10 Ways To Improve Your International Marketing Strategy

Effective international marketing can have a big impact on how well your business can take advantage of opportunities abroad. Your strategy needs to take into account how other countries differ from your market at home. 

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1. Make sure your product will travel. A lot of business get some orders from overseas, thanks to the internet. However, should you actively use cross-border digital marketing to market your products abroad? Not every product or service will translate to another country, so find out if what you offer can be sold in other markets without needing to be changed. 
2. Research new territories. Your experience and the resources you have already built up means that you don’t need to start from scratch. You do need to understand how to leverage them properly, which means researching some new markets and thinking about how to manage logistics, order fulfilment, and customer service.
3. Asses the market opportunity. How big is the market for your product in other countries? You will need to find out how established it is, find out how many competitors there are already, and how big your customer base could be. Are there any restrictions or trade barriers to deal with? Is demand growing or has it peaked already?
4. Adapt your marketing strategy. Your product might cross borders with no problem, but your market strategy will need to be adapted. Local values, costumes, language, and currencies will all change your marketing strategy. Consider your unique selling points and your branding. Will they work for the new market? 
5. Work with local partners. Working with affiliates, partners, distributors, licensees or agents can help you to get established in a new market. Consult with local business partners to help you get the right approach to have local appeal. 
6. Check your prices. Pricing is about more than adjusting to the local currency. You will need to research price levels in each new territory. Your costs might be higher too, so make your prices take into account freight and transport, packaging, agent’s commission, and other new costs. 
7. Adjust your media mix. The marketing channels you need will vary in a new territory. You might rely on social media at home, but in some countries, social media is very different, so you might need to turn to radio, local newspapers, or outdoor advertising instead. 
8. Learn local customers. What works in one country might not work in another due to language barriers, cultural differences, or health and safety rules. Make sure you look into local business etiquette so you can get it right, and properly localize your marketing message. 
9. Exhibit abroad. Taking a stand at a trade show abroad can be a good way to test the water somewhere new, meet some useful contacts, and make your first sales in a new place. You can also see what your competitors are doing. 
10. Write a plan. Bring all this together in a written marketing plan. Set out what you want to do, your budget, what you want to achieve, and your timelines.