How to develop your brand internationally?
At the level of your digital marketing strategy
You will have to take into account the specificities of local digital marketing. The various levers (SEO, SEA, content …) are normally valid everywhere, but their implementation varies from country to country. The main specificities to keep in mind are:
For social networks:
The populations do not privilege all the same. For example, Twitter is very popular in the US, but censored in China. Some countries have their own social networks, unknown in France: Vkontakte in Russia, Mixi in Japan … Being there can be an opportunity for your brand.
For search engines:
Same as for social networks. If most countries use Google, the Chinese will instead turn to Baidu and the Russians to Yandex. Your SEO strategy may have to take into account these search engines, which have their own criteria.
Communicate
How do you plan to interact with your customers in your new industry? Through your website, social networks, representatives? Where and how will your business appear in internet searches? Are you going to create a mobile version of your site? All these aspects must be taken into account if you want to satisfy and retain your customers. Social networks allow you to stay in touch with consumers and are excellent platforms for exchange. The more responsive you are, the more positive your brand will be.
At the level of your site
First of all, you will have to adapt your website for the international.
If you want to have a website dedicated to your products and you have changed the name of them, you will have to think of reserving different URLs. Check that they are available before communicating about your name change. This can allow the passage to adapt the design according to local preferences
Have international visibility of your company, brand and your products simply by adapting your website in English. Subsequently other languages may be added depending on the target countries and communication needs to these new clienteles.
The internet has become so unavoidable that « only » pages in French are always better than no pages at all.
Do not forget that the first reflex of a foreign prospect will be to check what your company and its products looks like via the internet.
Social networks
The presence on the social networks on the spot becomes also more and more indispensable for a double reason: customization pushed and their massive use as much personal as professional.
More difficult to master in B to C (it can also be delegated), in B to B, the presence on the professional social network where the foreign business community is found is a powerful lever to insert itself effectively.
Instagram offers a platform particularly suited to brands whose products are sold primarily by the image. Each photo posted can transmit a message, to arouse an emotion without language barrier. But to gain visibility among the 95 million daily publications, developing a recognizable visual identity is an essential step. And faced with the abundance of images, most of which have been designed to appeal to users of the network, the risk of standardization is very real.
Instagram is far from the only option to develop its brand through social networks. On the other hand, it has higher engagement rates than its competitors in all sectors. The difference is glaring for fashion brands, with 0.9% commitment per publication versus 0.09% on Facebook, and 0.035% on Twitter. From likes to comments, brand customers have the opportunity to directly forward their reviews, including negatives. Transparency is not trivial, but like crowdsourcing, it remains a winning strategy if it is well controlled.
Nevertheless, cultural and language barriers still exist and it is necessary to adapt to the market that you want to conquer, on pain of failing to impose yourself.