Nike. MC Donalds. Airbnb.
What do these three brands have in common?
All three have developed a strong global presence. That’s why you hear about the Whopper in Spain or see Nike Jordans on the streets of Indonesia.
Fortunately, global marketing is no longer just for large corporations – these days technology has significantly reduced the “cost per entry” of developing an international brand.
With social media and search engines bridging the information gap between countries, I’m willing to bet that some international consumers have already stumbled upon your company’s website.
But the question remains: How can you properly market and sell to an international audience? And how can you make sure the product market aligns with communities outside of your own?
To investigate how startups and small businesses can scale their marketing activities for a global audience, I sat down with André Barrence, Head of Google for Startups LATAM.
Read on to learn Barrence’s tips on how startups can effectively sell to an international audience.
Let’s dive in.
4 tips for globalizing your marketing strategy
1. Start with an understanding of your global user.
When developing a global brand, you first want to identify the most important factor: To to the do you market
Your users may differ from country to country in their preferences or lifestyle, but their challenges – and how your product can meet those challenges – will remain globally consistent.
In other words, how your product can help a user in the US likely reflects how your product can help a user in Europe or Asia.
Barrence points out, “A good first solution is always to understand who your user is and who your user is everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, You know?”
Barrence adds, “I think that startups start developing a product with a specific user in mind – and startups work on the idea of serving a need that is appropriate or serving a specific challenge that has not yet been sold. And I think the nice thing about technology is that you can basically serve the whole world at this point. “
At this stage, using highly effective analytical tools is key to making sure you understand your global target.
You also want to use data to determine which region (s) are most interested in your products or services. This information will help you choose a few countries for which you would like to create a targeted, localized marketing strategy.
2. Find out which stories appeal to different audiences around the world.
While your product may meet the same needs around the world, the stories you tell to highlight the key benefits of your product will vary significantly.
As Barrence puts it, “Once you’ve hypothesized who your user is and why they’re looking for your product, you should develop a locally relevant marketing strategy because the worst experience is when you” try it for a local need by you and for something you face in your own country – but the product you are looking for is designed for a completely different experience. “
The aim here is to build credibility in the local regions.
Credibility, Barrence adds, is a critical component that is often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of scaling a startup. Startups are often performance driven – such as B. Traffic or user acquisition – and building a brand is usually an afterthought.
This is a mistake, especially with globalizing your business.
“Startups have a great performance drive,” says Barrence, “but every time you try to enter new markets, you also want to make sure you are building a brand.”
Barrence adds, “Once you’ve tested a few ways to position your brand in a local market, you should come up with a more robust strategy for attracting or building stronger relationships with these users.”
3. Look for local flavors when launching your product.
There are a few key Barrence factors any startup should consider before expanding into new, international markets.
First of all, it is important that your marketing team understands how to position your product in a new regional area.
Barrence told me: “It’s very difficult for a startup to easily find a position in the [Latin American] for example, because startups in LATAM already understand the user and know how to communicate with them and how to position themselves in the market … So it is a big mistake to ignore the local peculiarities when launching your product. “
While recognizing that this doesn’t have to be perfect, Barrence gives me the absolute minimum requirements for marketing to a new international audience:
- Design a localized version of your product – including language, user interface, and experience.
- Translate your materials into the local language and use more relevant, local examples or references in your marketing messages.
- Provide local language support so that users can easily access help if they have any questions.
If you don’t have the time or resources to follow the tips above, reconsider whether globalizing is a good idea – since without these basics, your users will have a poor user experience and your brand equity will suffer.
Which leads me to my next point …
4. Know when to globalize is not a good idea for your business.
There are many startups and small businesses that are likely to have untapped potential in markets outside their home country … but there are others who should focus their efforts locally, at least for now.
So – how do you know which category your business falls into?
Ultimately, according to Barrence, it comes down to whether or not you have a strong foundation. As he puts it, “One big mistake startups make is scaling too early; and the second big mistake is ignoring the signs that you’re not fit for the product market.”
If you try to scale too soon, you risk jeopardizing the experience of your existing users and the health of your entire business. So it is better to be careful here.
He continues, “I think you are testing the waters and making sure that you not only know how to manage not only the market but also your product and your business operations within this market is key. “
Barrence advises, “Not having strong enough evidence of product-to-market fit is the potential downside of globalizing your marketing efforts … [If that’s the case], the first thing you should focus on is building a successful business in your own country. “
With the world becoming more interconnected, dig deeper into your analysis to determine if there is already a demand for your product or service outside of the US – and if so, how to match that demand with fresh, localized content, or even revamp yours Marketing messages to make sure they are number one worldwide.
Ultimately, the decision to globalize your marketing efforts isn’t an easy one, but it could pay off in the long run. Among other benefits, the globalization of your marketing materials expands your customer base and gives you more opportunities to reach and sell more customers.
