6 Marketing Tips for Rural Business Owners.
Owning any kind of business in a rural area can be a difficult endeavor. Usually foot traffic is low and the next village is 20 plus miles away. Urban areas have an advantage because unlike rural areas they can create traffic by simply drawing attention to their location. We, as small town rural business owners, must begin to take advantage of reaching out to others through the internet. We can achieve this by creating a marketing strategy that will reach beyond our local rural community and drive interest to a product or service.
However, a marketing strategy is not just about social media and creating a stellar website, but also about getting people to enjoy and advocate for you and your business. Designing the right strategy for your particular business and telling your story in a captivating way is one way to make this happen. Below, we share 6 Marketing Tips for Rural Business Owners that will help you achieve your goals as a small town rural business owner.
Share Your Story
Who doesn’t love a good story? Our natural tendency is to keep our thoughts to ourselves, but there is so much power in telling your story to others. And if your don’t enjoy talking about yourself then tell stories about the region, village, or history that creates a significance behind your product or service. People will begin to care when your begin to share.
2. Consistency Is Key
Small business owners who are consistent with their content marketing have a competitive advantage to those who do not post consistently on social media. When you post consistently and keep your content up to date, the more of a community you can enjoy. When you have a strong online community, you will have more referrals, new business and more money coming into your pocket, which you already know is really really good for the economics of your rural community.
3. Involve Everyone Around You
It is so cool when you see local businesses working together to bring life to their local communities. You can do this by featuring local businesses, individuals, or organizations through Email Marketing, YouTube, Radio Advertisements, Social Media…etc. With this approach you can create new relationships and cross promote each others businesses in unique and innovative ways.
4. Be “The One” to talk to about your product or service
In a rural community you have an opportunity to be the local expert in your industry. Small town people thrive off of genuine, trustworthy connections and you can apply this when creating an online community. Continue to be confident in your product or service and keep learning!
5. Share Your Purpose and your “Why?” behind your business
People buy from people. And people especially buy from people they like. Establish your Mission, Vision and Values and amplify those in your marketing strategy and in the way you treat your customers and employees.
6. Tap into the larger communities in your area
When creating a marketing strategy, think about the more populated towns or cities near you. Create campaigns or place paid advertisements in those areas. This could lead to more foot traffic especially if you create an event or unique rural experience for those who have maybe never stepped foot into your rural community.
