Whatever activity you undertake is executed well with a list of do’s and don’ts because it forms a loose boundary around the formations which is not rigid enough to distract creativity but clear enough to avoid mistakes.
The holy grail of rural marketing in India- THE DOS
The golden rule of paying attention
Rural marketing starts with conversing to the client whilst keeping their perception of the brand. The similarity in this connection cannot be established without the knowledge of the brand and the product itself. Therefore, the first and foremost rule of rural marketing is to pay attention to the client’s requests and needs, rather than hearing them out, listen to them carefully.
The three Ps- Prioritize, Plan and Prepare
To pursue multiple ambitions, it is a prerequisite to know what comes first and what goes next and understand fully the reasons behind the same. For example, the client might be looking to target one particular market before others as per their overall strategic goals. Once the priority has been sorted out, the planning can start with full throttle.
Any campaign cannot be designed without sufficient planning which starts with market research about the audience type, constructing marketing objectives which are realistic and ambitious at the same time. It mainly involves the drafting of a suitable marketing strategy fit for the brand and the product.
Once the planning stage is over, the importance is transferred to preparing for the campaign to ensure its implementation without many surprises or hurdles.
Mix and match
Given the benefits using technology can provide, it should not be ignored due to the campaign being rural. Rather a way should be found to use technology for increasing operational efficiency and effectiveness of the campaign. Integrate online and offline activation activities to reap best results.
Communicate to update
There are many times when the client is kept in the dark about the campaign progress, this may due to non-availability of time or resources. In any case, the rural marketing agency should realize that nowadays every organization prefers real-time communication of results. This satisfies their worries and reassures their faith in the campaign.
Deliver in a form they understand
While conversing with a client, marketing jargon should be kept aside and performance indicators should be adopted. Even though the calculation of ROI of the rural marketing campaign is nearly impossible, try to provide numbers that show progress such as sales revenue, open rates, closure rates, value per lead, number of incremental contacts etc. This helps the client to understand the results better and they are more inclined to use the same services again.
The wrong turn on the road to successful rural marketing campaign- THE DON’TS
Thou shall not misunderstand my audience
There is a popular school of thought that considers people belonging to rural and small towns to be extremely simple. There was a time, where this approach prevailed, however, we live in a time where predicting the complex behavior and psyche of rural consumers is very difficult. Therefore, a rural marketing agency should never rely on this approach completely as understanding the needs and desires of the target audience is the key to a successful rural marketing campaign.
Thou shall not mistake rural areas with their urban counterpart
Another common misconception among rural marketing agencies comes in shape of believing that the lines between rural and urban markets have become completely blurred. While this may prove to be true after a decade, here and now, this approach can render your rural marketing campaign ineffective.
Thou shall not ignore the client’s requests and advice
Yes, it is true that the client may not be aware of the trends and channels of rural marketing when compared to the agency. However, they are the makers of the product and curators of the brand, their insights can never be harmful, these should be considered before being considered unhelpful.
Thou shall not underestimate content
The biggest mistake a rural marketing agency can make is failing to realize the importance of engaging content. The scope of content development goes beyond its digital presence and the understanding of the same can make a lot of difference in the performance of the campaign.
Thou shall not do commit the cardinal sin of over budgeting or under budgeting
While spending too much is considered wrong, not agreeing to pay enough can also affect the campaign negatively. The right way is to be cautious in your spending but be firm to not let it affect the quality of your work.
