- In INDIA the major population is still from INDIA. There are no more opportunities left for marketing in urban areas most possible options are done now, so marketers are going rural .
strategies a company specially from FMCG , Telecom , Education , Health should adopt to make it successful in rural territory are that marketers are need to relate the products or services with the emotional quotient of the population . they need to relate the products with the current life of the population
.Identify the needs of rural markets
.Word of mouth plays an important role in rural market.
.know about the different choice of rural consumers.
.The producer can also choose to be educated/update, through reports, about the demand for his products as well as for any new products.

Yes ! I agree that every company who wishes to expand their base look for Rural Market , as Urban markets have reached their saturation point .. and if companies wishes to expand in terms of market share or revenue share they have to look for rural market ..
The strategies that FMCG Cos should adopt are - develop strong supply chain and manufacture their product in small SKU's as in rural markets the customers are not loyal towards brands, they would take that particular product, which will be available in nearest shop and they look for small sachets of almost every product that exist ..
For Telecom Cos- The strategy should be , they should offer life time validity with every SIM , as rural customers hardly learns mobile no, if purchased once , he will take few days to learn that his no. , and Cos should offer VAS like caller tune as no add-on cost .. along with this , the telecom cos should offer roaming services at no-add on cost,as farmers from rural market, go in urban markets to sell their products (As already done by BSNL)
For Education Cos - The strategy should be , they should use MUKHIYA of village as their brand ambassador and he should influence the whole village that they should send their children to schools and other educational hubs ..
For Health Cos - The strategy should be along with the chemicals useful for cultivation of crops and veterinary medicine, the companies should focus on organizing free health check-up and from there they should to get their prospect ..

First they should study the liking & taste of the rural customer, as there is a slight difference between requirement of city customer & customer from rural territory. Companies should understand that social and cultural values have a very strong hold on the rural people, their cultural values play major role in deciding what to buy. Moreover, rural people are emotional and sensitive. Thus, to promote their brands, they should not exploit social and cultural values.

I think to make rural marketing successful its important to concentrate on developing rural specific products. for example- In spite of having adequate purchasing power,in rural areas two wheeler is more used. product Pricing is also an important factor in rural market therefore before deciding the price companies should study and analyse the purchasing power of rural people.

In India the major population is still in rural area . Every company which wants to expand their base have to look to rural market. The company specially from FMCG , Telecom, Education Health should adopt to make it successful in rural territory are as follow :

1. FMCG companies should work very hard in rural areas because these people can not afford costly material so they should make quality product in cheaper rate.

2. Telecom companies should make their towers so strong that these people can talk to their relative wherever they are leaving . No connectivity problem should come .

3. Education department should make schools, colleges to educate people . So that no one is uneducated and every one is educated and according to his/her qualification he/she should get suitable job.

4. Health department should take care of people and should make hospitals in rural area because their they required these kind of facility because they can't afford to go to town for their medical treatment .

According to me these are the key points which these companies need to follow.....

Rural market is set to be the largest market, 70% of the population reside in the rural areas & most importantly they have the money to spend which is why
most of the companies are looking forward to tap this market. Strategies that could help them to do so :
1) Since the rural areas still do not have good infrastructure, companies should use delivery vans, tie up with the small wholesalers, partner with NGOs to
promote their products.
2) Few people read newspapers these areas, hence audio communication would be be more appropriate.
3) Reach them in their own language & associate brand with their cultures, festivals etc.

Giants like HUL and P&G have penetrated rural market quite well and they have adopted following strategies to Sell their product:

Sell in small packs > This is a very effective strategy adopted by FMCG companies where they have brought 50 Ps. Pouch for shampoo and 50Gram Soap bar.

Use Locals as Brand Ambassadors > HUL rather than selling through shops have adopted strategy of selling product through local ambassador in this way they are giving employment and since people in in rural India give lot of respect to relationship therefore product sells automatically.

Use Mobile Shop > People in Rural India Are attracted to special attractive moving shops where they can see live demo and purchase product

Cash in Specific Days> Every village has special day in week to purchase these items from local market. Companies should have representative to sell these product on that special day.

Use of local language> Marketing Communication should be designed in local language so it can reach to masses..for example Airtel will have customize message in Tamil, telgu, punjabi for latest offer.

All these strategies can be effective in penetrating rural market.

Yes, I totally agree that any company which wants to expand their base have to look to rural market..

A totally different marketing strategy need to be followed to cater this market, since it is different in Infrastructure, Economy, Lifestyle, Habits and most important the consumer behavior of rural market is different.

Some of the strategies that can be adopted to make it successful are..
Sampling .. free samples always works in introducing a product to any market.
Loud Marketing .. Road shows , canopies are also on of the best strategies for rural areas.
Keep it simple .. the language, the banner info should be simple (preferably Hindi).

In India the major population is still in rural area . Every company which wants to expand their base have to look to rural market. Do share what strategies a company specially from FMCG , Telecom , Education , Health should adopt to make it successful in rural territory