Over the years, we’ve learned people living in rural areas aren’t as actively engaged by marketing messages. The reason? Geographic and economic disadvantages separate rural citizens from experiencing the complete media landscape. High-speed internet and 4G network technology are less available in some rural areas, which can minimize the impact of digital marketing techniques if communicators aren’t intentional about the types of platforms they use for campaigns. In addition, radio and television signals are often lower quality, outdoor signage is rare, and many residents don’t have access to common advertising and public relations executions. The typical strategies and tactics just aren’t working outside urban areas. That’s why Hirons created Rural Reach, a proprietary program and tailored marketing approach to engage rural audiences. Rural Reach helps healthcare providers, nonprofits and government agencies speak directly to rural residents by using public relations, branding and digital techniques specifically tailored for them. Our team is continually finding or creating ways to bypass traditional barriers and engage with rural communities. We’ll do our homework, determining the best mediums to engage the rural communities you want to target. We can help you become an approachable brand developed to serve rural audiences. Internet access isn’t the same for everyone. We consider these disparities in our digital campaigns, made to work in tandem with rural lifestyles. We work around potentially unavailable mass media vehicles to connect with rural Americans through community and interpersonal engagement. As COO, Deana leads all company operations including business development, growth and strategic planning and serves as a senior adviser on key accounts. In her 20 years at Hirons, Deana has led many projects to success, including the transfer of water and wastewater from the City of Indianapolis to Citizens Energy; a renaming, rebranding and capital campaign for Eskenazi Health; the launch of ParkIND at Indianapolis International Airport; and public outreach efforts for RebuildIndy — the $1 billion initiative to improve water quality and an aging sewer system. She also led federal initiatives for the National Park Service, the Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau and the U.S. Army. Deana heads up Hirons’ proprietary Rural Reach program, bringing clients unique strategies for reaching rural populations. Deana was born and raised in rural southern Indiana. She’s an expert at effective communication and outreach to rural communities, which she saw was lacking in many communications initiatives to people living in places like her childhood hometown. She worked with members of the Hirons team to develop Rural Reach, a research-based communications strategy for effectively engaging rural populations across the United States. Deana earned her Accreditation in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America. She has a master’s degree in public relations from Ball State University and a bachelor’s in journalism from Franklin College. A rural Indiana native with more than 30 years of industry experience, Mark oversees all creative and quality control personnel at Hirons. Mark has garnered five career Best of Show awards in various advertising competitions, and his TV spots have appeared in the Communications Arts Advertising Annual. He previously served as executive creative director for the Indianapolis outpost of Publicis Worldwide. At Hirons, Mark delivers a heightened level of creative strategy for client campaigns. He oversees all creative output in the agency, helps lead new business efforts, mentors creative staff and works closely with Hirons’ leadership team. Mark assists the public affairs team with branding and has directed the creative work for digital and traditional media advertisements and collateral materials for several state clients, including the City of Brazil’s rebranding, the Commission for Higher Education’s Next Level Jobs marketing and the Bureau of Motor Vehicle’s REAL ID digital advertising. With years of experience in leadership positions, he also conducts seamless cross-departmental collaboration, resulting in superior client service for both current and prospective clients. Mark holds a bachelor’s degree in radio/television from Butler University. He is a former member of the board of directors for the International School of Indiana and chaired its marketing committee. From small-town government to national nonprofits, we have the experience and expertise required to reach audiences outside of urban centers — specifically the rural poor. We’ll help you unlock rural markets. Let’s talk.Don’t just consider non-urban areas — prioritize them
Rural Healthcare Marketing
Specialties > Rural Reach
Conventional marketing tactics often don’t work with rural populations. We’ve designed an approach that can bridge the gap between urban and rural communities.
Advertising
Branding
Digital
Public Relations
Deana Haworth, APR
Mark LeClerc
Our overly simplified mental models of America’s economic geography – especially of its rural areas—mask a more complex reality.
Using lessons learned through our work, we can help you strengthen your services in rural areas and better engage rural families.
Hirons has worked with both rural and poverty issues for its entire 40 years of existence.
Not all rural places fit the mold of decline.
Hirons’ experience with rural populations tells us that old-fashioned strategic communication techniques work well with any public, especially when extensive market research is a part of the effort.
Their remoteness makes rural populations not only difficult to access, but also difficult to approach.
The key to improving our outreach to rural audiences, particularly the rural poor, is to understand that generalizations only go so far.
Lack of broadband is especially relevant to any outreach effort in rural America.
Many places in America now depend almost entirely on e-commerce giants such as Amazon, which has created the new factory town.
Most new jobs aren’t in rural areas, which explains why rural residents believe the recession never ended.
Rural communities have weathered a changing America through volunteerism, entrepreneurship, resilience and the capacity to adapt.
We can better understand the rural poor if we have a sense why they’ve chosen to live there.
Ready to talk?