International Marketing Strategy For Small Businesses - The Right Mindset
January 31, 2008 by 
cindy
An international marketing strategy requires sustaining an international mindset. Setting up an international marketing strategy requires a more intense focus than for a local marketing strategy. There are so many more factors to take into account.
If you have markets in several countries it can be a challenge to remain open to all of their different cultural requirements. You must be open to understanding the different markets in each country, with the different parameters specific to each country. And yet you must stay focused on each marketing strategy. Read more
Localize Your Website To Transition To A Global Market Internet Business
January 29, 2008 by cindy
This article is the second part of a series - Transition To A Global Market Internet Business. Read the other two parts here:
1 - Internationalize Your Website
3 - Culturally Customize Your Communication
International Development With Internet Marketing In Three Easy Steps
Once you have your main website open for international business.
If your website is actually speaking to foreign visitors and not alienating them, then it is time to take your next step in developing a global market presence.
All of your marketing efforts should be aimed at determining where you need to sign up for a localized website. Read more
Small Business International Development In Three Easy Steps - First Transition To A Global Market Internet Business
January 28, 2008 by cindy
Last updated 20 August 2008
Some companies feel they have a global market ecommerce with an online presence. But are the international clients coming to your online store? And if they are, how did they find you? Does your online website have a real presence in foreign countries?
Once you have a local or national business operating through a website, there are a few steps you can take to develop your market further abroad.
Targeting international markets still involves the same type of market analysis you needed for your current business. Often a bit more market analysis is needed to allow for the cultural adaptation of your products. This market research is multiplied by the number of countries you would like to do business in. Read more
Is Your Website Sabotaging Your International Business Development?
January 27, 2008 by cindy
Last updated 20 August 2008
Well, your website probably is sabotaging your international business development. Especially if you have not given thought to your international visitors.
This is one of the first trials small businesses face when reaching international markets.
You see, when you first created your website you probably made it for the market you know well. And that’s normal. Nothing wrong there. The thing is, as your website grows you attract a wider audience. An international audience. And this international audience, well, it will not respond to your website the same way as your current audience.
Your website can even create negative effects on your international readers. This is all about the intrinsic barriers in cross cultural communication.
Business practices are different in different cultures. We are all used to doing things in a certain way. We all get used to doing business this way and it is easy to think that it’s the best way and everyone does or should do things the same way.
Your online business is visible to people with different business practices and expectations.
No More Sabotage
Here are a few frustrating experiences international prospects have when visiting online businesses in different countries: Read more
Music In Cultural Differences
January 26, 2008 by cindy
When you travel it is easy to notice a lot of differences in the places you travel through compared to what you are used to back at home. All of your senses are involved. Even music sounds different.
You may not notice it immediately. From the taxi, to the hotel, you may have heard a more international “pop” music. It might not be your favorite kind of music. But it might not sound “foreign”.
If you have the time to turn the television in your hotel room onto the local channels, that’s where it starts to sound different. And if you happen to turn the television on when the older local generation are watching for entertainment, any music will definitely give you a cultural shock. Read more
How To Learn From Intercultural Communication Difficulties
January 25, 2008 by cindy
Small businesses not used to intercultural communication, can easily find dealing with international prospects challenging. It is sometimes hard to figure out exactly how your sales message has been received. You may have difficulty understanding what your international prospect needs to hear from you.
Just like with your own local leads, some of international prospects can appear to be ready to make the sale, some are hesitant and some just do not appear to be interested. With international clients, it is often not easy to interpret their reactions.
How do you know if you should step up your sales pitch, slow down or if it would be better to pass the ball to one of your colleagues who is a different gender than you are?
Often you naturally realize that you need to do a little more adjusting in your communication style to fit your international prospect.
This is especially true when your client is not following you, or appears to want to be someplace else in your sales process. The result is that you may appear less professional than you would want. Destabilizing situations can arise.
Things can even become comical. Or worse, you can have a frustrated prospect losing patience with you and moving on. Your international clients like to feel understood. How do you avoid this type of scenario? There is only one thing to do. Read more
Take Action To Uncover International Business Opportunities
January 24, 2008 by cindy
Small businesses complicate their efforts in trying to uncover international business opportunities. Their own personal actions have far more impact on their success than relying on translators and looking for foreign joint venture partners. The small actions you can take at home will have more immediate impact on your international business development than the services you can buy. Why is this?
The more interaction you have in learning more about your foreign markets, the more you will be able to equate your acquired market knowledge with the products and services you sell. Yes, you will probably end up needing the services from your target market.
But the knowledge you can acquire from the countries where you would like to grow your business is priceless. Read more
International Success With Languages
January 19, 2008 by cindy
The easiest, fastest and cheapest platform for international communication is the internet.
Did you know that…
To reach 80% of today’s internet users you need to communicate in at least 10 languages.
To put it differently, the long time standard choice of languages, French, Italian, German, and Spanish, just doesn’t do it anymore.
There are two big trends:
- There are more internet users in the larger foreign countries.
- The smaller developing countries now also represent a great market to target.
If you have been in business for even a few years, you probably noticed the change in the choice in languages for internet coverage.
The speed at which online companies are expanding their languages is downright impressive.
What is also surprising is that…
Many of the companies now offering over 20 languages did not imagine they would offer so many languages so quickly when they first started website localization.
If you have an online business and look at the current trend, you would plan for expansion.
My point is this…
Internet demographics are changing. Read more
Consistency For International Business Success
January 18, 2008 by cindy
Last updated 20 August 2008
Consistency throughout multilingual websites is a key element for a successful global website is consistency across cultures.
Templates
One of the best tools for ensuring consistency throughout different country specific websites is the use of web templates.
Templates provide company branding across cultures.
Save Time And Money When You Expand Your Business
The main reason why templates are such an important element to a successful global business is the savings in time and money they give you.
Once you find a template that is compatible with different cultures, you then design templates for quick and easy translation of any text. Read more
How To Localize Your Website
January 14, 2008 by cindy
Companies often adopt a progressive approach to localization. In part due to the time it takes to translate the website, the investment in translation, and also to refine the local marketing strategies.
In this case, the company will localize the website before translating all of the web content. Local users respond well to this if they have something in their local language and you show them clearly where to go to find further information. The key is to keep the links open to the more detailed information during the transition and to label them clearly and appropriately for the native user.
For your localized website to communicate well you need a certain depth of content. As translation costs are expensive and time consuming, companies often prefer to take this transition slowly, to adopt their website as closely as their website templates allow them to the local markets. Read more
