.
The project partners include; Norfolk County Council, Essex County Council (Visit Essex), Kent County
Council (Explore Kent), Visit Kent, Somerset County Council, West Somerset Council, Sedgemoor
District Council, Exmoor National Park Authority, Pas-de-Calais Tourisme, Somme Tourisme, and
Pas-de-Calais Gîtes de France.
This toolkit has been designed to allow you to
dip in and select the tools you need.
You’ll find navigation buttons on every page to
help move back and forward between the tools
and you can easily return here to the contents
page by clicking the “home” button at any time.
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Contents
How to use this Toolkit
Page 4
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Page 5
Page 7
Page 10
Page 19
Introduction
Effective business plans
Analysing Your Business
Researching your market
Understanding your customers
Go
Go
Go
Go
Page 25
Page 28
Page 32
Developing your brand
Financing Your Business
FAQs
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contents page
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Assessing your performance Page 13
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Rural Tourism Business Toolkit
Starting at the beginning
This Toolkit provides lots of advice and guidance on a variety of subjects, however to really use it to
its full potential you need to have a clear picture of your business and an understanding of a few
key fundamentals.
Why the basics matter...
Without the core understanding of your business and context, any decisions or investments you
make could be based on assumptions or shaky ground.
This section will help you explore the key elements of your business, incorporate them into your
business plan and provide a solid basis for moving on with the rest of the toolkit.
Where you should be before you begin
Before you use any of the information and tools in this section, we would suggest you have an
understanding of the following:
→ Your product
Having a clear idea of what you are trying to sell and the location you plan to sell it from.
→ What you are trying to achieve
Knowing what you term as “success”, and your goals for the business over the next 18 months.
→ Your financial position
Awareness of how you are financed, what your overheads are and your pricing policy.
→ Regulatory requirements for your business
Understanding of the legal requirements in your business.
If you need help with any of these then try the following sources of further help:
→ www.greatbusiness.gov.uk
→ www.visitengland.org/busdev/bussupport/
→ www.business-survival-toolkit.co.uk/
→ www.gov.uk/browse/business
4
Contents Introduction
This toolkit is an in-depth resource but it cannot address every specific need. Therefore feel free to
tailor the guidance or use it as a starting point to research further for your own business.
Also remember - things change, websites disappear and new trends arrive, use this toolkit
alongside your own research to ensure you are right up to date...
Disclaimer
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Part 1 ~ Getting Started
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5
Effective Business Plans
Having a solid plan
All businesses should have a solid business plan, it’s the blueprint that prepares you for the road
ahead, ensuring you focus your energies and keep your business on track.
Differing businesses will be at different places in their development and, even if established, may
not have considered all the aspects and components a business plan requires.
Therefore take five minutes and run through the following checklist of items that should be covered
in an effective business plan:
Your Goals
Do you have an end goal for your business? A clear articulation of what success looks like
(e.g. to “make money” or “gain a reputation”).
Have you set objectives to help you reach that goal? No more than 4 specific plans to
help you realise the end goal. (e.g. increasing repeat customers)
Can you easily measure progress against your objectives? All objectives should have some
kind of measure built into them and a specific deadline.
Further help
www.business-survival-toolkit.co.uk/stage-two
www.dummies.com/how-to/content/set-goals-and-objectives-in-your-business-plan.html
Business Environment
Have you analysed your own strengths & weaknesses as a business?
Provide a clear and critical assessment of the business from your viewpoint
Have you analysed the environment you operate in? Assessment of the market, the
characteristics of customers and the impact of wider factors.
Have you measured your business against the competition?
Include some analysis of how others operate and what that means for your business.
Further help
www.business-survival-toolkit.co.uk/stage-one
www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_STR.htm
What you do
Have you clearly outlined your product or service? A clear section stating what your
product(s) is and how it works in practice for your customers.
Do you have a clear pricing policy? A clear statement of what you intend to charge and a
reasoning for the price point.
Have you set out who your target audiences are?
Who your product is intended for and an analysis of their needs
Further help
www.learnmarketing.net/marketingmix.htm
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Effective Business Plans
Effective Business Plans (cont.)
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
Your Strategy
Have you identified methods of reaching your customers with your product? Include a
marketing plan on how you intend to promote your products, including budgets.
Have you set out a clear plan to resource the business?
Show how the business is managed, the roles and management structure
Further help
www.marketingdonut.co.uk/marketing/marketing-strategy
www.toolkit.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/part/20/100/457
Finances
Have you clearly outlined how your income is composed? You should be able to provide
specific percentages and annual figures on the sources of your income.
Do you know the operating costs of running your business on a monthly basis?
You should have an exact figure for overheads and a solid estimate for any variable costs
Do you know your cash flow needs on a monthly basis?
You should know the exact figure that will cover all outgoings every month.
Do you know your margins? You should know how much you need to make on any
product or service over its cost to you.
Have you clearly explained how your business is funded? State clearly how you are
funded (retained profits, loans, overdraft facility) and how secure it is.
Have you set out a forecast and final projections for the life of the business plan? You
should include profit & loss and cash flow forecasts as well as a budget forecast for the
business.
Further help
www.business-survival-toolkit.co.uk/stage-three
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/financing-a-business-growth-plan/
Risk Analysis
Have you outlined how you will deal with some of the key risks to your business? An
analysis of the pinch points that could hinder your plan and how you will address them.
Further help
www.business.qld.gov.au/business/running/risk-management
Useful Hints & Tips in creating a business plan
→ Set aside enough time for business planning. The time you spend will save you far more time
after your business is up and running.
→ Write a plan that people will read. Ensure you create a plan that’s complete but concise and
readable.
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7
Looking strategically at what you do
An important aspect of starting or developing any business is to gain a wider understanding of
both the environment you are intending to operate in and, if you have already traded, how you are
performing so far.
“Strategic Analysis” can seem like a scary phrase, but essentially it boils down to looking at your
business objectively and drawing conclusions and recommendations from a comprehensive look at
your operating environment.
SWOT Analysis
A S.W.O.T. analysis is an easy way of analysing your business and is simply an organised list of your
business’s greatest strengths, weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats it faces in the
marketplace. The simplest and most useful method of compiling a SWOT is in a 2x2 table with a
specific cell assigned to each element:
Strengths
Internal, positive attributes, both tangible and
intangible within your control
Weaknesses
Internal, negative factors that detract from
the value you offer or put you at competitive
disadvantage
Opportunities
External, positive factors that represent reasons
your business is likely to prosper.
Threats
External, negative factors beyond your control
that could place your strategy, or the business
itself, at risk.
Use the questions in the template below to refine your thoughts and complete a SWOT for your
business:
Strengths Weaknesses
Are you located in a positive position?
Do you have a team with relevant skills,
knowledge and experience?
Do you have a well established network of
suppliers, support and contacts?
Do you have a well established reputation?
Do you have significant capital in the business?
Do you have an established customer base?
Do you have effective distribution or
communication channels (e.g. website)
What advantages do you have over your
competition?
What areas need improvement to accomplish
your objectives or compete with your strongest
competitor?
Is your business in a poor location?
Does your team lack essential expertise/skills?
Does your business operate as efficiently as it
could (think technology)?
Does your business have limited resources?
Does seasonality affect your business model?
Is access to your business difficult without
private transport?
Analysing your business
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Analysing your business
Apply common sense and tailor the SWOT to your business, some things generally held as a
weakness may actually be a strength for you.
Be honest and critical, make sure to properly address your weaknesses as well as the
external threats.
1
2
Make it clear why you have included certain points - why they matter to your business and
provide the evidence they are based on.
Prioritise the elements within the SWOT with most important first
3
4
Using a SWOT
You can use the SWOT to develop specific plans
and strategies for your business by maximising
the positive influences and minimising the
negative ones.
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
SWOT Analysis (cont.)
Opportunities Threats
What opportunities exist in your market or the
environment that you can benefit from?
Is the perception of your business or market
segment positive?
Has there been any recent market growth or
other changes that create an opportunity?
Has there been effective marketing and/or
development within your wider destination?
Have there been wider trends or interest in
society or the media for your specific sector?
Have there been any legislation changes that
encourage favourable operating conditions?
Who are your existing or potential competitors?
Are there challenges created by an unfavourable
trend or development?
What situations might threaten your marketing
efforts?
Has there been a significant change in supplier
prices?
Could there be shifts in consumer behaviour, the
economy, or legislation that could reduce sales?
Could any new product, technology or trend
make your products or services obsolete?
Is your customer base sustainable?
Simple tips to get the most from a SWOT
Getting hands on...
Include all those within your business in creating the SWOT - different perspectives can
contribute valuable insight.
5
Image courtesy of Ian Brodie & Somerset County Council
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9
TOWS analysis
The simplest way to do so is to use a TOWS analysis, which looks at how the elements of the SWOT
could interact with each other and develop suitable plans.
Opportunities Threats
Strengths
Strength-Opportunity strategies
How can your strengths can be used to
maximise the opportunities you have
identified
Strength-Threats strategies
How can you use your strengths
to minimise the threats you have
identified?
Weaknesses
Weakness - Opportunity strategies
How can you minimise your
weaknesses using the opportunities
you have identified?
Weakness - Threats strategies
How can you minimise your
weaknesses to avoid the threats you
have identified?
The resulting actions and ideas can then form the basis of your focus over the short or long term as
you develop the business.
Other Models
There are plenty other tools you can use to complement or enhance a SWOT. Two of the most well
known are included below:
PEST
A P.E.S.T. analysis is similar to a SWOT but solely focuses on the external context your business
operates in (Political, Economic, Social and Technological). This can be used to help generate the
Opportunities and Threats element of a SWOT or used in its own right.
www.businessballs.com/pestanalysisfreetemplate.htm
Porters 5 forces
This analysis looks at the competitive strength a business has (or how effectively it will be able to
compete against similar businesses). It is a more complex tool but can particularly help identify
areas for concern in the business model.
www.businessballs.com/portersfiveforcesofcompetition.htm
Analysing your business
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Researching your market
Understanding your environment
The purpose of market research is to provide relevant data to help pre-empt problems or inform
strategies within a business. It provides an important backdrop and context to all your decisions.
Secondary Research
At this stage secondary research (information and data sourced from others) is vital as it saves
both time and money, and often offers a wider perspective. Make sure to check the following
sources:
→ www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics/
→ Localised tourism data held by Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), Local Authorities
or Protected Landscapes
→ Business groups (e.g. The Federation of Small Businesses)
→ Trade associations in your specific sector
→ Educational establishments
Be sure to look for the following kinds of information:
Size and scale of the market
Recent growth (or otherwise) trends of the market
Particular barriers to entering the market
Forthcoming opportunities that could help the market grow
Issues and potential threats to the market
Hike Help
Hike Help
Before starting Hikehelp in 2012 Andrew
& Karen undertook extensive research
which helped identify the gap for a
luggage transfer service on the long
distance footpaths in Norfolk. Research
that paid dividends as the business
continues to grow.
Find out more
Case Study
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11
Competition analysis
A key element of research for any business includes looking at the competitors operating in that
specific market. The first step is to identify who your competitors actually are, this may not mean
those closest to you in terms of location, rather look for businesses who are:
→ Offering a comparable product
→ Operating at a similar price point
→ Offering an experience of comparable quality
→ Operating in a similar location in relation to
their customer base
To get started; find three businesses that fulfil
the above criteria and assess them using the
profiling tool below:
Researching your market
Assessing the competition
2. Price
How much do they charge for a comparable product/service? How much do they charge for added
value services? Do they offer discounts or other incentive offers?
1. Product
What are they offering (core service & added value services)? What capacity (rooms/covers etc) do
they have? When are they open (hours/days/seasonally)?
4. Reception
What do their customers say about them? How loyal are their customers (do they get repeat
business or recommendations)? Are they proactively interacting with them to promote loyalty?
3. Marketing
Who specifically are their customers? What channels do they use to communicate with them?
How successful are each of those channels?
Image courtesy of Norfolk County Council
Rural Tourism Business Toolkit
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Researching your market
Competition analysis (cont.)
Where to find the information
You can obtain this information from numerous sources but don’t forget to include:
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
5. Resources
How many staff/team members do they employ? Do they contract any external experts? Do they
use any specific technology or innovation?
Their own websites - a mine of information on what a business is/does and how it presents
itself, including prices and how they market themselves.
TripAdvisor - a useful resource for understanding who a business’s customers are and their
thoughts and feelings.
1
2
Social Media - Channels like Facebook and Twitter can give real insight into additional
services, special offers, personnel and methods of communicating
Personal visit - For a true experience of a business, go as a customer yourself!
3
4
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13
Looking from a customer’s perspective
One, if not THE key measure of performance is how your customers perceive the service you offer
and how loyal they are. This tool comprises three approaches to assessing your performance from
your customer’s perspective. Remember to use these tools with a degree of common sense, you
should tailor them and apply the parts that are relevant to your business.
1. Profile & compare your own business
The simplest method of assessing performance is to compile a profile of your own product. If you
have worked through the previous tool on Competitor Analysis you can simply apply the same tool
and criteria to your own business. Once complete you can construct a Competitor Array to assess
your performance against others for specific criteria. To do so you need to:
This can be displayed on a table with competitors along the top and key factors down the side, as in
the example shown below:
Key Success
Factors
Weighting Your rating
Your rating
weighted
Competitor 1
rating
Competitor 1
weighted
Factor 1 .4 6 2.4 3 1.2
Factor 2 .3 4 1.2 5 1.5
Factor 3 .2 3 .6 3 .6
Factor 4 .1 7 .7 4 .4
Totals 1.0 20 4.9 15 3.7
Key Success
Factors
Weighting Your rating
Your rating
weighted
Competitor
rating
Competitor
weighted
Totals
Assessing your performance
Determine a small handful of key success factors in your industry
Rank the key success factors in order of importance by giving each one a weighting - The
sum of all the weightings must add up to one.
1
2
Rate yourself and each competitor on each of the key success factors out of ten (higher
number is better)
Multiply each rating in the matrix by the factor weighting.
3
4
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14
2. Review Customer Feedback
An alternative method is to base your assessment on what your customers say about you and what
they report or share with others.
The first step of course is to gain customer feedback, consider the following to do so:
→ Encourage reviews on TripAdvisor or other review sites
→ Encourage contact from customers through tools like social media after their visit
→ Offer incentives to obtain feedback and testimonials (free business card draw)
→ Make it obvious (visitor books, feedback cards) and ask!
For more in-depth tips on gaining and using feedback take a look at the Word Of Mouth tips in Part
2 of the Toolkit - Communicating.
For any customer feedback you collect, use the following checklist to help gain valuable insight:
Assessing your performance
Is the data representative? Context is important, particularly be aware of collating
feedback obtained during a busy event alongside that obtained during quieter periods.
Are you looking at trends rather than specific responses? Rather than individual views you
are looking for sentiments being echoed across multiple instances of feedback. It’s easier
to pick these out by reading a lot of responses together.
Are you looking at negatives equally? No-one likes to receive complaints, but they
have been made for a reason - and they have bothered to share it with you. Take each
seriously and investigate.
Are you using in-depth methods to analyse the data? Detail is important in customer
feedback, try to avoid using averages or simply lumping positive and negative views
together. The key is understanding why a view was given.
Can you pinpoint and verify the feedback? It is vital to be able to cross-reference any
feedback to the time and place related to it, including any staff member, equipment or
other specifics of your product.
Customer feedback
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
Image courtesy of Visit Kent
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15
3. Mystery Visit
The third method of assessing your performance is to set certain criteria or standards and test the
reality of a visit to see whether you achieve those criteria, or indeed identify other issues that may
need to be addressed. You can either complete this yourself or ask a friendly volunteer to do so.
How to score
A. = Good - Your business is performing well
for this criteria. Focus on maintaining this
standard
B. = Average - Your business is passable
for this criteria, look for ways to improve
performance
C. = Poor - Your business could improve
significantly on this criteria, look urgently
for ways to improve performance
Assessing your performance
It is impossible to provide a single checklist that would apply to all business types, therefore
use the key principles, tailor the tool to your business and define your own criteria.
1. Booking / Arrangement of experience
The contact a customer would have with your business prior to arrival should be efficient, friendly
and provide all the relevant information a customer needs.
a) On booking were you provided with?
- Instant Email confirmation
- Detailed directions to visit the business
- Information on the wider area
Scoring: A= 3/3 B=2/3 Otherwise C
Your Score
b) Was the contact you had during the booking process?
- Handled with courtesy and politeness
- Accurate and sufficiently detailed
- Offered suggestions and ideas to improve your visit
Scoring: A= 3/3 B=2/3 Otherwise C
Your Score
Mystery Visit
Image courtesy of Ian Brodie & Somerset County Council
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Assessing your performance
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
2. Arriving at the business
The journey a customer takes to reach your business should be as easy as possible. The initial
perceptions on arrival form vital first impressions and can be difficult to dislodge if negative.
a) Were the information / directions provided by the business?
- Adequate to find the business without additional help
A
- Needed supplementing with online or offline information
B
- Needed largely replacing with online or offline information
C
Your Score
b) On the day of your visit was parking at the business?
- Available on-site
- Free of charge to customers
- Adequate for number of customers on day
- Sited on ground suitable for all types of vehicle
Scoring: A= 4/4 B=2+/4 Otherwise C
Your Score
c) Was the point of arrival (car park, entrance etc)?
- Generally clean and tidy and free from litter on the floor
- Buildings and premises well maintained
- Free from graffiti / signs of vandalism
Scoring: A= 3/3 B=2/3 Otherwise C
Your Score
d) On arrival was there?
- Up-to-date and well maintained signage
- Clear information regarding any parking restrictions
- Clearly displayed opening and closing times
Scoring: A= 3/3 B=2/3 Otherwise C
Your Score
Mystery Visit (cont.)
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Assessing your performance
Mystery Visit (cont.)
3. Welcome and service
Customer interaction with the staff at your business is a vital element of the experience and can
easily make or break a visit.
a) Were you acknowledged within 10 seconds of arriving at the business?
- Yes politely
A
- Yes but brusquely or in a less than polite manner
B
- No acknowledgement
C
Your Score
b) Ask a question directly related to the business/service you are buying. Was your question:
- Answered politely
- Thought about and offered suggestions / solutions
- Given an accurate and sufficiently detailed response
Scoring: A= 3/3 B=2/3 Otherwise C
Your Score
c) Ask a question related to the wider area. Was your question:
- Answered politely
- Thought about and offered suggestions / solutions
- Given an accurate and sufficiently detailed response
Scoring: A= 3/3 B=2/3 Otherwise C
Your Score
d) Did the staff member say good bye or something equally courteous at the end of the visit?
- Yes politely
A
- Yes but brusquely or in a less than polite manner
B
- No acknowledgement
C
Your Score
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Assessing your performance
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
4. Facilities
This section covers the experience a customer has at your business. These are example questions -
so feel free to tailor to your visitors’ expectations and assign more specific criteria here.
a) Was Wi-Fi available at the business?
- Yes Wi-Fi was freely available to customers
A
- Available but incurred a charge for usage
B
- Not available to customers
C
Your Score
b) Were the toilet facilities at the business:
- Available and open
- Clean and free from smell
- Provided with ample toilet roll and soap
- All dispensers, driers and lights in working order
Scoring: A= 4/4 B=2+/4 Otherwise C
Your Score
c) Were any equipment / appliances available for use at the business:
- In good working order with suitable usage instructions provided
- Showed evidence of recent cleaning or maintenance
- Of a consistent make and/or model
Scoring: A= 3/3 B=2/3 Otherwise C
Your Score
d) Was information on the wider/local area available?
- Local area map and leaflet displays pertaining to the local area
A
- Leaflets or map only available
B
- Neither available
C
Your Score
Mystery Visit (cont.)
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Understanding your customers
19
Understanding your existing customers
In order to develop an appealing product or service we need to know something about the target
audience we’re trying to attract.
Your existing customers represent your current
success, these are the people who understand
your business and have chosen you to spend
their time and money with. It’s important to
understand who they are in more depth.
Profiling
Use the information you already have about
them (factual or anecdotal) to answer the questions below for your current customers:
How old are they?
Male or Female?
Are they family groups, singles, retired
people, groups of friends etc?
Do they live close by or are they coming
from farther away?
How much do they spend with you on
average per visit?
What do they do when they’re in your area
(visit friends and family, shopping, studying,
just passing through etc)?
What do they say they like about your
product or service?
Do you get repeat business from them? If
so, how often?
Customers...
Image courtesy of Visit Kent
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Understanding your customers
20
Finding new audiences
Your existing customers are a great place to start but you might also decide you need to grow your
appeal and attract other audiences.
It may not be obvious who these audiences might be so use the following tools to help.
Understand who you want
Firstly answer the key questions below to create the base criteria for your business:
Marsh Farm
Marsh Farm
Traditionally targeting families at
weekends and school holidays, Marsh
Farm needed to develop a more consistent
audience base. To do so they have
expanded to offer specific incentives for
pre-school children and parents midweek
as well as school visits.
Find out more
Case Study
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
2. What am I looking to achieve?
This should be an honest distillation of your business objectives e.g. “encourage more out of season
visitors” or “increase the average spend of current visitors”
1. What do I offer?
This should be a combination of your product and the benefits it provides, e.g. “we offer high
quality, rural accommodation to customers looking to escape the hustle and bustle of modern life”
These criteria are the lens you should view all the potential audiences with as you are looking for
people who will respond to your offer and meet your objectives.
BUT, bear in mind that unless you are fundamentally changing what your business offers, new
customers are unlikely to be significantly different from your current customers.
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21
Researching potential audiences
Forearmed with your criteria, the next step is to research and look into who the potential audiences
could be. Below are some suggested sources and ideas to explore.
Understanding your customers
→ Visit Local Authority or DMO websites for
reports, statistics and insights. Make sure
to look as local as you can rather than at a
national level.
→ Contact your local business group,
Chamber of Commerce or tourism
association to see if they have similar
research to share.
→ Look into audience segmentation tools and
models available concerning the visitor
economy. e.g. The Ark Leisure model from
Arkenford (GB visitor market) or review sites
like VisitBritain and VisitEngland for larger
trends
→ Contact membership and interest groups
like the Ramblers Association. They can
help you understand more about their
members interests and profiles.
→ Hold focus groups with people
representative of potential customer
groups
→ Design and send an online questionnaire
asking for opinions from potential
audiences.
→ Conduct face to face interviews in your
local high street or at local visitor
attractions
→ Simple footfall analysis to assess who is
visiting your area, when and what they’re
doing
Health Warning - conducting research is a science and should be done either with an
experienced research partner or at least with the support of someone with relevant experience.
Profiling potential audiences
With your research and key criteria in mind, answer the following questions to create a profile for
each of your target audiences . You can describe as many audience groups as you think are relevant
but be realistic!
How old are they?
Will they be in couples, family groups, sole
visitors or as part of other groups?
What kind of income will they have?
What kind of interests, hobbies, preferred
activities do they have?
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Understanding your customers
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
Profiling potential audiences (cont.)
What will their expectations be of your
business? (What do they want or need you
to provide)
What will they expect from your place?
(What needs to be close by or in your area
to make them come)
How far will they come to enjoy your offer?
How will they get to you?
Prioritising your target audiences
If you’ve got this far you probably have a good number of audiences (both existing and new) to
choose from. However, unless you have huge budgets and lots of resources, you’re unlikely to be
able to focus on all of them simultaneously.
The next task, therefore, is to prioritise the audiences and funnel your energies where you can make
the most difference. Use these questions to help you prioritise a maximum of three or four target
audiences.
Deepdale Farm
By knowing and understanding their
customers Deepdale provide not only
a range of accommodation but also
a complex of related shops and other
facilities. They have equally been able
to identify which events appeal to their
customers and which not to pursue.
Find out more
Case Study
Deepdale Farm
Who is easiest to communicate with? Can you get a contact database easily? Do they all
have a shared interest that you could use to talk to them altogether?
Who has the most money to spend? You need to target groups that have the desire PLUS the
cash to make your efforts worthwhile.
1
2
Who will be interested in your offers all year round? Is there a group that will be keen to
spend time and money irrespective of the season?
3
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Understanding your customers
23
Prioritising your target audiences (cont.)
Who will be drawn to your place as well as your business? When used as an integral part
of your marketing, your location can make your offer even more attractive.
Who will find your case studies and testimonials most relevant and appealing? What other
customers say about you is very powerful so who will be most impressed?
4
5
Who is already coming to businesses locally? If people already visit your area you can
develop referral opportunities - a cheaper source of business.
6
Who is most likely to recommend you? A technically savvy audience will use review sites
like TripAdvisor, so it never hurts to consider who will drive word of mouth for you.
7
Building an audience map
Now you have an idea of who your priority audiences are, it’s useful to keep all the information in
one place for quick reference. Thinking even further ahead, it’s important that we can articulate for
each audience:
→ Their key characteristics
→ Their most important wants and needs - the things they want from a business like yours
→ Their key triggers - the tangible things that you have that make them respond to your offer
→ The emotional benefits you can offer them - the things they feel about spending time and
money in your place and your business. These are really powerful motivators in terms of
decision-making beyond basic price and physical descriptions
Once you have developed these, you can create core messages that can be used in your marketing
and conversations with the audiences to tie all of these points together.
The audience map tool overleaf is for you to use once you’ve completed the above sections (or if
you already have the answers you need about your target audiences). We’ve included a couple of
examples so you can see how it works.
Pool House Woolavington
Pool House positions itself for an
upmarket boutique audience. They tailor
not only their offer and facilities but also
how they present themselves in their
communications, the type of advertising
they use and incorporate the essence of
luxury and quality into all their messages.
Find out more
Case Study
Pool House
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Understanding your customers
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
24
Target
Audience
Characteristics Wants & needs Triggers Benefits
Resultant
Messages
Active retired
couples
Have income to
enjoy short breaks
and holidays
Enjoy British
countryside
Interested in
outdoor activities
but not hardcore
Might consider
bringing
grandchildren if
suitable
To have
arrangements
sorted in advance
Good value for
money (not just
cheap)
Relaxed
atmosphere
Choice of things to
do without having
to travel too far
Potentially, good
public transport
links
Things to do if the
weather is bad
Comfortable rooms
with views of the
landscape
Good website with
easy availability-
checking, booking
facility and links to
local attractions
and other
information
Competitive price
Good quality,
locally sourced food
and drink
Close to local
museums, cinema
and shopping
Feel relaxed and
active spending
time outdoors but
safe as they are
using organised
walking trails
Happy that the
arrangements
were sorted before
arriving so they can
enjoy just being
there
Indulge in both
countryside and
top quality local
produce
Enjoy a weekend
drinking in the best
of our countryside
along safe walking
trails with amazing
views. Or indulge
your cultural
curiosity with local
ghost stories in
the town museum.
Whichever you
choose, reward
yourselves with
the tastiest local
specialities from
our welcoming pubs
and restaurants.
Mountain
bikers
Keen interest in
their sport
More male than
female
Higher than
average incomes
Likely to come in
small groups
Will recommend a
great experience to
others
Secure storage for
bikes
Hearty, high energy
food
Something to do in
the evenings
Great off-road
cycling experience
Bike wash down
facilities and a
secure storage shed
Special offers
for cycling club
members
High energy
breakfast and picnic
options
Good local night-
time economy
Organised cycle
routes
Local repairs shop
Located close to the
start of great rides
Can get into the
great outdoors
easily and quickly
Feel genuinely
welcomed and that
their needs are met
as mountain bikers
Happy that their
expensive bikes are
safe
Relaxed as there
are organised
routes available if
wanted
We know what
mountain bikers
need to have a
great time so come
and get muddy
happy in the
knowledge that
your gear is safe,
that you’ll really
challenge yourself
on our trails and
that you’ve earned
the excellent local
food and beer at
the end of your day.
Building an audience map (cont.)
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Developing your brand
25
Getting the core message right
The previous tool helps you start thinking about what your visitors want and how you should start
to communicate with them, however it’s key that you have a consistent and clear way of doing
so. Your brand is therefore the core of your marketing and the yardstick to prioritise activities to
develop your business. It is THE key tool to help everyone understand about you.
Your Brand?
Your brand is a statement of intent, your elevator pitch and the supporting content that backs it up,
tailored to meet your customers’ expectations. It is built of two separate elements:
Who you are Why people choose you
A succinct phrasing of who you are to your
customers. This is the core of the brand and
needs to encapsulate:
→ What your product is
→ What your business objectives are
→ What your customers are looking for
Something that differentiates you from the
competition. If your audience knows they want
a product like yours, this is the extra element
that makes them select you. It needs to be:
→ Something important to your audience
→ Something that you do better than others
→ Not necessarily unique!
Defining your brand
If you have completed the preceding sections in this toolkit you’ll have the building blocks already in
place, but to put this together powerfully follow the steps outlined below:
Pull together all the key features of your product or service.
Prioritise them by which can help you achieve your goals as a business
1
2
Prioritise again based on the elements most attractive to your customers
3
When you have reduced the list to no more than 3 or 4 key features, use the following table
to plot the features against the benefits they provide.
4
Rational (features) Emotional (benefits)
Physical things you brand e.g.
Beautiful rural environment
Tranquil and peaceful
Locally sourced produce throughout
Variety of activities on the doorstep
What the visitor gains from the features e.g.
Get away from it all, be inspired
Feeling of safety, relaxation
Invigoration, healthiness, exclusivity,
fulfilling, stress-free to plan
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Developing your brand
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
26
Defining your brand (cont.)
Use this to compare yourself to what your competitors are offering and look for your
competitive edge. See the previous tool on Assessing your performance for tips.
5
At this point it’s always worth pausing to review your brand and test it against a few
fundamental questions before pushing forward.
6
If you are happy with your brand, you should then construct your core brand messages,
using the following format.
7
Is it clear? Would the man from Mars understand what you are all about in less
than 30 seconds? The best brands are simple and clear, if it needs explaining you
need to simplify.
Is it accurate? Does it actually reflect what customers will find when they visit
you? Making promises of being family-friendly means ensuring you can provide
that service 24/7 and 365 days a year.
Does it make you stand out? Have you articulated something that sets you apart,
or are you just generic? This is possibly the hardest aspect but you do need to
leverage some form of competitive advantage.
Will your customers care? Have you tailored the brand so it appeals directly to
your customer base? It should factor in something they as a segment want or
need on both a rational and emotional level.
Benefit Feature Trigger
What the visitor gains from
your business
Detail on what you offer
that provides the benefit
Why they should choose you
over another business
e.g. A chance to taste the
freshest fruits of field and
forest
e.g. Our menu of delicious
local food and drink changes
every week depending on
what’s fresh right now
e.g. We stock 23 local
cheeses, the largest selection
in Exmoor
Now bring them together in a few short paragraphs, the more succinct the better to create a
compelling brand.
8
Keep all the elements of the messages you compile, different parts may be useful in different
situations or to promote different elements of your product to specific audiences.
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Developing your brand
27
Presenting your brand
Once you are happy with the content of the brand you need to bring it to life and lay out clearly
the key elements of how it should be communicated. This is particularly vital to ensure internal
consistency amongst staff and your team, so make any guidance simple, straightforward and
concise.
Use the checklist below to make sure you have all the right ingredients:
Elevator Pitch A paragraph that ties the brand together to explain what your business is
all about. Consider presenting variable lengths of copy or break it into key themes.
Evidence. Include a few examples and facts that back up the brand. Awards, detail on
products, number of happy customers can all make your brand real and reinforce your
communication.
Your Core Values Work out what your business stands for. What are the five or six key
values that matter most to you? Make sure they’re realistic, that your team and your
customers buy into them.
Context. Is there something about your place that is uniquely appealing to customers and
visitors? If so, try to distil it down into one or two statements. Work with others in your
area to agree a commonality and strengthen all of your marketing.
Audience Needs. Outline the key audiences your business is aiming for. Select the two or
three key needs and hooks from your audience map for each.
Tone of voice. Look at your values and derive a tone of voice from them. If a person held
your values, how would they talk? Professionally, in a friendly way, or as an expert?
Photos and video. Find a bank of images and video that reflect what your business is
all about. Refresh these over time making the most of seasonal changes, events you
undertake and especially focus on those showing customers having a good time with you.
However avoid clichés and don’t use images that promise something you can’t deliver.
Style. If you have a logo, make sure it reflects your values and supports your objectives.
Use a design that is easily readable at all sizes and make sure you have it available
in numerous formats for a variety of uses including; print quality, web optimised and
greyscale for black & white publications. Even if you don’t use a logo, you should set out a
specific colour palette and no more than three typefaces to be used as a standard.
The Golden Rule - Make sure everything you do and everything you communicate about your
business reflects your brand consistently.
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Developing your brand
28
Financing your business
Finance in a business
Businesses are usually financed by any or a combination of:
→ Equity - retained profits in the business or investment, either by you or from external sources
→ Debt - loans, leasing or overdrafts, usually secured against the assets of the business
→ Grants - generally public money or from charitable trusts towards delivering a specific activity
or development
Sources of Finance
This table contains guidance on the most relevant sources of finance for SME rural businesses.
Source Notes Considerations
Bank
Overdraft
→ A temporary credit facility provided
by the bank you hold a business
account with
→ Limit needs to be agreed with the
bank
→ Simple and flexible way of raising
capital
→ Fees and interest charges vary
→ Not appropriate for medium or
long-term finance
→ Repayable on demand
Links :
www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en
www.bba.org.uk (British Bankers Association)
Source Notes Considerations
Bank Loan
→ A credit you borrow and repay over
a period of time
→ Interest will be levied on top of the
loan amount
→ You may need to use assets within
the businesses to secure the loan
→ Guaranteed money for the whole
term of the loan
→ Rates can vary widely
→ You may have to pay charges for
early repayment
→ Failing to keep up with payments
risks losing your security
Links :
www.gov.uk/business-finance-support-finder
www.moneysupermarket.com/loans/
www.fundingcircle.com/businesses/business-loans
The most suitable financial package for development of your business will depend on many
factors, including; your business type, what you need the money for, your location, assets
within the business and many more. Therefore treat this section as guidelines only and make
sure to research for your particular circumstance.
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Rural Tourism Business Toolkit
29
Financing your business
Sources of finance (cont.)
Source Notes Considerations
Venture
Capital
/ Angel
Investor
→ Involves selling a stake of your
business in return for capital
→ Investment can be provided by a firm
or an individual (angel investor)
→ Need to show growth potential and
return on investment
→ Investor will often want a say in how
the business is run
→ Investors will generally look to sell
their stake for a profit after a certain
period (5 years or so)
Links :
www.bvca.co.uk/ - British Venture Capital Association
www.ukbusinessangelsassociation.org.uk/
Source Notes Considerations
Social
Investment
→ Similar to venture capital but
focused on seeing social benefit as a
return
→ Financial return not always essential
but looked favourably upon
→ Need to be able to show a social
outcome from activity
→ Likely to be for specific activity
Links :
www.gov.uk/government/collections/social-investment
www.uksif.org/
www.bigsocietycapital.com/open-funds
Source Notes Considerations
Grant
Funding
→ Receiving funds from public bodies
or charitable trusts
→ Generally given for delivering specific
activities or outcomes
→ Schemes & criteria vary widely
→ Many schemes exclude businesses
→ Often heavy competition
→ Many have to be match funded with
other money
→ EU funds for tourism are limited by
state aid rules
→ You often need to expend then claim
back the grant
→ Applications can be difficult & time-
consuming
Links :
www.j4b.co.uk - General funding and finance search (requires registration)
www.gov.uk/rural-development-programme-for-england (RDPE & leader portal)
www.naturalengland.org.uk/grantsfunding/findagrant/
www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/funding-finder
www.nationalparks.gov.uk/lookingafter/sustainable-development.htm
www.entrust.org.uk (landfill communities funds)
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Financing your business
Part 1 ~ Getting Started
Sources of finance (cont.)
Source Notes Considerations
Crowd
funding
→ Raising funds over the internet from
a large number of people
→ Funders are given either a reward or
a share of equity in the business
→ Numerous platforms to choose from
→ Smaller projects (up to £10K)are
most successful as the targets seen
as realistic
→ Fees of 3-5% often apply
→ Have to be proactively managed to
gain support
→ Social media is key
Links :
www.ukcfa.org.uk/
www.crowdingin.com/ (Nesta compiled directory for the UK)
Other sources of finance may also be available depending on what you do as a business, where you
are located and the type of structure your organisation has.
Further help
www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/financing-a-business-growth-plan/
Fit for Finance Checklist
Before approaching any of the above sources of finance you will need to put your case together.
Whilst each type of finance will ask for differing information, use the checklist below to make sure
the fundamental bases are covered:
Have you provided detail on what you need the money for? If you are looking to fund a
specific activity, have you clearly specified it and how it relates to your business model? If
it is for working capital have you provided cash flow and profit/loss projections?
Have you justified the case for finance? You will need to make a clear and structured case
for the need, the costs involved, stages of implementation, risks and the outputs and
outcomes likely from the investment.
Have you modelled the scenario for not receiving investment? It can be just as important
to show any potential finance source the impact of not receiving the investment on your
business. The differential can be a useful tool.
Have you planned how to promote new activities resulting from the investment? Any
finance source is going to look at how you intend to market the object of the investment,
by providing this you give confidence in your ability to make the investment work.
Have you developed a “Plan B”? Your initial attempt to gain finance may not succeed,
so line up alternative strategies to ensure you don’t lose momentum and show potential
investors you have confidence in the idea.
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31
Financing your business
Managing your finances
Once you have secured finance or are trading it is vital to keep track of what is happening and how
your business is performing in financial terms.
You can do this by:
→ Preparing a solid business plan
This should include financial projections for profit and loss and cash flow and provides you with
a framework to compare performance against
→ Setting and monitoring budgets
Setting out a projection of what you will receive and expend financially over a given period. This
is best done at the start of a year and then monitored on a monthly basis.
→ Keeping financial records
You need to maintain accurate and up-to-date records in order to assess performance (and
compare to your projected budget). You do not need a complicated system so best to discuss
with your accountant (although do look at software like Sage or Quickbooks).
→ Introducing effective accounting procedures
For a small business this can just be a case of monitoring Cash Flow, minimising cash
requirements in the business, controlling costs, managing any stock and being able to monitor
all of these on an ongoing basis.
Financial Difficulties
Everyone starts a new business with high hopes of success, however, large numbers of small
businesses do fail each year. A wide variety of reasons can be responsible, but they usually involve
failing to generate sufficient income at the right time to cover costs, or that the income generated
does not meet the needs and/or the expectations of the operators.
It can be hard to recognise when things are starting to go wrong, but don’t ignore early warning
signs, such as:
→ A decline in turnover
→ Difficulty in settling bills on time
→ Inability to maintain cash flow
→ Significantly underestimating cost forecasts
If you know that there are financial problems, it is extremely important to take urgent remedial
action. Discuss the situation with your financial advisers at an early stage and be prepared to take
advice.
If you reach the point where your liabilities (what you owe) are greater than your assets
(what you own), the business is insolvent. You must then seek legal advice on a way forward
immediately.
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32
Financing your business FAQs
1. How long should my business plan be?
Forget lengthy tomes, instead a good business plan should leave a reader a good general idea of its
main contents even after only browsing the main points, in 15 minutes. As a rule of thumb aim for
no more than 20-40 pages of well-spaced text, formatted with bullet points and illustrated with
charts and tables.
2. How often should I update my business plan?
You should view your business plan as a living document, a tool you use to run your business more
effectively. In that vein you should be inputting actual figures into the plan and adjusting your
forecasts as you go. Of course your business plan should be for a defined period, so you should plan
a full review once that date is reached or if things change radically.
3. Who can help me put my business plan together?
Involve all of your team and employees in the business planning process, they will have different
insights and ideas and can help share the load. Once you’ve completed a draft of your plan, have
it independently reviewed. Choose someone who can offer independent, constructive criticism –
perhaps an accountant or business adviser. Your local Chamber of Commerce or Enterprise Agency
might be able to help.
4. How do I find about regulation affecting my business?
There is a raft of legislation and rules affecting tourism businesses but you need to be aware
of some key ones such as; holding insurance, health & safety, environmental regulations,
discrimination, data protection, employment law as well as whether you need a licence to operate.
Start off by reviewing:
www.startupdonut.co.uk/startup/business-law
www.visitengland.org/busdev/bussupport/legislation/
5. What sort of activity is eligible for grant funding?
Firstly grant funding will be generally only being available for defined activities rather than general
running costs for a private business. Secondly businesses can attract grants if they are delivering
activity in line with the funder’s key objectives; however it varies vastly depending on the funder and
scheme. Best advice is to work out what you want to do then review the links in the Financing Your
Business Tool to gauge your options.
6. Why is a brand important to my business?
Your brand sums up what you are and gives your customers a firm idea of what they are buying
before they buy it. Your brand can help you stand out in a competitive market, encourage confidence
and trust in your service, help you increase sales and are your business’ promise to clients and
customers. See the Developing your brand tool for more.
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Rural Tourism Business Toolkit
33
FAQs
7. Do I need a logo for my business?
Not at all, logos can be expensive and divisive. You can survive just as well with a consistent style
of typeface, colour palette and image choice. If you have the resources by all means create a logo
but do ensure it fits your brand, appeals to your audience, and is easily reproducible in differing
sizes, orientations and mediums.
8. How do I define my target market?
Start by researching the market you operate in. Review the Researching your market Tool to get
started. From there start with understanding your existing customers and then if you feel you need
further target markets look for new ones. The Understanding your customers Tool contains all you
need to know.
9. How do I know if my product is right for my audience?
If your product is in place, then the simplest way of testing is to see how it is received by those who
already come. The Assessing your performance Tool offers tips and guidance on doing just that. The
toll also includes tips on looking at your competition and seeing what works for them. If it’s a new
product you need to undertake some research and the Understanding your customers Tool provides
some ideas and inspiration for doing so.
10. What other overheads should I consider that I might
have forgotten?
Overheads will vary from business to business, but don’t neglect core ones like; insurance,
accounting, bookkeeping and payroll, rent, licenses and regulatory fees and utilities. You may also
need to consider elements of value to your customers that could have a cost, like wifi provision
(think broadband, router, signal boosters, extra bandwidth etc).
FAQs
Rural Tourism
Business
Toolkit
Rural Tourism
Business
Toolkit
About this toolkit
This .pdf is the first part of a fully featured resource packed full with useful information
and advice for new and existing rural tourism businesses.
This toolkit has been created as part of the COOL Tourism Project by the COOL
Partnership and tourism development charity Hidden Britain.
The project is being delivered with the support of the European cross-border co-
operation Programme INTERREG IV A, France (Channel) – England, co-funded by the
European Regional Development Fund.
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