6 Helpful Tips on Promoting Your Company Abroad

17 June 2020

You’ve seen the signs for a while now. Your company is ready to expand, and you’d love to break into the global market.

But how do other companies do it? There is so much to consider with a big move like that that you can feel overwhelmed and unprepared.

Don’t worry. Taking the message and product or service that you believe in to another place doesn’t have to be over your head. Make it easier on yourself and promote company growth abroad when you follow our top 6 marketing tips below.

1. Plan Way, Way Ahead

When you’re taking your business to another country, you have to be able to put tons of energy into the new venture without sacrificing the old one. While you may think you can give it your all overseas and maintain the same level of care your customers expect at home, double check. Triple check.

Don’t lose clientele because of a poorly planned expansion. Take the time to consider all the potentials for disaster and meet them, before they take you by surprise. When you’re prepared for every eventuality, your new global initiative can succeed while the business at home continues to thrive.

2. Use Locals for Website Translation

Potential customers in other countries may not forgive easily when it comes to small errors they find on their first visit to your website. Whether they realize they’re doing it or it’s on a more subconscious level, some mistakes in translation (including images) can make a big difference. Don’t jeopardize your company that’s poised for growth by letting it happen to you.

There is more to translating than word for word. Colloquialisms, symbols, and other cultural differences can mean entirely new things when you change countries.

If you hire a local to work on the translation for you, they can suggest similar meanings to get the same feeling across, rather than the less-optimal alternative of the best word-for-word switch.

Make sure you also use a website name that IDs it as a local site. For example, if your website in the UK ends with .co.uk, you’ll want to change it to .co.za if you’re expanding to South Africa.

3. Retain A Translator for Other Tasks

If you’re moving into a new market, you won’t need a translator only for switching over your website. You’ll also need to field queries about products or services (emails, chats, or however your contacts come in) and other customer service needs.

Instead of scrambling to find someone who can help when the need arises, talk to a translator ahead of time who can help when you’re ready. If you have any travel planned to meet with new customers and clients, take the translator with you. Anyone you’re paying will be more loyal to you than the other party, and will make trusted translations versus an interpreter paid by someone else.

4. Promote Company Respectability with Social Media

Keep in mind that some countries use different social media platforms. While most of your customer might use Facebook, it’s banned in some other places. Depending on the target demographic in the new place you’re expanding to, some platforms may be more beneficial than others.

Do some research to find out whether Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, or another social media outlet will get the most exposure for your company in the new country you’re marketing to. Then you can focus more of your efforts there than the platforms you use at home, which might not have the same effect overseas.

5. Get Local SEO Experts

SEO changes from country to country. You want to make sure someone who is familiar with their country’s intricacies is working to get your business the best optimization it can have. Someone from another country may not know American SEO practices as well as someone working for a US SEO company might, and the same is true around the world.

This is especially meaningful when you’re deciding on keywords to use. Other countries’ customers may not use the same search words when looking for products or information than you would in your own country, even with a good translator. Slang and dialect come into play a lot with this.

By using someone local, you can make sure that you get the most optimal keywords and your potential customers find your new translated site right away.

6. Remember the Law

Figuring out all the legalities in your home country can be hard enough. Doing it in a foreign country where you may or may not speak the language is even harder. Importing and exporting across seas may be something totally new, so take your time.

Learn what counts as business etiquette and what isn’t just a polite suggestion but a punishable offense if you don’t follow it. Comply with the laws in the country you’re expanding to, and keep in mind there may be news laws at home you’ve never had to worry about, too.

Kickstart Your Global Campaign

You can promote company growth by expanding all over the world. Starting with one country at a time, plan ahead and engage local help to get the job done.

Have a translator on hand whenever you need help, and use the right social media outlets for the most impact. You also need to comply with local laws in both places. Don’t get overwhelmed–take it one step at a time and you’ll do very well.

For more info about growing your business abroad, check out our free ebook.