“Going Global” is the goal for many businesses, as it signals a huge upswing in sales and revenue, as well as breaching many, many new markets. It is also the beginning of a huge undertaking; mountains of paperwork, many, many meetings, and flying to so many different time zones that you may want to set up meetings in virtual offices wherever you go (which you can do fairly easily- Click Here).
This entire process can be overwhelming to the entrepreneurial business owner at the helm of this steadily hastening ship, but we have broken down the process of adjusting your brand, at least, for a global audience. Here we present 5 tips to alter your brand for a global audience.
Change Your Language
This one is fairly straightforward, but there are different meanings behind it. Initially, the obvious step of adjusting the language used by your company’s representatives in other countries to suit the native tongue of whatever country your representatives happen to be in at the time, but also adjusting the actual way your company phrases things to meet the expectations of the culture of your new country. Changing the language from a country that places a high value on demanding its customers purchase their products, to a country that places a high value on indirect sales techniques, is highly important when trying to breach new markets. Hire advertising firms from the country you are setting up in, as they will know their own country better than you will.
Alter Your Branding
Your actual design branding now has to compete with every other competitor not only in your home country’s market, but in the market of every country you want to expand into. Do your market research and identify the leading competitors in other countries in order to find ways to challenge their established design principles and differentiate yourself.
Consider Foreign Business Culture
When setting up meetings with potential distributors or business partners in other countries, it’s important to learn their business practices and cultures beforehand to avoid offending or confusing them with your business tactics. Businessmen in the Philippines, for instance, won’t take kindly to someone flying in and expecting to set up distribution lines and business deals in the one day, as they prefer to build a personal relationship with people they intend to do business with, which cannot be achieved in one meeting.
Become Greener
The hallmark of many successful large-scale global operations is their commitment to environmental practices. When a company moves from the small stage of their own country into the global spotlight, it is immediately scrutinized with ten times the eyes of their own country, and to have solid environmental practices in place can help present your company in a more favorable light to international governments and potential partners.
This all works toward the goal of your company being accepted as a part of the communities you will be operating within, and stands you in good stead with your potential future business partners.
Give Back to the Communities
Finally, once established in the global community, it can be good to donate to charities or fund raise for community benefit programs in your new countries. This shows the communities your new employees may live in that your company has good intentions for their cities and neighborhoods, and puts you in a positive light.
Globalisation can be tricky, but if done right it can set up a business empire that can last many, many generations. The likes of Coca Cola and Apple represent the heights of globalisation success, and the same is possible of many companies that have not yet globalised.
