There was a time in the industry when every newbie thumped their chest on being a “global” brand. When you checked their website out, their global presence was in 2 to 3 never-heard-of cities somewhere in Eastern Africa or Southeast Asia. Well, being a global brand has become a passé. Hyperlocal is the new marketplace and that’s where the world is right now. What is it anyway?
Hyperlocal Marketing 101
It was not until a couple of years ago that Google started the “near me” feature and started showing people about the companies “near you” that can address your “specific” needs. To dumb down Hyperlocal Marketing in layman’s terms, it is how a company identifies its customers in a very “specific” way. Be it by locating them geographically, street by street, lane by lane, block by block… that’s how it works.
Hyperlocal marketing has been used in the media and advertising industry unconsciously or subconsciously even before it was cool. Ever imagined Spider-Man would speak Hindi so that we could understand what the web-slinger is up to? When Harry Potter spoke in Punjabi, even the Potterheads went gaga about their hero, in a good way. Translations and dubbing of films, TV series and TV commercials were a thing of the past and a few of the many aspects of hyperlocal marketing. Today, we see companies adapting to this newfound love in ways more than one.
The Hyperlocal Drivers
SEO is driving the hyperlocal marketing engine in a Hyperloop (pun intended). When a company posts some local content with its culture & values ingrained, it gives a feeling of being personally connected to the customer. Imagine Siri or Alexa speaking to customers in their mother tongue and getting the pronunciations of the names right, that’s like one of the biggest accomplishments of being hyperlocal.
Retargeting allows the companies to reach out to those customers who didn’t feel a strong connection with the brand because of its “global” language. Comprendo? That’s exactly why hyperlocal marketing is necessary. The brands will never miss any customers out because of their demographics or psychographics.
Geo-fencing works really well when hyperlocal marketing truly understands the intricacies of the region. This gives marketers the freedom to choose a “very specific” region and target their ads to people in real-time who are in that region only.
Social media can be one of the greatest influences for hyperlocal marketing as they are the platforms with users across the world, and even across the remotest locales. This is where the maximum business takes place. Brands engage with their customers which eventually drives their sales or brand awareness in one way or the other.
Content is one of the major factors that make hyperlocal marketing a great choice for marketers. When a customer finds a brand that talks in the same language as theirs, relationships are built automatically.
Be it for McDonald’s or Netflix or Marvel Entertainment, when they came to India, they started speaking in the language that we understood. Their brand stories incorporated the Indian values and culture (because they had to, legally) to connect with the customers and break some stereotypes. That’s how hyperlocal marketing basically makes its mark.
At 3 Dots Design Pvt. Ltd. , we believe that hyperlocal marketing is the way forward. This is the new marketplace where businesses get to flourish. Being one of the best ad agencies in Pune, we understand the importance of a brand and customer relationship. That’s why, every story we weave, ensures the social fabric is emotionally woven into every communication with utmost creativity. Rest is history, as you see it.