During a time when communication, including public relations, can reach larger audiences with smaller efforts, it is easy for PR pros to lean in the direction of global campaigning to save resources. However, certain benefits of localised campaigning are irreplaceable and can change the game significantly for brands.
Localised PR is designed to meet an audience where they are. It requires brands to do in-depth research on the geographical locations they plan to target with their campaigning so that they can adjust their communication to better suit that audience.
Localised PR considers many factors in personalising communication, including characteristics like language, religious beliefs, cultural norms and economic environment.
media update's Joreke Kleynhans lists the benefits of this PR strategy below.
More Personal Brand-Audience Connection
When a brand wants to focus its communication efforts on a specific region, country, or even city, it is forced to get up-close and personal with its inhabitants to understand how to reach them most effectively.
Audiences are attentive to personalisation, even if subconsciously. So, for example, when an audience receives communication from a brand in their home language, they will likely feel a more personal connection to the brand.
Community Relationships
Good relationships with the communities it operates in are invaluable for any brand that wants sustainable success.
Community relationships can hardly be built with one-size-fits-all campaigning that doesn’t target a specific need or desire of the communities in question. Localised PR is a great way for brands to learn about communities and be part of their growth. It can be done via corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives that actively consider communities' needs and contribute towards meeting them.
Increased ROI
Localising PR strategies not only holds reputational benefits for brands, but their finance departments will also thank them for going area-specific.
When brands focus their PR efforts on smaller geographical areas, they can allocate resources more specifically, ensuring that none go to waste. In other words, when the target area is smaller, it is easier to determine which tactics will produce results and which are better used somewhere else.
More specific resource allocation paired with better brand-audience connection and community relationships ensures a higher ROI for brands who focus their PR efforts locally.
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