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At first it seemed to be an amazing opportunity for small to mid-sized businesses to participate in the game of international commerce, a game that was historically off-limits to businesses that lacked the worldly expertise and operational scope necessary to be capable of playing in the global league. The advent of the digital revolution brought on a disrupting change in marketing, where virtually any company of any reliable size could enter and be competitive in the world marketplace.
Ecommerce opened up the connected world to businesses who wanted to advertise and sell their products and services to customers all around the globe. However, cloning an existing localized business strategy and unleashing it on the world stage has proven to be risky. While technology has made the vastness of the world smaller, cultural and experiential aspects of individual global communities pose a significant challenge to those newbies of international commerce.
In large part Individuals are products of their social environment, collective experiences and culture. The interests and motivations of each localized market are a result of the impact of those collective influences and experiences. In short, what is working extremely well in Akron may be wholly ineffective in a similar market located in Asia or western Europe. The need to standardize organizational policies and processes to spread the fixed costs of doing business will need to be balanced by the necessity to customize operational practices to adequately serve the dynamic demands of the international marketplace.
Knowing your market is a fundamental requirement to succeeding an any campaign. Researching foreign markets will reveal key factors that will need to be met in order to successfully compete. A global marketing plan must be consistent with local efforts but be tailored to address those key foreign factors. Social media platforms offer multiple opportunities to connect with local markets all around the world; however, not every region favors the same utilization of platforms. In Brazil, marketing campaigns are more successful through Facebook. In Latin America Twitter promises to deliver a larger audience. The most effective channel of marketing distribution is the one that most effectively represents specific consumer behavior in each specific region.
Diversifying a domestic business to another country can be beneficial to maintaining and sustaining growth, but the effort requires a significant amount of time, effort, and research. Working with a network of local vendors and forming partnerships with qualified professionals who are experienced in global marketing solutions can significantly reduce the risks and heighten the likelihood of implementing a successful global market strategy. As small as the world has become, one size or one approach does not fit all the world’s markets.
To learn how Junction Creative Solutions can connect you with the expertise necessary to successfully introduce your brand to the global marketplace, call 678-686-1125 today.