10 Best Tips in Advertising Your Business Internationally

Making business in another country is a dream for many entrepreneurs. With e-commerce at its peak, it’s now easier to tap foreign markets by advertising your business internationally. However, just like putting up a business in your home country, scaling into the international stage comes with risks and challenges of its own. 

In this post, discover how to win international markets with marketing tactics that are relevant to their local trends and be ahead of the local competition. It’s also essential to know the risks involved with language barriers to avoid being strapped to the cancel culture and become a laughing stock to locals for sending the wrong message or being lost in translation. 

Defining international marketing

International marketing, or global marketing, is a stratefy of offering products or services to foreign countries . It is a way scaling at a global level by introducing a brand in one country to another. It aims to tap international audience and seize the opportunity to increase brand awareness, boost sales, and discover a more diverse market. 

Benefits of advertising your business internationally

Successful local businesses aim to target the global market due to the endless opportunities it offers. They can stumble upon a territory as a pioneer of a product or service or gain a competitive advantage in the local scene with a unique offer. Other than that, most benefits lies in the following factors:

• The potential to reach diverse customers: Having a successful business in your home country can attest that your product or services appeal to the right market. However, you might also attract untapped or underdeveloped markets in another country, building brand awareness and recognition at a global scale. International marketing can also help you diversify your customer base and reduce your dependence on one market or region. 
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• Build brand awareness globally: Marketing your services and products internationally increases the exposure of your brand to potential markets. It allows your name to stick to curious customers and even attract local investors or partners. 
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• Develop relationships with new partners and suppliers: Entering a foreign market in countries with tight local competition can be a needle in a haystack. Your chances of being recognized is slim unless you forge a partnership with a company on the same industry that local clients recognize and trust. 
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• High-revenue potential:  The constraints of international marketing is well compensated when sales starts to pour in. This is specially true for companies in third-world countries that trades services, talents, and products in first-world countries at a lower cost than local competitors.
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• Currency exchange benefits: Just like in free trade and export business, international marketing can help businesses tap foreign markets in countries with higher value of currency and more spending power. For example, products and services manufactured from India or Thailand can be traded at a higher rate in the US or EU, leading to higher profits. 
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8 Considerations Before You Market Your Business Internationally 

In just a few clicks, you can now advertise your business to different countries. However, marketing your products and services to a different country can tap new challenges such as costly fees, legal issues, and marketing on the wrong crowd. Here are some considerations before you start marketing your business beyond the border:                                     

1. Right target market for your business

Before going all in with your marketing efforts, check the potential market in your target country. Based on your market research, create a buyer persona or conduct customer segmentation. Different ways to know more about your international market is through the following methods:

• Offline or traditional market research

1. Travel to the target country and immerse in their culture.
2. Attend international conferences, networking events, and business expos.
3. Join exhibitions to see what kind of prospects or clients you attract.
4. Meet up with local businesses and suppliers in same field or industry.

• Online market research

1. Online research by googling local market trends.
2. Check local social media trends and FB, Instagram, and TikTok pages of businesses.
3. Join local community FB groups.

2. Type of international presence

There’s more than one way to establish your business abroad. Before marketing your products or services, ensure that you explore your options and see where your industry fits well. In most cases, budget is also a consideration in choosing a type of international business presence. Check out the international business strategies below and choose what's best for you:

• Collaboration/partnership: For businesses that try to eneter a tight local competition in a country, partnering with an expert or a company within your industry is the best way to go. Make sure they have an established integrity in their home country to gain leverage among your local competition.  
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• Export: Ideal for stable companies, exporting is the best option since you can directly send your goods to your customers abroad without having any third-party involved. However, you have to ensure that you are financially capable of handling logistics and shipping concerns. 
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• Licensing: To relieve costly shipping and legal constraints to shipping, some companies opt to have a foreign representative of their brand through licensing. The licensee can have the authority over the brand, product and services offered.  
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• Franchising: Similar to licensing, businesses may look for a local entity or investor to pay them to do business in their country using their brand. With franchising, you have the sole authority to decide anything that involves the brand such as its image, logo and products or services. 
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• E-commerce platforms: Probably the most cost-effective option, is selling your products in e-commerce platforms like Amazon where they will handle all the logistic concerns. It also gives a cheaper shipping option for your international customers. 
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• Work with big box retailers: Small businesses may work with big box retailers to include their goods on their shelves. A good example for this is the international food products you can find in your local supermarkets. Products are exposed to new customers but big box retailers may not market it enough so you’ll need to separately do the marketing to your international market.  
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3. Legal - Local laws and regulations

Probably the hardest part of marketing your business internationally is getting through the laws and regulation of your target country. Every country has their own restrictions when it comes to the following which you should be careful not be involved with:

• Data privacy (GDPR (EU) and US data protection laws).
• Banned ingredients like citronella. 
• Foreign-local ownership and tax rules.
• Customs and border protection laws.
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4. Language barrier and translation requirements

The language barrier is one of the challenges in entering a new market. Therefore, it’s best to choose a country with a language that’s not too far from your language. Another option is to look at the languages used in that country. A good example is Canada that has French-speaking regions and majority are English speakers. 

Choosing a totally different language from your home country may need a bigger investment when it comes to translation services. Every aspect of your marketing and online assets must have a multilingual option to cater to your international market. Therefore, you should expect additional overhead costs to handle your international growth.

5. Economic conditions

Political issues and financial crisis like recession can greatly affect the way international market will perceive or treat your brand. They may find it hard to afford your products or services if they’re under recession or in the middle of civil war. Unless you sell a basic necessities in the field of food and emergency response health services, you may want to steer away from countries in unstable economic conditions.

6. Demography and proximity

Consider choosing the same demography that you have in your home country before expanding to a new set of customers. It’s best to scale on the international stage with a demography that you’ve already proven and tested in your home country. It is also easier to cater to the same demography in countries in close proximity for ease in shipping concerns and cross-regional shared values and beliefs. 

7. Staff

When marketing internationally, you’ll need to expect an addition of staff for your business, Whether they’re remote workers or local staff, you’ll need extra pair of hands with expertise in handling foreign markets and become advocates of your brand. Some clients prefer using translation apps to translate their content to save on costs. However, some languages can't be translated by word since they change in meaning such as Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish. So, hiring native speakers are crucial to send the right message to the local market.

8. Local competitors

Knowing your international target market is one thing, but checking out your local competitors is another strategy. Your local competitors have done the math, extensive research and all the hard work to attract your ideal customers. You can leverage on their marketing efforts and see where you can fit and change the narrative for your brand. You may check their web content, social posts, promos, and newsletters and discover what works for them and the opportunities you make take advantage of. 

Tips For a Smooth Sailing International Marketing Campaign

There are a few common mistakes that businesses make when advertising internationally. These include not doing enough research, not tailoring campaigns to specific markets, and failing to measure results accurately. Your mindset should be aimed at thinking like a local and immerse yourself in their culture and customs. 

Here are some tips in advertising your business internationally and successfully grow at a global scale:

#1 Be culture-sensitive or you’ll get cancelled

We are in the age where cancel culture is rampant. One honest mistake on the branding or marketin can turn the tables before you even gain a wider customer base. Take the Balenciaga issue as a good example how a single can get you cancelled. 

Your international advertising campaigns need to be well-crafted and tailored to each individual market. They should be culturally relevant and engaging, while also promoting your products or services in an effective way. What may be considered an effective advertisement in one country may not be as effective and culturally-sensitive in another.

The best mindset in a multicultural marketing approach is that a country’s shared belief and customs affect their perspective of a specific product or service. There are five dimensions in multicultural marketing, such as:

• Power distance: The emphasis of a country towards power of a person, family, or a title. Countries are measured from high to low power distance wherein the lower poer distance countries uphold equality in terms of gender, age, job, societal status.
  
  
• Masculinity vs. femininity: There are masculine and feminine countries wherein the role of a gender is defined in the household and defines who makes the purchasing decision in the family. Most Asian countries are masculine like Japan while nordic countries like Sweden are more on the feminine side.
  
  
• Uncertainty avoidance: Countries have varying views towards the future. Some are more at peace with the unknown while some are more anxious on what’s to come. Countries such as United Kingdom, Denmark, Singapore are more accepting of the unknown and uncertain times. They are usually more resilient and flexible in continuous innovation to address whatever life throws in the future.
  
  On the other hand, Greece, Portugal and Guatemala have high uncertainty avoidance and are more uncomfortable with ambiguous, vague, and uncertain stuff. They have a more calculated approach in life and value formalities and rules.
  
  One good example of an ad campaign for high uncertainty avoidance is the ad for Noynoy Milk in Greece. Consumers became wary of the dietary changes in the milk that cause a havoc on its customer base. In their ad, they reiterated the legacy of the brand that has been the childhood favorite of many for a long-time. It leveraged on the idea that highly anxious or high uncertainty avoidance makes people more inclined to buy from brands that they can trust.
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• Long-term vs. short-term orientation: Long-term oriented countries are more focused on the future. Everything they do in the present is in preparation for a better future. With that, they uphold values of hard work and persistence. Countries with long-term orientation are Egypt, China, and South Korea.
  
  Short-term oriented countries are more focused on the past or present. They are the traditional ones where they strive to save face and stay within the societal norms. They value stability and respect for traditions and culture. Countries under this category include United Kingdom and Norway.
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• Individualism vs. collectivism: Countries with individualistic characteristics put more value on their preferences as an individual and their decisions are not affected by their community or country. Collective countries have more closely-knit behaviors where their community play a big part in their decision-making. 
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One common mistake in international marketing is a comprehensive market research. Make sure you understand the local culture and customs before creating your ad campaign. The last thing you want to do is to offend anyone or become a laughing stock for being lost in translation.

#2 Go heavy on market research

Your target market in another country can have an entirely different demography than what you have in your home country. Not every market is going to be a good fit for your business, so it’s important to do your research and figure out which ones offer the most potential. The following factors should be diligently researched to achieve a higher chance of conversion once you launch your international marketing campaigns:

1. Size of the potential market.
2. Cultural context of the target audience.
3. Level of competition.
4. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
5. Purchasing power parity. 
6. Market traits and cultural dimension. 

#3 Strategize before you dip your toes in the international market

Advertising internationally can be a big undertaking, so it’s important to develop a clear and concise strategy before you get started. This should include your goals, target markets, and budget. You must be equipped with the mindset that local competitors have a foothold on your target country and you have to strongly differentiate what you can uniquely offer to your customers. You must define where will your brand fit in the target market’s needs. 

Figure out what your international market need and what’s the closest way to market your solutions to their needs in a way they’ll relate to it. In today’s internet age, selling is not enough. You need to add value to your target market, inspire and captivate them in stories that they can relate to. 

#4 Measure your marketing efforts

International marketing will require a more comprehensive approach in measuring the results of your marketing efforts. In business, you can’t solve what you can’t measure. Therefore, you have to set certain metrics and parameters to see if you’re getting the attention and conversions you need from your marketing efforts. You can check how your marketing efforts performs through the following:

• Web analytics (Gooogle search console results).
• Local SEO ranking.
• Website and social traffic and likes/follows/shares.
• Click-through rate.
• Conversion rate.
• Brand awareness (word-of-mouth referrals).
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#5 Leverage on your website and social media channels

As a foreign brand to your international market, your website and official social media accounts are the closest they can ever get to meet you as a business entity. Therefore, your website should:

• Make room for international customers by making your website multilingual or setting up a localized social media accounts for them. 
• Optimize your website and social media channels for local google or social search through SEO. 
• Create specific websites or social media pages per country. 
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Some global entities like Netflix has a dedicated social media pages per country. Each country have different trends when it comes to movies and series in the local market. Therefore, each country post different content to ride the waves of virality and social trend.

#6 Customize your brand based on local trends and lingo

Different trends and viral issues can differ in every country. Therefore, your socials and content marketing strategy must catch up and ride the wave of the trend to stay relevant. An example of these are the Gen-Z lingo, memes, and the current issues with competitors that you can seize to stay above the competition. 

#7 Local partnerships are a gold mine to high-ticket clients

Partnerships can make it easier to introduce your brand in the local market. They alrteady established a name in the local scene. Combining your brands together can attract new clients and gain you a high-ticket client internationally. However, when it comes to partnerships, there are hefty rules that you should follow as they vary per country.  

MiQ is one of the companies that partner with international brands to introduce their products and service to the Chinese market. They are following the programmatic marketing which led foreign brands to flourish in Shanghai and other parts of the country. They have bi-lingual especialists that taps on the local market deliver ad campaigns relatable to them.

#8 Speak the local market's language

It’s also important to consider the biggest hurdle in international marketing - language barrier. Even if you are advertising in English, some words and phrases may not translate well to the local market. Make sure to research, consult a bi-lingual, and test your ads before launching them.

Though English is the universal language, idioms, communication style, references and catchphrases can be lost in translation, lose their expected effect on the target market, and make them feel alienated.

If your brand’s language is too far from the language of your target country, it’s best to make a translated versions of your ads or social content. For example, translating an English ad copy will not have the same meaning when translated to Chinese or Japanese when run through Google Translate. Invest in a bi-lingual staff to curate and translate yourc content to avoid sending the wrong message to your audience.

#9 Discover the local culture and craft content that honors it

A simple social post on local holidays will go a long way for international clients. Posts aboud holidays like Ramadan will make your brand more relatable and relevant to your target country. They may even appreciate you for being aware and respectful of their culture and customs and may spike engagement on your socials. 

One of the country-specific event is the White Day in South Korea wherein the man reciprocates the gift of his loved one who gave him a present in Valentine's Day (Feb. 14). As a brand, you may seize this opportunity to post White Day related content or come up with promotions to ride the trend.

#10 Test campaigns in small markets before rolling them out globally

Lastly, start small when launching your brand internationally. You don’t need to immediately launch social media pages per country if there’s no demand for it. You may start with one global page for your brand and build a new page when the demand for local customers starts to grow. 

You should also post your paid ads for a limited time and see how it performs. Test your marketing strategies, observe the conversion and engagement rate, and see how you can improve from there. Start small and never rush on investing too much in your ad spend. Sometimes, you need to give your business some time to be recognized for the solutions it can provide.

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