The rapid introduction of the internet has completely changed the world of business. Not just because it enabled people to quickly reach any type of information but because it opened many doors to marketers and business owners who wish to expand their business.
Spreading to the global market is the next step of every successful and ambitious business, but the question is how to attract the international audience? There are several things you can do to improve your online marketing on a global level and we’re going to mention the most important ones.
Reasons to go global
First of all, you need to be sure that you are ready to take this step. It demands from you to make an investment and not just to invest your money, but your time and energy as well. However, it is a necessity if you want to expand and increase your sales rate.
According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 96% of the world’s consumers live outside of America. Just think about all the people you could reach if you properly market your business globally.
Some of the benefits of international expansion are:
Diversified customer base
Foreign investment opportunities
Longer sales life of your products
Reducing dependence on the current market
Opening doors which are unavailable in your existing market
These are just some of many reasons to go global. Now, let’s get more into how you can make this happen.
1. Define your target audience
In order to create an effective marketing campaign, you need to know who you are going to target.
People’s preferences are largely defined by their culture and surroundings. You are probably aware that you can’t market to consumers in Asia and America in the same way.
Besides countries you want to target, you also need to think about the following:
Age of your customers
Location Gender
Income level
Education level
Marital or family status
Occupation
The ethnic background of your customers
These facts will help you to narrow down the target consumers. Defining your audience will help you to make a precise online campaign which will bring real results.
You can even use social media analytics to compile data. Just focus on which type of consumers like the type of product or service which you offer.
2. Localize your website
If you want to appeal to your international audience, website localization is a must! Take into consideration that 78% of online shoppers are more likely to make a purchase on online stores that are localized.
Localization is more than a simple translation. It also involves adapting to the target culture, adapting local formats, conversion of units and measures, and all other necessary steps which lead to appealing to the target audience.
A word-by-word translation can harm your business because if you, for example, don’t show prices in their currency they might exit your website right away. People like to access important information fast.
Ultimately, localization is the key to great customer service.
