The Margareting Model
Margareting is all about linking people who need support with the services that can help, so how do we do that?
This is the model I use. It might look familiar - similar models are used in workplaces to understand how employees respond to business change, in social work to understand how people manage changes in their life, and in marketing to understand how people choose a product or service.
In Margareting, it helps us to understand where we might find opportunities to help someone access the support they need.
The Journey - 5 Stages
If we want to help people access the support they need, it’s important to understand what their journey towards that support might look like. If we know what stages they’ll go through and what influences them at each stage, we’ll find our opportunities to make that journey easier to navigate.
Stage 1: Know
If you’re familiar with the cycle of change, you’ll know the first step is simply recognising that something could be different. You don’t need to have decided to make a change yet, it’s just about understanding what it is that could change. But that can be complex enough in itself.
After all, we’re all different, we interpret the world in a way that’s unique to each of us. Two people can notice the same symptom, or find themselves in the same situation, and perceive it very differently. One person may not even see a problem, where another would find the situation intolerable.
So at this stage Margareting is about knowing who your audience are, and helping them get to know their opportunities or make sense of their problem.
Learn more about the Know stage.
Stage 2: Look
Next, we’ll think about what our options might be. There’s one universal constant, which is we can always do nothing… and the other options will depend on how you perceived the problem in the ‘know’ stage.
How you gather ideas for your options will vary too, by person and by situation. The first go-to tends to be what we already know, we’ll search our memory. If we can’t think of an obvious solution, we’ll probably talk to family and friends, or other trusted contacts (like maybe that neighbour whose daughter is training to be a nurse?).
Sometimes it’s only if we don’t get a good recommendation or we find it difficult to talk about, that we’ll search for ourselves. Many will look online, speak to an advice service or helpline, and some will keep an eye out for leaflets or posters around the community.
This stage can be a split-second or it can last for years. Margareting at this stage aims to help people find the best possible option, as quickly as possible.
Learn more about the Look stage.
Stage 3: Choose
When we feel like we know what our options are, the next stage is choosing one.
The choice we make will depend on what’s important to us. In nonprofit and public sector organisations, we can sometimes assume that because we’re the only free option, or the cheapest, that we’re the obvious choice.
But we’ll all know from our own shopping habits, that some things are worth paying more for. Maybe another option is more convenient, or seems more relevant. Maybe it offers other benefits, like opportunities to socialise. And we can’t underestimate that asking people to give up any level of privacy, dignity or control is higher than any financial cost.
Margareting in this stage will look at tailoring what you offer for what’s important to your audience. A lot of nonprofit or public services aim to be universal, but one-size-fits-all fits nobody. Margareting at this stage aims to make sure people feel confident your service is the right fit for them.
Learn more about the Choose stage.
Stage 4: Access
After we’ve decided which service seems right for us, we need to actually go ahead and contact them.
That can be easier said than done. We might have to navigate complex eligibility criteria, or a referral process. It’s easy to feel tempted to try another option if you’re faced with confusing forms, telephone tennis, unclear instructions or poor customer service - especially if you can’t even be certain you’ll get what you need at the end because it depends on an assessment, or how long the waiting list is!
So when we’re looking at increasing access to a service, this stage is as important as promotion - people knowing you’re there is one thing; actually being able to get in the door is another.
Margareting at this stage is about making it easy and convenient for people to use your service.
Learn more about the Access stage.
Stage 5: Reflect
When we’ve been through something difficult, it’s natural to look back on our choices and reflect on how it went. We might chat about it with family or friends and encourage them to try it out, or even warn them off.
There are two important things in this stage for Margareting:
That listening to people in this stage is the most powerful thing you can do to learn how to improve your service.
That people’s journey at any of the earlier stages can be influenced by someone they know being in this stage.
And they’re both important to growing your service, because if the experience isn’t right, sometimes promotion can do more harm than good. If you walk past an advert for a brand you had a bad experience with, you’ll just be reminded to tell friends and family to avoid it!
Margareting at this stage is about listening to people’s reactions and feedback to you’ll know the problems you need to fix and make it a great experience people will encourage others to try.
Learn more about the Reflect stage.
