Strategies to be locally relevant and nationally orchestrated

There are many strategies to take into consideration when increasing the relevance and organization of your business. Learning local needs and preferences while maintaining an efficient organizational structure at a national level may not be an easy task, but it is essential if you want to boost your business and become a reference in your market.

According to the Mapa de Empresas survey, prepared by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (Mdic) in partnership with Serpro (Federal Data Processing Service), Brazil registered the opening of 2.7 million companies from January to August this year. Of these millions of CNPJs, those that do not have a market differential or relevance, unfortunately will not survive. The question I ask is, do you know your customer enough to be sure that your competitive advantage is attractive locally and nationally?

When thinking about starting a business, step zero is research, sleep and wake up thinking about your client. Then try to deeply understand the specific needs, desires and trends of your region of operation. And this can be done through market research, customer interviews or analyzing competitors to identify possible opportunities. Searching for strategic partnerships can help expand your presence in the local market and create a link with the population. Adjusting your products or services to meet the demands of the region, including features, prices, packaging and even the language used in communication, can also be a good way.

Investing in Brand Innovation, for example, can be one of the most effective ways to make this entire process work. I have already explained this concept in another article, but through it, it is possible to expand a brand to other territories; become a reference in a specific category; attract and retain new talent; strengthen culture; grow exponentially in a given period; find new routes of action; expand or create franchises from scratch; and, of course, maintain leadership in a sector.

Another point that I consider essential is to build an efficient distribution of your products, as this can increase their relevance and help with the adaptability of local processes and policies. In this case, technologies and integrated management systems are true allies because they continuously monitor the region and national results, enabling the construction of efficient internal communication.

I believe that finding the balance between adaptation and the needs of the region, as well as keeping in mind that maintaining consistency and efficiency at a national level is an essential step in the process. Continuing to focus on building strong strategic leadership with a team committed to the company’s execution and traction will certainly take your brand to places that are often unimaginable.

Therefore, every brand can and should be locally relevant, but always nationally in tune with the segment in which it operates, studying the possibilities and applying innovative methodology to your business could be the strategy you’re missing for you to gain relevance in the market. Think about it!

*Ciro Rocha is the founder of Enredo, an innovation company specialized in business transformation, through Branding, Architecture and Brand Management. Administrator with a degree in Strategic Marketing from HEC Management School (ULg, Belgium), MBA in Marketing (FGV), specialist in Branding (Insper/SP) and Service Designer, Ciro designed strategies for brands such as Oi, Mitsubishi Corp., Ipiranga, Grupo Mitsui, Ambev, Nestlé and Ponto Frio