Three Strategies for Rural Advertising Success
Here’s the thing: Rural advertising isn’t quite like advertising in urban areas. Not just because of the size of the populace, but also because of the lack of standardized opportunities – not to mention the feeling of community, sense of solidarity and the complexity of rural communities. Creating an advertising campaign for a rural area is often tough.
So, with all these challenges, how can a successful rural advertising campaign be launched?
Become a Part of the Community
Consumers in small markets are often fiercely loyal to the brands and the companies that have entrenched themselves in the fabric of that community. Successful brands become a member of the community by way of their rural advertising initiatives; unsuccessful brands become “intruders”.
A key to winning hearts in a local community is to utilize those avenues with which the community identifies. Local radio stations, community events, and in-market athletic venues all provide opportunities to marry a brand with an institution seen as local and community-minded. Rural advertising must be seen to support, and be a part of, that which is important to local consumers.
Use an Experienced Rural Advertising Service Provider
Sometimes, working with local agencies and organizations to execute a rural advertising initiative can be akin to learning a new language. And, like trying to communicate in an unfamiliar tongue, mistakes can have disastrous effects. Running afoul of the rural advertising providers leaves little chance of imparting a positive impression on the general populace.
Using an experienced service provider to work on your behalf can help to avoid these pitfalls – their familiarity can dodge common mistakes and increase your chance of successfully executing a rural advertising opportunity.
Moreover, most rural advertising campaigns are not destined for a single community; rather, they aim to create a local presence in multiple locales!
An experienced and proven aggregator will streamline the process, improve standardization, and foresee potential challenges before they become immediate obstacles, helping you make the most of your rural advertising opportunities.
Interact
As a general rule, personal communication holds greater value in rural communities than in larger cities. “Parachuting” in unexpected promotional material can be met with a wariness that doesn’t lend itself to engagement with a brand. Rather, a personal presence, in a familiar community setting, helps a brand build a reputation of being “in the community”. The result: inclusion in that loyal attitude that protects those within the community from those without.
Brand representatives in the community, providing something of value to the local consumers – think hot chocolate at the local ice rink or free test drives during a T-ball game – entrenches a brand in the community.
Summary
Using these strategies will provide the basis for a successful rural advertising campaign. And that success, over multiple communities, can build the type of brand loyalty that creates real return for advertising dollars.
To explore exciting rural advertising opportunities, contact Rec Media today. And if you liked this post, please let us know by signing up for our email list.
