We’ve spoken before about the importance of localism in your marketing campaigns.

For those who don’t recall – localism refers to the preference of consumers for supporting local brands and businesses, rather than those further afield.

In some cases, consumers will choose to shop in stores that harness the power of this trend over online shopping from bigger brands.

It’s a great tool for marketers who want to attract new customers by showing their target audience that they care about the people, the causes, and the culture, of their local community.

In doing so, brands can quickly establish familiarity and trust with potential consumers or clients. And it’s pretty easy to do.

In fact, with the right techniques, brands can stand out to local consumers relatively quickly.

But, if localism is a trend that nearly all brands can incorporate into their strategies in some way, how can a brand looking to expand globally jump onboard?

Today, we’re making things simple by laying out exactly how marketers can reach local communities all over the world.

It’s just what we do. Let’s get started!

 

Attracting local customers is all good and well… but what if you are an online brand? Or a brand looking to expand and reach new customers all over the world?

In both of these cases, tailoring every campaign to every community in your (global) target audience would be a mammoth task.

But it doesn’t need to be so complicated.

In fact, brands can achieve both by asking two key questions:

What does 'local' mean? And, What connects our target audience?

 

In answering these two questions, marketers can begin to understand how localism can be used for larger communities.

 

1. Redefining 'local'

When we think of the term 'local', we tend to think of people, places or amenities located physically close to us.

Our community.

But the internet has changed all that.

The more easily that we can communicate with other social media users around the world, the faster that trends, news and information can spread.

Thanks to technology, our world is smaller than ever before. 

So, while 'local' does refer to our community, this doesn't have to refer to our geographical community. 

In reality, most of us are probably involved in some kind of digital community. 

The communities that we partake in might be centred around specific hobbies, careers, lifestyles or demographics. 

For marketers, this provides an excellent to appeal to digital communities through language, imagery or topics that are relevant and interesting to communities that intersect with your target audience.  

The way we exist in communities might be changing as the world becomes more digital, but consumers are still attracted to supporting geographically local businesses. 

How can brands balance appealing to consumers locally while also appealing to digital communities?

 

2. Backing a cause 

Consumers care about supporting local businesses because this usually means helping the local community. 

Increasingly, consumers and clients want to know that their purchasing power is being used to benefit the world around them. 

To show members of your target audience around the world that you care about their community, marketers should consider highlighting issues that the community faces. 

For example, the target audience of a fishing rod manufacturer is those interested in fishing. 

For this group, members will likely share a deep concern for aquatic life and the environmental health of our seas.

Therefore, brands who show their commitment to issues surrounding these areas will establish a common ground with their target audience.

Better yet, brands can highlight specific areas, like Welsh ocean life, to build a relationship with consumers.

In this instance, fans of fishing from across the British Isles would feel assured knowing that their future purchases could help a 'local' cause.

As more of us spend more of our lives online, our sense of community will become further entwined with our social media habits.

For brands, this means that the localism trend may be going global.

If you’re looking for an international marketing agency, get in touch with One Day Agency today.