Digital strategies for internationalization of companies

How to maximize your international positioning using the web?

You’ve heard the expression “the world is flat”. With the internet, it is now possible to have access to customers all over the world. How do they find you? By Google, of course. But not only. Today there are two more super important players in the market that should be on your radar: social media and marketplaces.

When we talk about internationalization, it is important that the strategy includes a multichannel online positioning. Why is that? Building your brand out there needs to be done consistently to ensure your business achieves the expected success. Defined your target market? See below what in the online world needs to be done to successfully internationalize:

website + domains

Your website is your calling card. It is important that it is available in the language of the market you are targeting. The translation must be done carefully, including using local expressions. Your customer needs to read the site and realize you’re from there. This builds trust and interest for him to get in touch. American English is different from Canadian or British English. The same thing goes for Portuguese from Portugal, which is different from Brazilian. These details make the difference. The local address on the website will also be evidence of your physical presence in the target country.

In addition to this aspect, buy local domains. Americans use .com a lot, while the British use .co.uk, for example. Test if your company name is easy to write in foreign languages ​​so that the search is intuitive. If your company’s Brazilian name does not work internationally, choose a new name for your international operation.

Social media

Choose interesting social media and online environments to position your business. Use different Brazil Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram etc pages for your international operations. Instagram works super well with international influencers if your company is from the creative world, such as fashion, jewelry, art, furniture and accessories. The British, for example, buy what they like directly from Instagram. It’s an instant sales converter!

Target country trade associations and online forums are good channels for building reputations, and attending hangouts and webinars are great initiatives to make yourself known. This activity is also good for getting to know your competition.

Marketplaces

If you sell products, this is an excellent channel to test the market. E-commerce is an interesting way to start your international sales, but also to compose your international billing. If your company sells products and will have an international store, you can establish a strategy that goes beyond physical sales, such as having 30% of your revenue coming from e-commerce. In developed countries, this is a feasible goal. You can choose to offer your customers purchases directly from your website or from marketplaces.

When opting for marketplaces, analyze the marketplace profile and the structure that will be necessary for your company to meet the sales made there. See here the main marketplaces in the world. You will probably have a local operation with stock and purchases (import) in the marketplace region so that the products are delivered within the deadline stipulated by the sales channel.

3In addition to the main marketplaces known around the world, such as Amazon, Alibaba, Ebay and Etsy, there are niche marketplaces with specific curation. Anyone working in the luxury or fashion market knows that placing their products on farfetch.com or James Edition (the world’s largest luxury marketplace) requires relationships. Getting some pieces from the collection to be sold in these places is a sign of status and recognition.

It is noteworthy that when it comes to internationalization, marketplaces should be seen as one of the product sales channels and not as the only sales channel. These channels cannot differentiate you from your competitor and your sales will be limited to the amount of parts you make available.

The marketplace is an intermediary between you and your end customer. It is important that you also manage to have a direct relationship with the customer to generate loyalty. So, have the marketplace as a good business card for the customer’s first purchase, but then, have other sales channels (such as your own website or physical store) so that the customer can buy more parts and perceive you as a local company (generating recurrence of purchase).

In the digital world you will realize that where you come from matters little next to how you relate to the customer and the quality of your product. The Brazil brand will have little relevance in your customer’s purchase decision. He will look for price, quality and service.

Its international reputation is built and consolidated in digital media. Use all the channels at your disposal and understand that one strategy complements the other. Did you use any of these strategies and did it work?

Tell me here. see you in the world.

#seeyouintheworld