"It's party time! This Thursday's online seminar is a cause for celebration around here, because it's going to be the 100th added to our library. To mark the occasion, we've got an important topic, a very special presenter, and a surprise for you at the end of the broadcast."


That was the email MP Seminar Junkie Shelley Ryan sent our membership earlier this week, written in her own inimitable style. She's talking about today's virtual seminar, when MP Founder Allen Weiss presents Tighten Up Your Marketing Plan: The Nuts and Bolts of Market Segmentation.
The virtual seminar, accessed from the comfort of your own desktop, takes place at noon today. It's free for Premium Plus members, $99 for everyone else.
Allen will be bringing you the same expertise that he shares in USC and Stanford executive education gigs. He's talking about segmentation, an analytical process that he says too many marketers are getting all wrong, making their marketing more art than science.
Segmenting your market, Allen says, gives you a crystal-clear understanding of your customers, plus the basis for precise targeting and positioning. Yet if you follow the popular press and many marketing textbooks, you're probably confused by misinformation. The term "segmentation" has been used to signify many things. Typically, you'll find it misapplied to company size, industry and geography in business markets–and to demographics and lifestyles in consumer markets.
As a result, companies are often blindsided by the competition because they haven't correctly segmented their markets.
Today, you'll learn how to properly segment markets–giving you the foundation of a sound marketing plan and making sure you ultimately target the right customers. As Shelley said, "If you want to make sure your company is targeting the right customers, don't miss this seminar. Allen has a gift for making complex marketing concepts come alive."
And speaking of gifts... MP is giving away a $100 Amazon certificate at the end of Thursday's broadcast. I'll be on hand to introduce Allen and moderate the audience Q&A, after which I'll pick one lucky person at random from the audience.
And speaking of questions... here's where I could use your help: As marketers, what issues about segmentation do you struggle with? How do you ensure you are reaching the sweet spot of your own audience? Your feedback here will help me create some relevant questions to fire at Allen after his presentation.
Hope to see you there.