The 3 Differences In Your International Marketing Plan

Do you already have a marketing plan for your domestic business?  Do you need an international marketing plan too?

Of course you can guess that these 2 marketing plans will not be the same.  There are 3 differences you need to incorporate into your international marketing plan.

Feedback

When marketing to different markets abroad you must stimulate market feedback.  In fact this needs to be one of your top priorities right from the beginning.

When you first start targeting a foreign country you will need to adjust your communication and your marketing and sales strategies.

It is important to understand how your communication is received in a different culture.  And this takes time to understand well.

As you get to know your foreign markets you still need to pay attention.  In order to seize business opportunities, and avoid bad decisions, you need to know what is going on.

Place a high priority on stimulating feedback in your international marketing plan.

Flexibility

Again, it is all about getting to know markets that are different from your home market.

As you get to know and understand these new prospects better you will need to adjust your marketing. Simply put:

Your international prospects react differently to your products.

These differences may be very subtle.  They can also appear at any stage of your international business.  But if you stimulate feedback and listen for these differences you can:

• Improve your international results.
• Become present in your foreign markets.

A little time spent double checking your strategies can save you time, money and cultural blunders.  So, plan for flexibility.  Include a process of evaluations, and room for change, in your international marketing plan.

Viability

In an international marketing plan you need to include even more elements of marketing accountability.  The viability of your international endeavors may depend on this.

What does this mean?  Here is a simple action plan:

• Review your international marketing plan
• Create a process
• Include steps that can be measured
• Review these steps for relevancy
• Use this process to create accountability
• Review results for viability

This gives your business the tools to make the right decisions to grow in foreign markets. Include a process for marketing accountability in your international marketing plan.

Use Your International Marketing Plan

Incorporate these 3 elements in your international marketing plan and add one more.  Next all you need is to:

• Put your international marketing plan into action.

Even if you start with the most basic marketing plan, all you really need is to take action and give priority to these 3 differences.  Your market feedback, flexibility and viability analysis will guide you through the rest.

Read The Whole Story

This is part of the Core Business Guide 4 Build Your International Marketing Strategy Be sure to check out the other useful tips to build your international marketing strategy

And this is also part of the Core Business Guide 6 Analyze Your International Viability Be sure to check out the other useful tips to analyze your international viability

Need Help?

Need instructions?

• Instructions on how to use Your International Sales Road Map

Need to see where this fits in?

• A complete list of current Core Business Guides & Sub Guides for Your International Sales Road Map.

Still confused? Review your answers in the first Core Business Guide

• Core Business Guide 1 - Discover Your International Business

Simply click on one of the 8 different color coded boxes immediately below to access other core business guides.

Cindy King is a Cross-Cultural Marketer and International Sales Specialist, with over 25 years field experience in international business development. Find out about how Cindy can help you get international clients