In the offline world, international marketing goes through a distinct sequence.
5 Stages Of International Marketing
This sequence happens because different countries do business differently. Different countries have:
- Different habits
- Different legislations
- Different markets
- Different uses for your products
- Different client profiles
The 5 different stages of international marketing allow businesses to adapt to these differences. The 5 different stages are:
- Domestic Marketing
- Export Marketing
- International Marketing
- Multinational Marketing
- Global Marketing
Read more about these different stages in: 5 Traditional Marketing Steps To Become An International Business
International Web Marketing
Most international web marketers jump straight into the deep end: Global marketing.
There is one similarity between Domestic Marketing and Global Marketing:
- You sell one product throughout one territory.
But there is a huge divide. These e-businesses do not take the time to learn about their “global” market.
There is no process for:
- Adaptation from a domestic market to a global market
- Cultural transformation of your product
- Cultural adaptation of your sales pitch
Most people come back and say things like:
- Internet is a global marketplace
- Nike and McDonalds do it
My response?
Look back to the 5 different marketing stages while answering these questions:
- Which products are in this global marketplace?
- Do you have the same international presence, budget and market knowledge as the big multinationals?
Is International Marketing On The Web Different?
No it isn’t, not really.
First of all the buyers are the same. They still have:
- Different preferences
- Different selling points
- Different ways they will want to use your product
- Different competition
Second, your buyers may have acquired new online buying habits. These common habits may appear to make international buyers more accessible to your business. Nevertheless, your international buyers still come with their cultural differences.
And finally, web marketing refers to marketing on a type of communication platform. International marketing always includes different communication platforms.
This is probably the wrong question to ask.
The Advantages Of International Web Marketing
So what is a more appropriate question? How about:
- Does web marketing help your international marketing?
Of course it does. Web marketing helps your international business development in many ways. The obvious one is accessible global reach at low cost.
What is even more interesting, is to go back and look at the 5 stages of international marketing again. The real advantage to web marketing is it speeds up international business development. Web marketing can cut down the time it takes to acquire market knowledge through web metrics and statistics.
The web metrics available today can help you speed up your process of acquiring specific cultural and country knowledge about your product.
Every e-business should start tracking its own international statistics and use web metrics to improve its international marketing.
It is a good idea to keep all or part of these tasks in-house. Remember, the process of adaptation needed to move from one marketing stage to the next? Your company needs to adapt to international markets.
Do not forget, there is one big obstacle to interpreting international web metrics correctly:
- The interpreter himself
International business requires strong cross-cultural communication skills. These are human skills. They take time to acquire. Both individually and as a company. Cross-cultural communication skills are even more important for a web-based business where internet is a communication platform.
Cross-cultural communication is a two way process. Companies need time to learn effective cultural communication skills in order to make more international sales.
The process for successful international web marketing is still the same as for offline businesses.
You have the additional advantage of web metrics to speed up your international web marketing strategy. This helps you to evaluate your results as you try to adapt your international communication. It helps you acquire international market knowledge faster.
- Take your online business methodically through the 5 stages of international marketing.
- Integrate good statistics marketing.
And your international business development will be faster and more successful.
