Expanding your marketing communications across a national audience requires more than bigger budgets; it demands apt strategies. From understanding your audience’s regional nuances to leveraging applicable channels and adapting with agility, every element plays a role in driving meaningful engagement and measurable growth. Join us as we explore key aspects to consider when expanding your communications nationally.

Define Your Audience Before You Implement Your Plan 

Before crafting a campaign that resonates from coast to coast, you need to define your customer persona. Some potential goals include: building your brand, expanding market share, promoting a special offer or product launch, educating customers, or forming emotional connections with the brand. While all these goals are worthwhile, if you’re not targeting the right audience for the goal, your campaign will fall flat, even if perfectly executed. 

It’s vital to determine what success looks like for your goal and then align this vision of success with the right audience. For instance, if your goal is to expand your market share, your focus would be on attracting new customers. Targeting the audience you have always targeted will bring limited results. However, moving your focus towards how you can speak to adjacent audiences can help you reach and exceed your goals for increased market share. 

• Determine the Differences Between the Regions in Your Audience 

In a survey conducted by HubSpot, 96% of their marketers reported that providing customers a personalized experience increased sales. The impact of personalization on sales is why defining your audience should also include regional differences. 

What works in one region may not resonate in another. Demographics, local culture, purchasing power, and even climate can affect how audiences perceive and engage with your brand. Tailor your message to reflect those regional differences while maintaining a consistent brand voice.

• Analyze what is and isn’t working for competitors

Another exercise that is worth the effort is a competitor analysis. A competitor analysis reveals low-hanging gaps and opportunities as well as insight into what is working well for your competition.

One way to examine competitors is by performing a SWOT analysis for each of the main competitors to discover their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. During a competitor analysis, it is also a good time to take note of what resonates with the competitor’s audience.

• Create a Value Proposition 

Once you understand your audience and the competitive environment, define what makes your brand stand out. Your value proposition should clearly communicate why your offering is better, faster, or more meaningful to your target audience.

Leverage Multi-Channel Communication for Optimum Reach

Your audience consumes content everywhere, so your marketing communications should too. A multi-channel approach ensures consistent visibility and engagement across touchpoints. The first channels we suggest implementing your plan across include: your website, original content repurposed in multiple forms, social media, and email marketing.  

• Optimize Website

Your website serves as your digital headquarters, which is why it’s important to prioritize it. Your site should be mobile-friendly, accessible, and optimized for SEO. Implementing clear CTAs across your site that smoothly move viewers through the sales funnel, in addition to providing localized and targeted content, can boost conversions and relevance.

• Create and Repurpose Content

Speaking of content. One of the easiest ways to disseminate your message is through your website’s blog. You can then repurpose these blog posts into thought leadership articles featured on different publications. You can also enhance the engagement rate of your blog posts with corresponding infographics and videos. Additionally, your blog topics can serve as talking points for your thought leaders to discuss on relevant podcasts. 

• Leverage Social Media 

Social media is another way to tailor your approach.  Because each platform has analytics that can help you determine where your audience spends time and how they engage, social media platforms have an immense impact on the direction of PR campaigns. Consistency in tone and visual identity reinforces brand recognition nationwide.

• Implement Email Marketing Tactics

Personalized, segmented email campaigns can nurture relationships and drive conversions. A study found that 78% would rather engage with a personalized email. 

Additionally, using automation can help make this process smooth. Allowing your email marketing campaign to stay top-of-mind while maintaining relevance through dynamic content and local offers. Omnisend found that automated emails outperformed scheduled ones by 52% more opens, 332% more CTA clicks, and 2361% more conversions. 

Ensure Flexibility in Your Campaign 

One of the most important things to maintain with a national communications campaign is flexibility. Two ways to ensure your campaign is ready to pivot are by tracking metrics and taking time to reassess regularly. 

• Use Metrics to Help Keep a Pulse on What’s Working, Goals, and Budget

Metrics help you manage resources wisely, align with business goals, and adjust your budget accordingly. Make sure you monitor analytics across all channels to track what’s working and what isn’t.

• It’s OK To Reassess and Pivot 

Campaigns don’t always go as planned, and that’s okay. The best marketers view data as feedback, not failure. Be ready to reassess, experiment, and pivot when new insights arise. Agility is the foundation of long-term success in national marketing communications.

Avista Can Help You Reach Your National Communication Goals 

If you would like help forming and implementing your national communications campaign, Avista has you covered. We have experience helping B2B tech companies reach their national and global goals. 

One example of success was when Avista helped IGEL facilitate a company pivot. During this campaign, Avista helped IGEL transform from a hardware to a software company. It required global press coverage and social exposure. As a result, IGEL became a leading voice in the end-user computing software industry. 

Read the IGEL Company Pivot Case Study 

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