Going Global?

Whether your small, medium or large...these days, going global might represent a solid opportunity for growth. Some companies are entering foreign markets by carefully planned design. Others find that through a series of circumstances, they're a global marketer!

Effective global marketing requires more than translating your brochure and web site. To truly integrate into your chosen market, marketers must be focused on building -- and protecting -- their brand.

And striving to achieve regional relevance.

Relevance is key. According to Interbrand, 70% of your brand and its expression must remain consistent from market to market -- an excellent rule of thumb.

That leaves 30% for regionalized expression of your brand. It's this last 30% that often makes the difference between successful market entry and mediocre results.

Content is a marketer's best opportunity to achieve relevance. But in order to do so, you need:

-- an understanding of the relationship between the "end user" and your product/service.

-- the ability to deliver your message effectively

-- an understanding of the best channels through which your message can be delivered.

We suggest that you tap your feet on the street to gain this insight -- your distributors or resellers who are based in the new market. Engage them to find out what messages related to your product will best resonate with buyers in their market.

Be sure to use some of the Google Tools to help craft your messages (Google Insights) and plan your search strategy (Ad Planner). Proper planning ensures appropriate use of program funding.

We're finding that small and mid-sized firms are most intimidated by the process associated with "going global." But often, these are the folks with the most to gain from proper brand building and global marketing strategies. If you keep it realistic...and manageable, your company can achieve long-term growth abroad.

More thoughts on Going Global later. We'll talk about how to use technology to protect your brand AND get your message out.

...thanks for reading.