international

  Culture has a major impact on shaping the values, assumptions, and behaviour of individuals and organizations in society. What is more, each of us views the world according to our own cultural biases. However, when looking to export into a new market, it is vital not to make the assumption that everyone in all countries views their world like you do. The culture of a country will impact significantly on the success or failure of your expansion into a new territory and you ignore its impact at your peril.   The use of local market knowledge is priceless. Understanding the culture impacts the way you communicate both verbally, in terms of tone and approach, and also visually, and you need to make sure you use the design and creative style that is appropriate to that market place when creating your marketing materials. Also, don’t forget to consider that colours have their own non-verbal impact on communication and those meanings can vary from country to country. e.g. White is the colour of mourning in Japan while black has similar symbolism in the USA and Europe.   To read more about cultural factors and how to expand successfully into International markets take a look at my article “The Keys to Successful International Marketing” published this month in Direct Commerce magazine.    

No! Google translate won’t do! If you are looking to translate your marketing materials or your website into the language of your potential export market then the investment in good relevant translation will pay off many times over.   I have recently been involved in a Linked-in discussion on international business and some people were advocating the use of Google translate to translate marketing materials and websites. This is really not the right thing to do. Whilst Google translate can help in getting the gist of a subject, if you receive an e-mail in a foreign language, for example. It is, however, not the right tool if you wish to develop successful international marketing.   Similarly, even though English is quoted as being the global business language, it really is far from the truth. Also, it is impossible for you to second guess and dangerous for you to make assumptions on the level of English fluency of your target audience. Marketing in the local language always gives you the best opportunity for success.   To read more about how to expand successfully into International markets take a look at my article “ The Keys to Successful International Marketing” published this month in Direct Commerce magazine.      

  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.