Expand Market Areas

When a locally made product or business is successful in the local area, an opportunity often exists to expand marketing efforts to new geographic areas. Sometimes this can involve opening another outlet in another location.

Some Examples

1. A co-operative that supplied equipment to mountain climbers and hikers was so successful it expanded to include a second operation in another province.

2. A successful restaurant with a unique concept expanded by setting up similar restaurants in other cities across North America.

How To Do It

1. Identify products or services currently offered by your company within your region and consider whether marketing efforts could be expanded to new areas.

2. To find successful local products or services which are produced by someone else and not distributed to other areas:
   • talk to purchasing agents;
   • place classified advertisements in newspapers;
   • contact your local Canada Business;
   • analyse local advertising and talk to local business people;
   • look for locally made products in stores;
   • look for stories on local products and services in business magazines and newspapers; and
   • talk with tourists visiting your region, as well as local travel industry personnel, to find specific products and services that attract businesses, and consider which of these could be imitated, franchised or marketed in other areas.
   
   
3. To find successful one-of-a-kind businesses that have been developed by local people:
   • analyse the Yellow Pages in your phone directory;
   • identify local fashions and lifestyle activities;
   • observe retail stores and services in your area and Iisten for positive comments from local consumers and business people about local businesses; and
   • ask visitors to your area for the names of unique local businesses they have noticed and which they might like to have in their own community.
   
   

4. Talk to potential customers to discover whether there is a market for the products or services in the new area.

Key Questions

Return to Forty concepts Table of Contents