How to launch your brand in a new geographic market

Expanding your brand into a new geographic market is an exciting stretch — but don’t expect to simply replicate marketing tactics that worked elsewhere.

Whether you're a professional services firm responding to regulatory change, a financial provider pursuing regional growth or a nonprofit stepping up to meet community needs, new markets require tailored strategy.

Courtesy / Fluent IMC

Marnie Grumbach is the founder of Fluent IMC.

While your annual marketing plan likely takes a broad view of branding and communications, entering a new market calls for a focused, multi-channel approach — one that blends paid, earned, owned and shared media to reach prospects across platforms and reinforce your brand consistently.

Study your new audience. Before activating any marketing channel, start with research. What differentiates this market from your current one? Is your brand known here, or are you starting from scratch? What local nuances, competitors or regulations do you need to navigate?

Create audience personas for your new market. Understand their pain points, preferred platforms and content consumption habits. Are they reading trade publications, engaging on LinkedIn or Instagram or subscribing to industry newsletters? Local partnerships, listening sessions or surveys can help shape your outreach and distribution strategy.

Customize your integrated plan. The PESO model — Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned media (a term coined by Gini Dietrich) — offers a smart framework for building a well-rounded expansion campaign.

Paid media content and tactics help establish quick visibility in a new area. Consider geotargeted display ads in local or trade outlets, sponsored content in regional publications, boosted social posts targeting specific locations or event audiences or event sponsorships or tradeshow booths in high-traffic settings. Let your audience research guide your media buys. In a market with older adults, radio or print may still work.

For younger audiences, programmatic and social media ads may be more effective.

Earned media builds trust through third-party validation. Work to secure local media coverage that introduces your brand and mission. Issue a press release and pitch your launch to local reporters. Position your spokespeople as thought leaders on panels or in editorial content or collaborate with regional influencers or affiliate organizations to build credibility. Earned coverage is powerful — often outperforming ads by establishing trust — and provides content to fuel your owned and shared channels.

Your owned media (brand materials you create or control) should tell a consistent, compelling story across all markets. For a geographic expansion, owned media might include a dedicated landing page or blog content tailored to local needs. Success stories or case studies that resonate regionally, updated sales materials featuring your regional team or email marketing targeted to that specific community are all owned media tactics to explore.

Shared media — your interactions on social platforms — is key to community-building. For an expansion, develop a shared media plan to engage authentically with local orgs, influencers and partners. Launch a “Meet Our Local Team” or “We’re Here!” social series and repost earned media wins to amplify your visibility in the new market. Listen closely to how your content lands and refine your tone, cadence or content as needed.

Build a campaign (don't just launch a message)

Each channel supports the others. Plan a campaign — not just a message — that spans multiple categories.

For example:

Paid: Sponsored content article in a regional business journal
Earned: A story about your launch picked up by a local reporter
Owned: Blog recap and highlight video from your launch event
Shared: Community photo contest that drives engagement on Instagram.

Multi-channel campaigns create touchpoints that reinforce your message and drive better awareness.

Monitor and adapt

Expansion isn’t “set it and forget it.” Track results across channels. Which ads drive traffic? What partnerships are generating engagement? Is your audience more active on Facebook or LinkedIn? Use insights to optimize over time.

Expanding into a new geographic market is a prime opportunity to refine your marketing strategy. A thoughtful, multi-channel campaign helps your brand show up with intention, reach new audiences meaningfully and build credibility and connection. An integrated model creates a multiplier effect —maximizing reach, frequency and impact.

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