Try That In A Small Town: Marketing

Marketing in small towns has its own perks and hurdles that can affect local businesses. One big plus is how easy it is to connect with the community. With fewer people around, relationships tend to be more personal and direct, which helps businesses build strong bonds with their clientle. I mean it's easier to connect with your third-cousin, or your friends dad who owns a business because of that history you have. This closeness often leads to higher customer-loyalty and word-of-mouth buzz.

I live in Bentonville, Arkansas. While a small town, it has big city "happenings" with it being the headquarters to one of the largest corporations in the world; Walmart.

Getting involved in local events, sponsorships, and community activities can also be super effective for building these connections, making it easier for businesses to make a name for themselves in town. While big cities like LA and Chicago may have more events, it might be easier to network and point yourself out as a professional in a smaller suburb or town like Bentonville, Arkansas or McKiney, Texas compared to the DFW area or NYC.

But there are challenges to being a marketing professional in a small town. Let's look deeper into this issue.

Challenges of Limited Reach

While you may know all your neighbors, the small size of the population can also pose significant challenges for marketing efforts. With fewer potential customers, businesses may struggle to achieve the level of market penetration they desire. You may live in a market that isn't looking for sales as much as labor intensive roles. I have a relative who owns their own business and it is blooming from word-of-mouth, and he only has the bandwidth to work with those clients, so he doesn't need a lot of marketing efforts aside from this organic and grassroots efforts to thrive, as he isn't looking to grow a team.

Additionally, the limited audience can lead to an oversaturation of marketing professionals vying for the same small pool of clients. Too many marketers makes it hard to come in with a premium rate, since someone else can do it at a cheaper one, thus making it hard to make a living on this if you are new to the industry.

This competition can drive down prices and make it difficult for individual marketers or agencies to differentiate themselves. As a result, businesses may find it challenging to stand out in a crowded field, leading to a potential struggle for both customer attention and market share.

The Enigma of the Ozarks & Marketing

If you're not from the Ozarks or know about the region, you may have a sterotype in your head of banjos playing and moonshine drinking, similar to the sterotype of our eastern hilly neighbors in the Appalachian Mountains.

However, these sterotypes don't fit the mold of reality, especially of the Ozarks region.

In Northwest Arkansas, we are home to the world's richest family, The Walton's, and the businesses and organization they own; most notibily, Walmart. With Walmart being in the region, every major brand has a small satellite office in the region, from Coca-Cola, Kellog, Hershey, Unilver, and any brand you can think of. Each of these vendors also works with other vendors and other agencies who have offices in Northwest Arkansas just to work with Walmart.

In the Missouri Ozarks, you also have the headquearters for Bass Pro Shops and Cabela.

You might think that there are a ton of job opprotunities for marketing, and in a way, there are plenty. The problem is most of these brands (and even Walmart) bring in people from other major cities and move people from their brand's hq to live in Bentonville, compared to someone who lives in the region already wanting to get their foot in the door.

There are ways to do this, but it requires so much foresight, it's difficult. For example, if you are a college student at the University of Arkansas, you can go through the Walton School of Business and have your focus on supply chain or marketing, and have an internship at one of the many corporations in NWA, and that helps you get into Walmart.

If you are from small town Kansas, like me, and you've worked with some agencies and boutqiue sized clients and you try to get hired at a corporation, it's much more challenging because recruiters are wanting someone who went through the local programs and school and have that internship, understanding that work culture and systems already.

You could say, why don't you apply to a smaller boutique-sized business, since you've worked with them before? Great idea!

The paradox is that most small businesses are either so small, they can't pay for marketing efforts or they have the funding to pay well, but they want to hire someone who has a work history with one of these Fortune 500 companies and now wants to work in the small business or non-profit world.

I did have the luxary to work with a vendor/brand, but they ended up going through some internal changes that shifted how they wanted marketing to go forward, so a lot of team members left on their own or by layoffs. I worked with a nonprofit, but they went through a merger that changed how long-term marketing efforts looked. A lot of my former marketing team members have a mix of new roles, with some working in corporate, but not in marketing, as it was hard to get into. Some work for agencies, but with limited hiring space, they aren't hiring as many roles to work under one roof, so they are the lone wolf or it's such a small team, the other team members are from these aforementioned companies.

While others, including myself (as of the date I'm writing this in April 2025) are still looking for work. I've had some good interviews here and there, but the market is competitive. I do have some of my own clientle, but like the problems mentioned before, they can't pay much and want to offer in-kind exchanges of services or products. While that can be cool sometimes, my bills can't be paid with product exchanges.

I've also done some creative work with organizations, but their expectations can be so high and my ability to do the work that a full marketing agency would do is difficult to deliver at the frequency they need, so that can cause some burnout for freelancers.

Let me be clear!

I am VERY FORTUNNATE and THANKFUL for the businesses I have worked with and who still want to work together, even if it's a few one-off projects, as well as those who love my stuff but they can't pay more than they make because of the size of their company. I understand these issues, and for these small companies that I love, it's hard to turn them away, but at times, I'd rather give them money for their services as a customer and get paid elsewhere that has the funding so I can pay bills and buy my friends products from their small businesses.

If you are a business that needs a strong storyteller, content creator, and someone who understands the nueances of marketing, please reach out to me at larryfleury@gmail.com. I love living in Northwest Arkansas, and I want to stay here (ideally) forever.

Balancing Pros and Cons

Ultimately, the key to successful marketing in a small town lies in balancing these pros and cons. We must leverage their ability to connect personally with customers while also finding innovative ways to stand out in a saturated market. Strategies such as niche marketing, unique branding, and community-focused campaigns can help mitigate the challenges posed by a limited customer base.

By understanding the dynamics of their local environment, whether in the Ozarks or anywhere around the globe, marketers can develop tailored approaches that resonate with the community, ensuring that we not only survive but thrive in a competitive landscape.