How To Use International Marketing Strategy To Plan For Your Globalized Website

Last Updated 17 August 2008

I’ve had quite a few questions lately on how to move towards a globalized website.

And the marketer in me responds by looking at your company’s current business, what you are marketing and where you are selling your products or services.

Prior Planning Makes All The Difference

It is important for any online business with a desire for international expansion to know what is involved in website globalization. A little prior planning can save you lots of time, money and aggravation in your next steps towards getting more international clients.

Why?

There are things you can do today, no matter how many international sales you currently have, that will help you save time and money later when you actually need to move towards website localization and website globalization.

This is why website globalization is such a buzz word.

But, remember, internet is mainly a medium to communicate with your clients and prospects. It does have another major role in your international business expansion. But it is first and foremost a means to communicate.

Know Your Current Business Needs

Before looking at the other function of the internet for your international expansion, you need to clearly identify where your company is in the realm of international business.

If internet is a way to communicate with your clients and prospects:

• What will you be saying to them?
• Where is your current internet marketing?

Here are the basic types of international marketing with a short definition:

1. Domestic Marketing = selling your domestic product to your domestic market
2. Export Marketing = selling your domestic product to your foreign markets
3. International Marketing = adapting your product and selling it to one country
4. Multinational Marketing = selling your foreign product to a small group of countries
5. Global Marketing = selling one product to the whole world

Most online businesses are basically in the Export Marketing phase.

An internet business is often referred to as being Global. This is misleading. Companies may say or think they are in Global Marketing phase when they are not. In terms of international marketing there is a distinction between the Export Marketing and Global Marketing.

A Global Marketing company has all of the market knowledge to be able to position their product well throughout the world. They have gone through the other stages of international marketing and have the knowledge, experience and power it takes to sell one product to all countries. They have invested large sums of money to be in this position. These are generally very large companies.

Plan Your Next Step

It is important to identify what sort of marketing your business is actually doing. If you are selling one product to both your domestic market and to clients abroad, you are in the Export Marketing phase.

Once you know where your company is on this simple scale, you will be able to identify the next logical step in your international business expansion. You will find it easy to see where your company needs to go and what type of product marketing you need next in order to get more international clients. It is generally the next step up.

Trying to move more than one step up at one time needs mega investment, and is not easy.

Let’s say you are currently in the Domestic Marketing phase and want to jump straight to the International Marketing phase. This jumps over Export Marketing. It is possible but will require a lot more investment in market research. You will need to learn how to sell abroad and how to adapt your product to a foreign market at the same time.

Take Action Towards Your Next Step

If you were to spend a little time actively doing Export Marketing you will gain foreign market knowledge. This new knowledge you acquire may even surprise you. Cross cultural marketing is always full of surprises. Different cultures respond to your products differently.

During the time you are active in Export Marketing you could use internet marketing practices to actively incite foreign customer feedback and adapt your product to one foreign country.

Take time during each step to learn how you need to adapt your sales pitch to your foreign clients and move up to the next step.

Define Your Website Needs

So how does this help you in developing your globalized website? Your website needs to communicate with your market.

Your website is your most powerful means of communication during each of your marketing steps towards a global market. But it is above all else your medium for your current marketing needs.

• Look at where your current business revenue comes from.
• Identify what you need to do to move towards more international business.
• Be realistic in your international expansion goals.
• Take things one step at a time.
• Plan for your internationalized websites, your localized websites and your globalized websites in a time frame that corresponds with your business objectives as they progress towards further international development.

Adapt Your Website Globalization To Your Plan

By looking at your current international business and knowing what you need to do next, it is fairly easy to estimate when you will need an internationalized website, a localized website and a global website.

Internationalize your website as soon as you are marketing your domestic products to foreign markets. You will be able to evaluate your results better and get more sales.

Move towards website localization as soon as you are marketing to specific countries. You will need to talk to specific cultures in their own words, in their own culture, in their own language. A localized website does this for you.

Website globalization may be further down the road for you. You may even think your business will never develop so far. But if it does, you will be sorry if you did not plan for it right from the start. Your website is in the structured world of internet.

Start off with a little thought to this structure is all it takes. And an internationalized website, then a localized website logically leads towards a good globalized website.

Plan for your website globalization by implementing the internationalization and localization processes with good internet marketing practices and you will be ready when your international markets need it.

Internet’s Second Major Role In Your International Business Development

While planning for your website globalization do not forget the second biggest advantage internet brings towards your international business development.

International Market Research

Keep your international market research in mind when planning your website internationalization, localization and globalization.

The more client research you can do online the more successful your business will be. Internet makes your research cheaper, faster and easier to carry out. But you need to plan on incorporating testing methods in order to get feedback.

Internet is much more than a medium to communicate, it also gives you the means to find out all about your international markets. Keep your marketing in mind as you plan for your international websites.