The challenge

Social media is a key tool for brands looking to connect with existing and new audiences. But while over 90% of social media users worldwide are located outside of North America, social platforms do not always allow organic posts and/or entire accounts to be limited geographically. This hinders brands' ability to reach local audiences with targeted messaging, offers, etc.

The ability to implement a location-based targeting strategy on social media is often critical for brands. For example, entertainment brands may not operate (or have content rights) across all territories. Given this challenge, how can brands use global platforms as part of a successful local social strategy?

Our approach

With 24 offices worldwide, AGM's teams develop targeting strategies using market-specific insights. We use these insights in each step of our campaign creation - from ideation to execution.

1. Audience

First, we identify the audience in each territory and understand where they spend their time online. An audience profile might include demographics, psychographic information like interests, attitudes, and personas, and online behaviour including favoured social platforms. These attributes vary from location to location. For example, as noted in a previous post, Japanese consumers use Facebook similarly to how other markets use LinkedIn.

2. Content strategy

Where the audience spends its time determines where we market - and how they engage on those platforms guides how we communicate. So once we understand the local audience, we develop a content strategy that speaks specifically to that audience. Our experts make sure content incorporates regional nuances including language, local idiom, events, and traditions to maximise performance. Other useful tactics to reach a local audience include:

• Using region-specific hashtags

• Timing posts to when local audiences are most active

• Incorporating location tags

• Partnering with local influencers

• Combinations of the above, as in this local event-based influencer activation we coordinated for Pepsi Max Australia.

  • We activated relevant local influencers to pull revellers to the brand's "Club that waste built" at a popular festival, communicate their transition to circular packaging and drive usage of the Pepsi Max Instagram AR lens among Australian music fans. The influencer content used both location and official event tags.

3. Measurement

We use social platforms' measurement tools to analyse organic performance and identify what resonates most with the local target audience, assessing results against industry benchmarks as well as historical and proprietary benchmark data, to inform ongoing content optimisations, distribution strategies, and a paid media approach.

4. Paid media

Unlike organic social posts, paid ads are always geo-targetable, guaranteeing local reach. We use organic performance to gauge which content to amplify, along with a full-funnel strategy to re-engage and convert users. Our strategies for local amplification include boosting; using social videos as ads; and using social targeting features to target ads to specific locations and groups.

Brands need to be strategic, creative and analytical in their social media strategy to reach their desired local audience, wherever and whoever they may be. Want to explore your local social approach in more detail? Get in touch.