Could You Live Without Internet?

Easy Ways To Market to the Rural Consumer.

I am your ideal customer

I have a beautiful farm in Michigan. It is a magical 5-acre piece of property where my children can run and explore, and we can all be tortured daily by our lack of INTERNET! Not just internet, but cell phone service as well. No internet, no cell service, no Netflix, no wireless to run devices and 2 teenagers, 2 pre-teens, and a working Mom. Basically, we’re living in 1981, and it is not fun.

Rural vs. Urban Internet Availability Stats

55 Percent of people living in rural areas have access to broadband qualifying speeds
94 Percent of people living in urban areas have access to broadband qualifying speeds

19 Percent of the rural population have access to at least three providers
60 Percent of the urban population has access to at least three providers

Direct Mail Straight to Your Heart

We look at every piece of direct mail that comes through the door in hopes of our golden ticket. There must be a modern solution to our madness, right?! Although direct mail is costly, and sometimes completely ineffective, it all depends on the target audience. A postcard in my mailbox that simply says,

“Jenny, are you dying without internet?”

“Does your cell phone service stink?”

will be snatched out of the mail and stuck to the fridge for some research. The same postcard 15 miles away may not even receive a glance.

How to Market to the Rural Consumer

Fact to consider: They are more likely to be blue collar than white collar, and generally have a lower income. Marketing efforts that combine value, affordability and brand loyalty would make a significantly better impact than those highlighting the newest product, or greenest production system.
Fact to consider: They are more likely to share cultural and spiritual values. Unlike urban areas where a marketing plan is broken into subsets focusing on different marketing messages to niche groups, there is not enough value to do that for rural residents.
Fact to consider: They live in the country. Seems obvious, but marketing should be catered to provide solutions and solve a problem for rural living. Internet sales from stores “in town”, high mileage oil change offers, or newly expanded cell service deals, are all communicating how they can add value to remote living.
Fact to consider: The cultural norms of rural living stir effective marketing words such as; dependable, traditional, value, solid, hard-working, affordable, reliable, and foundational. These words can then be used as inspiration for the type of message being relayed through marketing efforts. Marketing following social and cultural norms is proven to be most effective.