Marketers like to cast a wide net, and it’s easy to see why. The more people you reach, the more leads you can generate: it’s all about playing the numbers. But there are major downfalls to this option (also known as the scattergun approach). Every prospect has unique preferences and requirements, and your message gets watered down when you cater to a mass audience.
This doesn’t just affect the impact of your content, though. It also affects your ability to rank effectively in organic searches. Trying to compete everywhere will put you up against the biggest brands in the world, presenting you with an intimidating challenge.
So what’s the alternative? Well, you could always try regional marketing. In this piece, we’re going to explain what regional marketing involves, why it’s so valuable if done well, and how you can find a place for it in your company’s strategy. Let’s get started.
What regional marketing involves
As the name clearly suggests, regional marketing is about limiting your promotion to focus on a particular area. The size of that area is up to you. It could be a town, a district, a state, or even an entire country. The key ingredient is that you actively seek to factor in regional elements. The default option for marketing is to avoid being overly specific, and this goes against that.
For example, suppose that you wanted to release a new promotional video. You could make it fairly generic and distribute it worldwide (relying on many people speaking English), or you could choose a certain area to target and shape the commercial accordingly. If you chose to target China, for instance, you could record the video in Chinese, remove any elements that might be considered odd or offensive there, and promote it via Chinese social platforms.
The downside of that tactic is that it has limited efficacy from the outset. In catering to one area, you’re turning away from those prospects who live elsewhere. The huge upside though, is that you can do a much better job of impressing your target selection. It also allows you to operate more effectively on a budget.
Why you should consider using it
If you’re wondering whether you should try regional marketing, you should ask yourself some key questions. How effective is your general marketing? Do most of your promising leads come from a particular region? If you’re struggling to get decent ROI from your marketing and notice that a niche audience is driving most of your revenue, you should certainly try launching a small-scale campaign to target that audience specifically (possibly using geo-targeting).
If you only offer your products and services within a set area, of course, regional marketing should be your primary avenue of attack. General promotion can be good for getting your brand name out there, but there’s no point in trying to compete in markets where you don’t operate. Focus on where you can earn revenue, and try to get the best possible results.
If you can trade anywhere in principle but find that you’re only selling within your country, though, you could embrace regional marketing as a way to secure a place in an untapped overseas market. The key here is localization: in other words, the process of adapting what you’re saying and selling to accommodate the demands and culture of a particular location.
How to incorporate it into your strategy
The first thing you need to do is get your website ready to suit your target audience and accommodate the traffic you’re hoping to secure. This is also known as website localization. It’s become much easier in recent years, thankfully, due to the growth of myriad powerful website plugins and services. Magento users can try localizing with Weglot when expanding their operations into new countries, for example, leaning on its automated translation options.
After this, you need to devise a suitable content strategy, and this starts with researching the target location. What do people enjoy there? What wording do they prefer? What products and services do they rely on? If it’s a location you’re relatively unfamiliar with, liaising with a local (in addition to conducting SEO analysis) will be massively beneficial here.
The practical side will come down to creative ideation and the smart use of keywords. Regional search terms are so valuable because they’re less competitive than their generic equivalents, and including vital keywords in your regional marketing content can make the difference between total failure and resounding success.
In the end, regional marketing is just another string in your bow, and you should use it accordingly. If there’s an area in which your brand could be more competitive, or an overseas market you’d like to enter, regional marketing will help you make it work.
