In many industries, it’s much easier to connect with and serve customers in urban environments compared to rural ones. High population density and developed infrastructure make larger cities an appealing choice for commerce since they facilitate recruitment and access to their products. However, recent advances in telecommunications and internet technology allow businesses to communicate instantly with people in almost any location and provide them with information or digital products. While distance is a significant barrier for some types of service providers, like plumbing or electrical contractors, many companies can fuel their growth by expanding their scope into less populated areas.
Provide Videos and Interactive Media
Even if clients are too far away to visit your storefront or meet representatives from the company in person, you still have opportunities to make a meaningful connection through digital content. Brands can introduce themselves and deliver a detailed presentation to customers through video and written content. Blogs and video tutorials are just two of the ways that you can educate potential clients about your company’s services. Interactive web design and multimedia technology offer a wide range of tools for crafting a digital environment that engages the audience.
Targeted Content and Events for Rural Communities
Holding an event in a rural area may not draw as big of a crowd as one in a densely-populated city, but it can still be worth doing. Hosting events on a smaller scale or developing a wide-ranging tour campaign can be an effective way to connect with communities outside your normal reach. This type of campaign can be empowered by social media, especially if the event is associated with a cause that the audience really cares about. You might also be able to glean more information by finding and hiring marketers that have taken an applied behavior analysis program that can provide a unique perspective.
Develop Solutions for Remote Delivery
Many types of products and services can be delivered through the internet. E-books are an obvious example of a popular digital product, although they are certainly not the only ones. In the United States, social workers are among the many professionals that use technology to connect with remote clients. Known as technology assisted therapy, this practice even allows the worker to provide a diagnosis or assessment as well as treatment to patients by interacting with them remotely.
For many companies, distance is now an obstacle that can be easily overcome through innovative technological solutions. Targeting rural customers can be a great way to grow your client-base, especially if there is already fierce competition for customers in bigger cities. Adopting these practices can also help prepare your company to start serving clients in neighboring countries or anywhere else on the globe.