Regional content: The key to building audience loyalty

“Indira Nagar ka gunda hun main!”. We all would have seen Rahul Dravid mouthing this dialogue in an ad for a credit card payment app. Ever wondered what pushed the brand to create a campaign which had a regional touch both in terms of language and locality mentioned?

It is the emerging compulsion of brands to go hyper-local to not just create awareness but also build brand loyalty. In today’s tech-driven world, most companies have built digital brands to reach customers worldwide. While globally a single language can do the trick but in a culturally diverse country like India where it is said that language changes after every 8km, brands have been convinced to speak the language which is most comfortable with the target audience. And suddenly, we see fierce competition between brands to create regional, multilingual, engaging, and relatable content that stays on top of customers’ minds. 

Go Regional for better Acceptability 

As discussed above, India is a multicultural and multilingual country. As a result, most individuals consume content in their native languages. While giving a cultural affiliation, it also helps understand the communication better. In tandem with this, most brands have started creating marketing strategies that evoke local sentiments. For instance, some brands have started producing video ads dubbed in native languages like Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, etc. Since viewers can select their preferred language on digital platforms, it helps the brands reach larger audiences. 

A fantastic example here will be Tata Tea premium which launched a hyper-local campaign to penetrate the rural markets.

Even in the case of FinTechs, which have been tapping into millennials in Tier two and three cities, going regional helps a great deal in not only acquiring new customers but retaining existing customers as well. 

Regional Content Production: The Big Headache 

While a lot of brands will agree that regional content is the way forward, not many take the plunge because creating the same content in multiple languages can be a daunting task, especially when you know that Google Translation can’t be relied upon at times. 

To handle this situation, let’s discuss two possible solutions. 

First of all, it is time that brands should consider launching region-specific campaigns rather than a big blanket campaign which is pan-India. In doing so, brands can focus on the needs of the specific region and plan the communication accordingly. 

Say, for example, an umbrella brand will need to communicate a different USP in a city like Cherrapunji vis-à-vis Jaisalmer. And if the brand launches hyper-local campaigns, it will not only succeed in effectively conveying the need, but it will also be in the language which is more suited to the target audience. 

Another way out for brands to build regional content is to tie-up with local social media influencers. Make no mistake, these local influencers have a strong hold on the audience and can certainly help you sway the public opinion in favour of your brand. Also, these influencers will not make a huge dent in your budget. So, select the influencers carefully, help them craft the right messaging and off you go!

Be carefully about the distribution strategy 

While it is important to create the right regional content, it is equally important to distribute it through the right channels. Earlier, there were just a handful of communication mediums to reach remote locations in the country. However, continuous digitisation and large-scale internet penetration have changed this scenario. Along with print, broadcast, and radio, brands can leverage social media platforms for marketing.

With over 467 million social media users across the country, most brands are already leveraging tools like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Snapchat for content marketing. While providing entertainment and relatability, regional content has the power to make an impression on the minds and hearts of its viewers.

It may not be available in India anymore, but a platform called Helo by TikTok had succeeded in building a loyal brand audience in regional languages. So, one must identify such platforms and leverage them to distribute the content effectively. 

In the End…

It is an open secret that content has emerged as the most crucial element in the entire marketing scheme not just to retain the existing customers but, also, to acquire the new ones. Hence brands must take their game seriously by building solid regional content production and distribution capabilities. After all, in the end, a brand which will succeed in connecting better with the audience is going to build a long-term relationship with the customer! 

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of www.buzzincontent.com and we do not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)