
100 years ago, mass communication across countries seemed impossible. With the digital boom in the 90's, we’ve been able to talk to people from all around the world on a daily basis! As technologies become more complex and the world becomes “smaller,” a lot of companies (big and small) have taken their business international. But global marketing is more complicated than you think; it’s not just about selling a product in different countries - you have to be aware of a number of factors from knowing your audience to promoting your product. We’ve listed a couple things for you to keep in mind as you grow internationally.
Understand the local culture and market
Understanding the local culture and market is essential to being profitable overseas. Just because it works in America, doesn’t mean it’s going to work everywhere else. Every city, province, region and country has different norms and behaviors. You really need to study the market to figure out the needs of the consumers and offer a solution unique to them. It’s also very important to understand business customs and practices; you don’t want to accidentally offend your consumer group.
Check and recheck your translations
When you’re translating your messaging into a different language, the meaning or emotional impact can get lost because some phrases are impossible to translate literally. It’s important to invest time into working closely with translators to ensure that your message resonates with your target audience. There have been countless embarrassing slip-ups among companies in the past due to poor translating; don’t let your business fall victim to this!
Customize your marketing strategy
When you first decide to go international, it can be tempting to just replicate and roll out your domestic marketing strategy. However, we strongly advise against that. Like we mentioned before, even though your marketing strategy may work in America, it doesn’t mean it will be successful in other countries. It’s essential for you to understand the cultural references, important holidays, and local slang to create different platforms, pillars and strategies and customize them for every region you’re in. As a rule of the thumb, you should have different goals and promotional tactics for your different markets. This ensures that your brand will maintain a local identity and will speak to the target audience on a deeper level.
Keep it sustainable
Don’t think of your international branches as a secondary thought or a one-time attempt. You should be actively engaging with your audience and keeping your content and website fresh and updated. A tip from us? Keep a content calendar to schedule your posts and to make sure you stay up to date and organized! Implementing a framework that is scalable ensures that your business will continue to successfully grow and transition into new markets
As always, the Bare Bones Marketing team is here to help. If you're thinking of growing domestically or internationally, we provide a range of services to help you on your journey. Give us a call or visit our website for more details.