There are a number of key areas that all businesses should consider when looking to start marketing their products or services internationally. One of the most fundamental of these is ensuring that you carry out effective market research.

However, I have seen many businesses, particularly the smaller ones, who have skimped on their market research only to pay the price later on. It really pays dividends to invest in good market research in the initial stages, before making your decision on whether to launch into a new market or not. To discover that there isn’t a market for what you are selling, or realizing that your product/service is too advanced for that market, or finding that competition is too tough is something you really need to know before you waste good money.

The more in-depth market research that you carry out up front, the less risk you are taking in launching into a new market.

To find out more you can read my article “ The Keys to Successful International Marketing” published this month in Direct Commerce Magazine.