The Two Biggest Barriers To International Marketing

I often see two barriers to effective international marketing.  The barrier usually depends on the size of the company.

Small And Very Small Companies

Most of the small companies do not really have a marketing strategy.  They assume international marketing is a website.

And occasionally, if they realize this is not enough, they look for specific internet tactics to find the right solution.

Larger Companies

What happens here is inaction.

I have come across different excuses for the inaction, but inaction is the main barrier to establishing an effective international marketing strategy.

Company Centered Barriers

Now if you talk to company executives who are struggling with their international business development, you will often hear market-centered excuses.

• Language barriers
• Market differences
• No market for our products

…that sort of thing.

They focus on perceived market-centered barriers.

Now, let’s go back…

Have a closer look at the two barriers I gave earlier:

• No real marketing strategy
• Inaction

These are company-centered barriers.

International Marketing Gives You The Answers

In order to develop your business abroad you absolutely need to understand each of your international markets.

If you think you can target one broad international audience without digging deeper into each specific country and culture, have a look at these two articles:

• 5 Traditional Marketing Steps To Become An International Business
• The 7 Traditional Paths To International Business Development

Review these with your own business and then read this:

• Why Selling To Everyone Is Too Expensive

In international business development your international marketing gives you information you need to make your overall strategy.

Even when you use preliminary market research to guide your international business expansion, you will still need to rely very heavily on your international marketing.

International marketing performs two important tasks.  It gives you the information you need to:

• Make the best decisions for your overall business strategies.
• Find out how each of your foreign markets wants to be sold to.

A Real International Marketing Strategy

Marketing is about communicating with your market. You aim for a two way relationship to make sales.  International marketing is the same, but with international markets.

Imagine giving a speech to a huge crowd of people.  That is what you do on the web.

You can create a two-way relationship with one communication for a large crowd…

…if the crowd of people you are talking to has something in common, with you and with themselves.

But international markets are made up of several different countries and cultures.  This crowd of people is already different.

Action

No matter how great your international business strategy is, you need to put it into action for it to work.

Remember…

• International marketing will give you vital feedback for the success of your international expansion.
• International marketing is authentic interaction with each of your foreign markets.

Many larger companies get caught up into inaction, because every department head wants to control the strategy.

This gives an interesting twist the problem.  Instead of one person speaking to a crowd, you have a crowd speaking to a crowd.

…Now just how do you expect to create authentic communication with people you do not understand in the first place?

Of course, you can say that big companies do this.  Big companies also have big budgets, they can afford expensive mistakes.

Getting Beyond The Barriers

Without any real international marketing strategy and without taking action, your dreams of an international business will never get off the ground.

In today’s North American business world, I often think businesses complicate things.

International business is most successful when it is kept simple.

You have something to sell.  You just need to know:

• How your buyer wants it
• Why he wants it
• Where he wants it
• How he wants to be sold
• Where he wants to be sold
• When he wants to be sold

These are the same basic questions you need to answer for your domestic market. Luckily for your domestic market, you probably know most of the answers to these questions.  And if you don’t it is easy for you to make an educated guess, or carry out a little market research with fast and accurate results.

International markets make this a little harder because you do not have the answers to any of these questions.  The smallest assumptions can jeopardize the success of your international strategy.

The solution is an easy…

• Start with a clean slate.
• Methodically use your international marketing for your international market research.
• Cross-research your results.
• Regularly revaluate your strategy.

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? Read more