Are you a marketer or entrepreneur who dreams about Polish clientele? Here are 10 best ways of promoting your products or services to the Polish audience in the UK!
Polish immigrants in the United Kingdom
The UK Office for National Statistics estimates that there are around 700,000 Poles currently living in the United Kingdom, with approximately 600,000 in England, 60,000 in Scotland, and roughly 20,000 each in Wales and Northern Ireland. This decreased from pre-Brexit levels when nearly a million people from Poland lived in the UK. Despite the drop, the UK remains one of the most popular destinations for Polish emigrants (along with migrants from other neighbor Slavic countries, such as Ukraine, Lithuania, and Belarus).
They chose emigration, seeking job opportunities, with some staying temporarily and others establishing a new home for themselves. Among ethnic minorities, Poles are the second-largest group after people of Indian descent.
According to research from emito.net, they are mainly employed in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, social work, transport, logistics, construction, retail, hospitality, and food services. Half of the Polish workers in the UK are in manual labour roles, while one in six runs their own business.
Key statistics about the British Polonia:
- The largest age group is 45-54, making up 40% of the Polish population in Britain. Over one-third are aged 35-44, and one in six is aged 55-64.
- Over half of the community is married, 18% are in partnerships, one in twelve is divorced, and an equal share is single. Additionally, 74% of Polish households in the UK have children.
- 41% hold higher education degrees, 30% have completed secondary education, 22% have vocational or technical training, and one in twenty has a postgraduate degree or doctorate. Most Poles in the UK maintain connections with the Polish community, with around 45% in regular contact. Additionally, 36% are highly interested in current events in Poland.
How to reach Polonia in the UK? What marketing tools and tactics work best? Here are valuable tips from somebody who ‘has been there and done that’ – Matylda Setlak, who is probably the foremost UK expert in terms of ethnic marketing campaigns targeting Poles in the UK!
1. Banner campaign
The first tool works for any industry and any size of company. It is running a banner advertising campaign on a few of the biggest Polish websites that offer campaigns targeted at users from the UK.
Such campaign will reach Poles throughout the UK, not only from the regions where Polish-language newspapers or radio are available. A considerable advantage of this type of tactic is that the campaign results can be easily measured (i.e. pay-per-click, pay-per-action, or pay-per-impression).
In our experience, it is still not many advertisers reaching the Polonia in the UK have decided on this type of campaign, which is why the recipients are going to be more susceptible.
Tip from Matylda
Test a few of the biggest websites first on a small budget and then see which brings you the highest conversion rate, and then spend your budget solely on this website.
2. Targeting Polish media in the UK
Prepare a PR article on a chosen subject and send it to media targeted at Polish people in the UK. Follow up with the media in order to receive the greatest possible number of publications. The campaign will help develop your company or organisation’s positive image and credibility.
Articles in the media are far more persuasive than regular paid advertising. They are also a better opportunity to explain a chosen subject better. Online publications will support your website SEO (especially if you publicise your press releases and articles on media outlets with a high Domain Rate).
In our agency, we comprehensively deal with digital PR (also known as SEO PR), i.e. creating texts for the media, reaching the right journalists and controlling the publication process for our clients. We will gladly select media and make suitable press materials for your brand.
Tip from Matylda
Do not do it if you do not have an interesting story to tell… interesting from the point of view of Poles abroad. Focus on the community aspect of the story and do not let the article be too commercially-orientated as it will surely put the editors off.
3. Campaign in on-board airline magazine
Run an advertising campaign in a bimonthly on-board airline magazine read by the Polish people flying from the UK to Poland and from Poland to the UK. This is a relatively cost-effective medium, considering the cost of targeting one person. As many as 1900,000 people are going to see the ad.
The advantage of this tool is its long life. One ad will live for two months. What’s more, this medium has a stable and confirmed circulation. People simply fly and will continue to fly airplanes.
Tip from Matylda
The best timing for an on-board magazine campaign is either before, during or after summer or in mid-December, before the Christmas holiday – Polish people fly to and from Poland like mad at that time.
4. Bus advertising
Buses leave from large cities such as Warsaw and Krakow every day to London and beyond. You can use it in your marketing efforts! But how to advertise your company on a bus?
Organize a distribution of leaflets in coaches that go from Poland to the UK and from the UK to Poland. Or arrange to broadcast video commercials on the screens of coaches and locate the ad on the coach ticket covers. The people who see the ads will be surprised and remember the message. This is a good way of targeting seasonal workers.
5. Cooperating with Polish websites
Note: this is a sales campaign, not an image campaign. Establish affiliate or pay-per-action cooperation with Polish diaspora websites. They can publish your banners, text links, contact forms, sponsored articles and other forms of promotion. In return, they receive a commission on sales or a fixed fee for a definite user activity, such as filling in a form or purchase. It’s a win-win situation.
Tip from Matylda
Offer your affiliates generous deals and exchange artworks often, ideally every two months, to make the most of the affiliate campaign. Be in touch with them regularly to keep them motivated and solve problems, and offer incentives and rewards to those who produce the biggest profit.
6. Outdoor campaign
According to research by emito.net, around 130,000 Poles live in London. Outdoor marketing works best here. For example, organize a campaign on the London tube and on and in London buses.
This tool is ideal for promoting products for which visual aspects are important. This is a relatively cost-effective medium, considering the cost of reaching each person. Possibility of choosing perfect localisations, where most people from Poland live. Moreover, recipients have repeated contact with the advert, increasing trust in the brand.
Tip from Matylda
Timing and location are crucial here. Don’t run an outdoor campaign in central London during summer unless you want to target tourists from Poland.
7. Email marketing campaign
Email marketing can be a direct and measurable way to engage with Polish immigrants in the UK. Target email lists of 100,000, 200,000, or even 300,000 addresses to reach a broad audience. With precise targeting and personalization, email marketing is one of the most effective tools for driving immediate engagement and sales. The results of the campaign can be easily measured. This is a sales campaign, not an image campaign.
8. Marketing in Polish shops
Distributing branded promotional materials in Polish food stores across the country is a unique way to promote your brand. By delivering posters, leaflets, or even branded shopping bags, you reach Polish shoppers at familiar locations, strengthening brand recognition in their daily environment.
For one of our British clients, we organised the distribution of promotional materials (posters, flees, and gadgets) to 140 shops with Polish food in London and its surroundings.
Not many advertisers decide on this type of campaign, so that the recipients will be more susceptible. A big plus of this marketing tool is the possibility of distributing chosen promotional materials or B2B offers.
Tip from Matylda
Distribute to the shops’ shopping bags, plastic or little more expensive tote bags, with your logo. Both shop owners and clients will love, and most importantly, use them voluntarily in promoting your brand.
9. Marketing campaign on social media
Creating a social media campaign with a dedicated communication strategy is highly effective for engaging with Polish audiences in the UK. You can foster a strong sense of community among many Polish followers through entertaining and culturally relevant content.
The biggest advantage of social media is their interactivity. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are excellent places to nurture connections and solidarity with your audience from Poland.
Tip from Matylda
Poles love freebies and special offers. Utilise them often. Provide funny content in relation to the Polish people living abroad to generate comments, likes and shares. And run the fan page in Polish only, English will put them off.
10.Content marketing activities
If you don’t have a budget for more demanding content marketing tools (such as a YouTube channel or podcast), create a blog targeted at Polish people in the UK and other countries around the world.
Running a blog that caters to Polish readers in the UK is a powerful way to position your brand as a trusted expert on topics such as Polish culture, cultural roots, heritage, tradition, travel, and Polish life on immigration in different parts of the world. With regular posts covering topics that interest this audience, you can drive traffic, engage readers, and improve your site’s search engine positioning.
A blog also offers ongoing engagement with Polish readers, providing a platform for long-form discussions, exploring new topics, and educational content. Over time, this steady content flow fosters a loyal readership and strengthens brand authority.
These tactics are not a complete promotional strategy as it is necessary to plan key messages, define the target groups and goals of the campaign first, and then choose the most appropriate tools. If you need a professional support of an experienced agency in ethnic marketing to Poles in the UK, contact our experts!