As marketing communications professionals, we know that defining the target audience is a key part of developing meaningful and effective integrated campaigns.
Once that audience is properly defined, we can begin the work of developing objectives, strategies, and tactics to reach that audience. We look at demographics, psychographics, and other data to help us determine the strategies and messaging that will help us sell our product or service to that specific audience.
But what happens when the audience you need to communicate with is one that is historically underserved or located in rural areas that are hard to reach? How can you not only correctly define this target market, but also develop strategies and tactics that will convey your message to the right people at the right place at the right time?
Many of us working in government, nonprofits, or social services know that grassroots marketing is a great way to connect with people who are historically left out of the conversation. But what does grassroots marketing look like in action? Here are a few things marcom professionals should keep in mind when building an effective grassroots marketing campaign:
1. Be human.
Empathy and understanding go a long way in building relationships with anyone, and that’s true too of those in rural and underserved audiences. There may be education or information gaps that prevent people in these audiences from fully understanding what you are offering and how it benefits them. Use clear language and a conversational tone to humanize your brand, product, or service. Then, follow that up with customer care that is responsive and flexible to your customers’ needs.
2. Meet them where they are.
Many rural communities still lack reliable internet connection and mounting research shows that people are less likely than ever before to trust traditional media. So what is a marketer to do? A key feature of effective grassroots marketing is building relationships with your audience. For those in rural or underserved communities, this may mean investing the time, money, and effort to meet these customers where they are within their communities. Consider the resources available to you and how can you use them to effectively communicate with your audience.
3. Cultivate relationships.
We all have community institutions that we trust, such as community centers or places of worship. In rural communities, these institutions are where people turn when they need help. An effective grassroots marketing campaign taps into these existing resources and builds relationships with people already on the ground working in these communities. Establishing relationships with trusted community members can lend credibility to your product or service—especially important if the audience is skeptical or learning about your brand for the first time.
4. Reframe your ROI.
As marketers, we know that measurement and evaluation can help us understand the strengths and weaknesses of our campaign. These are important metrics, but they should not be the focus of grassroots campaigns. The real purpose of this type of marketing campaign is to build trust and brand awareness, which are hard if not impossible to truly measure. However, both are key to helping your organization establish long-lasting relationships with underserved audiences that are built on trust, accountability, and transparency. For government and nonprofit, we are often investing in the resiliency of certain communities. Those investments are often difficult to quantify, but investing time, money, and effort over time is certainly worth the effort it takes to build and maintain these relationships.
An effective marcom strategy not only properly identifies the target audience, but also the strategies and tactics necessary to persuade that audience to respond to your messages. Grassroots marketing is another tool we can use to actually reach out target audience where they are.
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Whitney Humphrey
Whitney Humphrey is the Communications Administrator for the West Virginia Housing Development Fund, a quasi-state agency that works to make housing more accessible and affordable for renters and homeowners. She earned her master’s degree through WVU’s Integrated Marketing Communications program in December 2022. She is a member of PRSA and active in the West Virginia Chapter. She is also a member of the 2023-2024 class of Leadership Kanawha Valley. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband Chris and daughters Cassie and Maddie or volunteering in the community.
Marcom Today
Marketing Communications Today is a collection of resources for marketing communications professionals filled with industry research, marketing trends, and career information about integrated marketing and data-driven communications. Learn industry insights through the Marketing Communications Today blog, podcast, as well as Integrate Online.
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