5 Rural Marketing Tips
Successful rural marketing strategies have eluded large organizations for decades. Rural residents - a demographic that constitutes approximately 20 percent of the US population - are all too often overlooked by national, regional, and state organizations. This organizational outreach failure limits the organization’s development and impact in often untapped rural areas. Rural life differs in many ways from urban or suburban life. Living in a rural area presents unique needs and challenges. Understanding these key differences in geographic distribution and experience can help marketers improve rural marketing and outreach initiatives.
A skilled rural marketer utilizes rural market research to develop a rural-informed marketing strategy for their organization. The uniqueness of rural life requires marketing approaches that demonstrate an understanding of what it’s really like to live in a rural area. Advertising tactics that work to capture the attention of urban and suburban residents may not be as effective at engaging rural residents, due to a variety of cultural and logistical differences. Understanding these demographic-specific nuances can help organizations connect with rural audiences.
Here are five tips for developing a successful rural marketing strategy:
Prioritize market research specific to rural markets.
Rural communities are not all the same. A rural community in Florida may be very different from a rural community in Wyoming. Successful rural marketers will conduct market research specific to the markets they aspire to engage. Rural communities are often unique regarding their culture, demographics, and history. Understanding the unique “personality,” if you will, of a rural community is critical to developing an effective rural marketing strategy. Due to the limited representation of rural populations in industry research, this rural market research may include a variety of primary and secondary research methods. The rural markets your organization is interested in reaching may have limited published market research; thus, research may need to be conducted to support the rural marketing campaign.
Integrate a multi-platform marketing approach.
Rural communities include residents from all living adult generations - Gen Zers, Millennials, Gen Xers, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation. Each generation differs in terms of what communication and media platforms they frequent. For example, Baby Boomers are the fastest-growing demographic of Facebook users, while Gen Zers are reported to frequent Snapchat, TikTok, and BeReal. Local media outlets such as radio, newspapers, and television stations see distinct geographical differences in terms of influence. Urban residents report that local media outlets have a high influence on their community, while rural residents report less influence. As a consequence of this media-related divide, rural residents may look to non-traditional media outlets for information., such as social media platforms.
Learn more: Marketing to Multigenerational Audiences
Recognize diversity in rural communities.
Don’t fall into the trap of believing stereotypes about rural populations. Everyone that lives in rural communities is not a White Christian farmer. Diversity across many demographics exists in our modern rural communities. Rural residents include people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures. Diversity exists across multiple demographics, including, but not limited to: disability, education level, ethnicity/race, family structure, sexual orientation, military status, nation of origin, political affiliation, religious affiliation, and socio-economic status. A successful rural marketing campaign will reflect the diverse rural communities they are intended to serve. Evaluate ways diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility practices can be incorporated into rural marketing strategies.
Learn more: DEIA’s Role in Communications and Marketing Practices
Engage rural residents’ strong-tie network.
Rural communities are unique in terms of their community network structure. While urban populations tend to prioritize a large network of weak-tie relationships, rural populations tend to prioritize a smaller network of strong-tie relationships. This relationship structure can influence how rural residents source new information and what organizations they trust, thus impacting marketing initiatives' overall success (or failure). If a rural resident recommends a new organization to a strong-tie network connection, this recommendation may be highly influential in prompting community support. If a rural resident discourages strong-tie relationships from patronizing a new organization, this bad review can have long-lasting repercussions on the organization. Rural residents demonstrate a high level of responsibility for the well-being of people included in their strong-tie relationships. They can be an excellent source of influencer marketing for organizations seeking to increase market penetration in rural areas. They are more likely to respond to a new organization recommended by someone they trust than a catchy advertisement.
Learn more: Influencer Marketing in the Digital Age
Go local when developing rural marketing campaigns.
What’s happening in the rural area that you‘re trying to reach? What recent events have shaped the community’s perspectives? What developments are rural residents most concerned about? When creating a rural marketing campaign, you should try to “walk a mile in the rural residents' shoes” to better understand their needs and priorities. Rural life differs from urban and suburban life in many ways, including resource accessibility, communication styles, purchasing options, and social media usage. Taking a boots-on-the-ground approach to market intelligence specific to rural communities can be helpful in developing a rural marketing plan that will yield positive results. Additionally, two-way digital communication tools such as social media can be an excellent way for marketers to solicit feedback and information from residents.
Additional rural marketing resources:
Rural marketing is a core competency of Becker Digital’s consulting work. As rural residents, we understand the importance of rural-informed communications and outreach initiatives that reflect modern rural audiences. Our team has presented rural marketing strategies at multiple industry conferences and events.
Here are a few additional rural marketing resources to support your organization’s rural outreach efforts:
Let’s work together!
If your organization is looking for a creative partner to provide rural marketing services, contact Becker Digital. We specialize in going beyond the screen and engaging diverse communities in a meaningful way. All of our work is customized to the organizational client’s needs.
Becker Digital is a CVE-verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), SBA-certified HUBZone Business, and Virginia SWaM-certified (Micro, Small, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned) Business.
Contact us to schedule a complimentary call and learn more about how marketing strategy can enhance your organization’s mission.