Once your company has gained a certain amount of success in its original location, you might want to expand to the international market by making your products or services available in more countries. Depending on which area of the world you are planning on expanding to, you should take the individual countries and their cultures into consideration to rethink your product and brand in the context of the different geographical locations.
Research the market
Before taking on the international market or even just the market in a single country, you should do your research to understand which potential changes you might do to your regular marketing and which potential challenges might arise in taking on a different geographical location. One of the best ways to research a market is to have boots on the ground and get a team in the country you want to expand to.
It makes it easier to conduct the proper research and learn about the culture. Say you want to expand to the island of Tenerife; gather a small team, find a hotel that is located in a convenient location, and perhaps bring some marketing material to test on the general public. Having a physical presence in the country of interest will create a better understanding of the local people and culture.
Use appropriate marketing tools
You are most likely used to using certain tools to market your product and create a convincing brand. You should do exactly that when marketing your company overseas, only considering the new location. You should also be prepared that the same tools you use for one location, will not necessarily work for another.
Luckily, there is a wide variety of marketing software online, which you can freely choose from for different circumstances. Depending on where the customers are and which media they use, you want to meet them there to properly connect and build a trusting relationship with them. For example, if the local culture prefers using one social media over another, then that is where you want to be. To learn more about the wide range of different software solutions, you can visit https://www.saasgenius.com/, where you’ll find a comprehensive guide.
Adjust your branding
Just like adjusting the marketing tools you use to reach a customer base, you might also want to adjust your branding depending on what you found out during the market research. There is a lot of practical advice online on how to conduct your international marketing, but any smart branding strategy should be tailored to the local culture.
Branding can be a mixture of different things. The name of your company, a potential slogan, and especially your visual identity has a large impact. Even though your current branding strategy and visual identity might work wonders in your own country, it will not necessarily work in a different one. The new location and culture might react differently to your visual identity. Perhaps a color change will do the trick or maybe you will need a total redesign of your product and brand identity. In any case, it is a good idea to take these things up for reconsideration any time you take your product to a new market.
