If you’re here chances are you’re looking to expand your business overseas. Likewise, you probably already understand the importance of branding if you want to gain a foothold in a new marketplace. But where to even begin? Your brand has done well here, but to make it in a foreign market, you have to go back to the drawing board to come up with a strategy that makes sense in your target market. While certainly a daunting task without a one size fits all solution, there are certain guidelines that you can follow to set you on the right course for success. Let’s take a look!
Set clear goals
Before even setting out in your international endeavor, you need to set your expectations. What are your business goals? What is your targeted level of sales? What product or service are you planning to sell in your new market? If you have a variety of offerings, decide which ones you’ll begin with in the new market.
Most importantly, what is your target market? Who is buying your product or service in your current marketplace? Who are they, and what makes them tick? Though your target market may end up different in the country you hope to expand to, it’s good to first establish who your already existing customers are as a reference point to guide your research.
Conduct preliminary research on your market
It seems like common sense, but having an in-depth understanding of your market cannot be understated. This means understanding your target customers’ culture, habits and needs, potential market gaps, and your competition.
What does market demand look like?
Before you can even consider expanding to a new market, first you need to establish whether a market for your product even exists there. Ask yourself, is there a want or need for your product or service? If so, is it already being well met by someone else? Research sales figures to get a better idea of the size of your market. If there’s a lack of competition, don’t get too excited too quickly. There may be a reason behind it, such as a lack of demand, cultural understanding or laws against distributing your product.
Who are your potential customers?
Who are the people currently buying products or services from your competitors? Since you already should have a good idea of who those people are in your home market, you can use their information as a guideline for researching your new potential customer base. Research should include demographics, purchasing behaviors, social values, media consumption habits and common pain points among other parameters.
Who is your competition? How can you differentiate yourself?
Who are the local competitors, and how do they approach the market? Every market has a unique mix of competitors and cultures that make up the industry landscape. Learn who the major players are, their strengths, weaknesses, and what can make you stand out as different in customers’ eyes.
What barriers or opportunities might exist?
Look out for any barriers in your target market related to regulations, certification and trade. Though this may seem more related to the logistical side of your brand expansion, your findings may have implications in what you’re allowed to do or say in your branding.
On the flip side, chances are, in a less mature market there may exist opportunities for your brand, that your competition has yet to explore.
Craft a marketing strategy
Once you’ve finished the preliminary groundwork it’s time to craft a marketing strategy. A well planned marketing strategy can make or break a brand’s success in a target market- poor planning can lead to missteps, spelling doom for brands looking for overseas success.
Product/brand localization
Let’s start with localization. It’s simple- what may be culturally appropriate or relatable in one country may be completely inappropriate, confusing or carry no meaning in another. When localizing your brand or product content you must consider any and all pieces of content that would potentially be seen by customers, including:
- Your product and brand name- Are they culturally sensitive for your target market? Do they make sense both in English and in translation?
- Your logo- Is your logo appropriate? Does it have any wording or symbols that might offend? (One example that comes to mind is the woman in the Starbucks logo. In many Muslim countries, such depiction of a woman is deemed inappropriate)
- Your website online stores and packaging- For all parts of your brand and product that will be seen by customers, localized language and presentation is crucial. Don’t just plug everything into a translator. First off, nothing can hurt your brand’s credibility like messaging and copy that’s full of poor word choice, grammatical, spelling, and syntax errors. Additionally, any language should be vetted to fit your target market’s cultural realities and values. Even in the presentation of basic information, double-check that no messaging can be misinterpreted by your target audience.
Avoiding translation and cultural gaffes is only half the battle. Your messaging should create resonance with your target audience. This means creating content that not only connects with people as members of a given demographic, but also as individual members of their cultural community.
International Inbound Marketing
Buyers all over the world have become increasingly shrewd in the digital age, rarely acknowledging marketing messages or invitations, instead electing to conduct product research on their own. This is where Google is your friend. Google ranks search results based on relevance and authority. Consistently producing and releasing fresh, high-quality content that’s relevant to your target audience’s needs can drive your brand up Google’s search rankings, improving visibility in your target audience’s market.
Don’t just pump out any content however. Identify the needs and solutions that your audience in your target market search for the most and plan your content accordingly.
International Outbound Marketing
Establish the tools you’ll use to broadcast your message as you start building your following in your target market. In doing so, find the right channels for communicating your message, where you know it will be seen. What does the media landscape look like in your target market? What does the infrastructure look like? What are the target customers’ habits? What is their lifestyle? These are all questions you can answer to help guide your selection of tools for broadcasting your message.
What can iSpider Media do to help?
Launching a successful international branding campaign is critical for any band’s overseas success. While the guidelines highlighted in this article are a good start, every market and industry comes with its unique challenges. At iSpider Media, we help brands navigate these challenges through PR and branding services. With unique global insight and resources and a native English-speaking content team, we can help your brand develop a PR and branding strategy built on engaging, in-depth content to enhance your brand’s visibility and create a lasting resonance with your overseas customers. International branding is never easy, but with our help, we can help steer your brand towards overseas success.
