Should you still market locally – in a virtual world?

The virtual world has brought huge potential for companies that previously may have only done business locally, but find themselves exposed to a wider market globally.  There is often discussion as to whether local markets should still be targeted in the same way.  Many people initially think that since the virtual world has brought people and businesses together, business owners should take advantage of what the virtual world offers by expanding their services or products to locations globally.  But then, they ultimately have to decide whether it continues to be beneficial marketing locally.

PEOPLE WANT LOCAL SERVICES

Despite the fact that the Internet has brought the tools needed to bring culture and people together that, previously would have never had the chance to connect, it is a fact that people still remain fairly comfortable only dealing with organisations that are based locally or within easy reach. There is a sense of trust that people have when they are dealing with businesses that are run in their local or neighbouring areas, rather than one that is operated in, say China for instance.  There is a sense of comfort when working with people who live similar lifestyles to their own and hence understand their needs as a consumer.  There is also a sense of security when doing business locally or nationally as businesses & individuals are free to run UK Company credit checks, thus determining a company’s credit status or credit worthiness prior to doing business with them.  Is there a straight forward & easy international equivalent to this? Maybe not!

LOCAL CUSTOMERS MAY BE EASIER TO CATER FOR

Something else that you need to consider when pondering over whether you should market solely to a local audience, is the fact that typically a local market is far easier to cater for than one that is overseas in a different location to your own. Aside from the shipping fees that are incurred when sending products overseas, if someone has an issue with your product or service, supplying them with relevant support is significantly less problematic, and the return postage/shipping costs are cheaper both ways.  Additionally you know that by supplying to a local market you’re doing business and dealing with people who are similar to yourself in some regard, thus making conversing much easier & straight forward.

SMALLER AUDIENCE = LESS COMPETITION

A notable point with regards to marketing to a local audience is that you are going to face far less competition than if you were to target a larger market.  By targeting international markets you are essentially also competing with all of the other companies who are offering similar services & products to yourself, which makes the process of getting traffic and potential customers that bit more challenging.  When targeting a smaller audience, you need to take into account that there may only be a limited amount of suppliers & providers thus improving your chances for business & sealing the deal.

GOING FOR BOTH

Given the benefits of concentrating your efforts locally, it is still worthwhile considering that there’s no reason why you can’t get the best of both worlds & target both local & international customers to invest in your services or products.  This will require a certain amount of invested effort on your part ie providing appropriate marketing strategies to suit specific markets and an increased amount of administration etc.   However, with this in mind utilising the services of a Virtual Assistant can help to alleviate the additional admin or processes required, so you can focus on other areas in expanding your business.  If you have plans to expand your business or need to outsource tasks which are time consuming but equally important, our Virtual Assistant  services are on hand as and when required.  We will