
Marketing to Rural Communities
Connecting with rural populations through marketing initiatives is just as important as targeting other taudiences.
Rural communities make up a substantial portion of South Africa’s population. While the purchasing needs and interests of rural community members often align with consumers in other regions, the way they research potential providers and suppliers may differ. These differences need to be addressed through rural-informed marketing strategies.
Much of the traditional advertising work focuses on urban and suburban populations, as reflected in widely popularised consumer trends, marketing campaigns, and publicity strategies. While these populations make up the majority of the South African population, they do not represent the entirety of our nation’s diverse communities. Therefore, urban and suburban marketing techniques may fail to capture the attention of audiences that include residents in rural communities.
Misconceptions about marketing to rural populations
Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions surrounding how organisations can connect with rural communities. These misconceptions may be due to limited experience and inaccurate information. To effectively connect with rural populations, organisations must confront these misconceptions with accurate insights into how our wonderfully diverse rural communities contribute to our nation’s population.
Here are a few unfounded misconceptions about rural communities:
- Rural populations are not online and will not respond to digital marketing strategies.
- Rural communities are self-contained, and residents are not interested in outside offerings.
- Rural populations only consume traditional media channels such as radio and newspapers.
- Rural populations are poorer than urban populations and thus are not a viable market for organisations.
These misconceptions can greatly impair an organisation’s ability to connect with rural target audiences. In reality, the majority of residents in rural communities are active online, display a vibrant interest in outside perspectives, consume a variety of media channels, and are increasingly diverse in culture and beliefs.
When approached respectfully and with thorough research, rural communities can be very receptive audiences for organisations in various sectors.
Effective strategies for marketing to rural communities
As with all marketing strategies, organisations should invest in market research specific to the communities they aim to serve. While there may be some observable similarities in rural communities, each community is unique in its culture, history, and population.
Understanding the target audience(s) on a community-based level is imperative for organisations interested in developing an effective marketing campaign.
Here are a few tips for getting to know rural communities:
- Recognise that every community is different and avoid making inaccurate assumptions about audiences.
- Conduct market research through multiple channels, including community discussions, meetings with community leaders and influencers, and collecting relevant data from surveys, publications, etc.
- Incorporate community listening strategies into your overall communications approach to stay informed about current events and updated information regarding community member attitudes, priorities, and values.
Similar to urban and suburban populations, an integrated marketing approach works best in reaching rural populations.
An effective integrated marketing strategy should include traditional media tools (printed materials, radio, newspaper, billboards, etc.), digital marketing initiatives (landing pages, social media, internet-based advertisements, etc.), and publicity (media interviews, podcasts, etc.).
While digital-only marketing tends to dominate mainstream marketing discussions, integrated marketing approaches consistently yield better results while reaching a more diverse audience base.