Whether you live in a bustling metropolis or a tight-knit small town, your website, brochures and presentations must be professionally crafted. But tailoring your marketing strategy toward the type of locale in which your prospects live and work can make your efforts more effective.
Working as a financial advisor in a rural area has its own set of challenges and opportunities. Your potential market is smaller and the population is less concentrated than in cities, so your clients may be spread out over a large area. Yet people in these locales often have a strong sense of community.
Here are four ways to tailor your marketing strategy to reach members of rural areas:
1. Show your volunteerism
There’s often a feeling of shared responsibility in smaller communities, says Richard Heft, executive director of Ext. Marketing in Toronto. So, it’s important to focus some of your energy on the community’s wellbeing.
Whether it’s coaching a little league team or taking a leadership role at social events, community activities present opportunities to introduce yourself and demonstrate your values. Just be sure you have a genuine interest in the activities you choose.
“It’s a matter of just being visible,” says Andrew Broadhead, manager of communications at Ext. Marketing “whereas, in the city, you can spend a bit more time in your office and take a more digital approach.”
2. Place an ad in the local newspaper
Advertising in consumer newspapers may seem a bit antiquated for most individual advisors, Heft says, because they are not aimed at a specific market. In rural areas, however, community newspapers are still widely circulated and read.
Advertising regularly in these papers and their associated websites is one way to ensure you’re getting in front of as many potential clients as possible.
3. Join the chamber of commerce
Become involved with local business groups such as the chamber of commerce, Broadhead says. When you participate in events within the business community, he adds, you should go beyond just setting up a booth. To stand out and demonstrate leadership skills, try to get involved in organizing events.
If you are hoping to attract small-business owners in your community, Heft adds, these events may be the perfect opportunity to meet members of your target market.
“The irony here is that this [type of networking] is just an analog version of social media,” Broadhead says. “You are approaching a broader audience and hoping to engage and make connections with a few people.”
4. Build relationships with centres of influence
In rural areas, there’s often a limited number of professionals such as doctors, accountants and lawyers. Therefore, it is especially important to create strong working relationships with other professionals, who can introduce you to the kind of people you’re looking to build your business around.
This is the first part in a two-part series on rural vs urban marketing. Next: Marketing strategies for urban advisors.