When developing an international marketing strategy, it is important to realise that the methods that worked for a company in the UK may not be as effective in overseas territories. Brand consistency needs to be balanced against an appreciation of social, cultural and economic differences. Partnering with a local business as a brand reseller or a franchisee may give better results than trying to simply replicate a UK selling model. Certainly, having a strong local team in the new territory and listening closely to their advice is vital.
Do your research
Obviously, issues such as language differences need to be considered immediately. Pay particular attention to how brand names translate locally. Some companies have found the results to be quite embarrassing, and often too late. Going together with this should be careful research to make sure the product and its marketing do not offend local cultural or religious sensibilities.
Anyone going into international marketing also needs to have a clear idea of each country as an individual territory, rather than just as part of an ill-defined mass, like ‘Europe’ or ‘Asia.’ They need to consider whether they are selling to an individualistic or a collectivist society, and target accordingly. What are the demographics in terms of age, income and population distribution? What are the levels of education and literacy? All of these factors will affect marketing psychology.
Look to examples
The PNN group was founded by Nizami Piriyev and his son Nasib in 1993. It is now an international corporation dealing in a range of sectors across ten countries. These include Azerbaijan, Russia, the Ukraine, Afghanistan and more. Among other acquisitions, it owns the Russian and CIS region franchise for the WHSmith retail chain, and the distribution rights for Steinway pianos in Azerbaijan. It’s possible to connect with Nasib Piriyev for tips and advice on international marketing techniques.
Pearse Trust, an independent company advising on corporate and trust structures, has offices in London, Dublin, Atlanta, Vancouver and Wellington, NZ. One key to their global success is their strong social media presence. Constantly posting updates, news and content on their Facebook page reaches across borders and focusses on the common interests of their international customers.
In following this model, it is important to bear in mind that different countries favour different social media channels, and that different marketing methods may be appropriate to different platforms.
Marketing growth
Once a company’s product has established a foothold in one or more international territories, it needs to think about how to develop that brand in terms of marketing. One answer is to target a niche group within that culture. This may be an economic class, an ethnic minority or a group with particular cultural interests. Again, careful research and close communication with local experts is the key to finding the niche market that may be right for your product. The thing to remember is that mass marketing to a country’s broad lowest common denominator may not be the most effective way to go.
Ultimately, an international marketing strategy needs to be about adapting the brand to the country in question, and not the other way around. Remembering this simple rule and not attempting a one-size-fits-all solution will help your business to prosper in overseas territories.
