A Birmingham marketing specialist has launched a consultancy to help organisations identify growth opportunities across the full customer journey, from discovery and booking to repeat visits.
Jacky Barron has launched Number Four Marketing after two decades working in marketing, including senior roles within Birmingham’s cultural sector.
The consultancy will work with organisations across arts, culture, heritage, visitor attractions, entertainment and sport, focusing on how audiences interact with businesses and where improvements could support both engagement and commercial performance.
Rather than concentrating solely on marketing activity, the new business looks at the wider journey audiences take – from first discovering an organisation and deciding whether to engage, through to their experience and whether they return.
Barron said: “There is always pressure in marketing to do more. More content, more campaigns, another platform. But sometimes doing more isn’t the answer. I’ve spent much of my career working in theatre, but I’ve always been a theatre customer too. I know what it’s like on both sides. How did someone find you? What helped them decide to book or visit? Was anything making that harder than it needed to be? And once they’ve had a great experience, what might encourage them to come back?
“That’s really where the thinking behind Number Four Marketing came from. It’s about taking a step back, looking at the whole journey and finding the opportunities that could make a difference. And I want the work to be useful. Nobody needs another huge document full of recommendations they don’t have the time or resources to implement. I’d much rather help organisations identify what’s important and give them practical steps they can actually take.”
Barron’s career has included time at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre and as head of marketing at Birmingham Hippodrome, giving her experience of working both within the sector and as an audience member.
The consultancy’s Audience Journey Assessments examine the customer experience from an audience perspective, looking for areas of friction and potential improvements across different stages of the journey.
Its Audience & Commercial Growth Strategy takes a broader view, examining areas including audiences, channels, content, products, partnerships, data, commercial models and the practical steps required to implement changes.
The business will operate remotely with clients across the UK, with on-site support available where projects require it.
