So, you have a business or service and you want to take it overseas. You might have a few ideas about how to go about it. Amazon seems like a good place to start selling your products. Advertising in international markets on Google and Facebook feels like the right thing to do. But from there, it’s a bit hazy.
Overseas Product Marketing and Distribution (Branded)
If the case of international product distribution, sales u0026amp; marketing the world has become your oyster. Never has then been such efficient distribution, marketing and sales platforms available to small and large businesses. While some platforms provide a one-stop shop for global distribution u0026amp; sales, there are also many other ways to increase your marketing reach and sales potential.
Consider:
- Marketplaces – which ones should you focus on and what are the options? Amazon, Rakuten, TMall, eBay, JD, Lotte?
- eCommerce Platforms – do you build one website site with multiple currencies? Multiple websites per market? or do you not even do your own eCommerce website at all?
- Content – What content do you need to produce to be successful? Video, photos, copywriting?
- Localised UX and Design – does it really matter? Isn’t one design style good for every shopper?
- Payment Options – How will you take payment? How will you get your money? What payment types should you take? Isn’t PayPal and Credit Card enough? What about weChat Pay, Alipay and all the other ‘pays’ in the market? What about eWallets?
- Fulfilment and Shipping – Do you ship from your local country? Can you create multiple fulfilment hubs that are served from one eCommerce website?
- Influencers u0026amp; KOL’s – Do you need local influencers to boost your brand engagement and awareness? How much do they cost and how do you connect with them?
- Trade shows – should you bother? If you should, where do you go and which ones do you attend. These things are never cheap so you want to make the best decision for your product.
International Services Marketing
Perhaps you have a software solution, SaaS service or another service that you want to offer internationally. It might be multi-lingual or specifically targeted to a country or region. You might even have it targeted to a country and a specific demographic profile. Like product sales u0026amp; distribution the world is open to you like never before. You have the ability to reach into micro-segments of the world and raise awareness, engage and convert potential customers.
Consider:
- Social Media Networks – What social media channels are you best to focus on. Do you undertake paid advertising on these networks or focus on your own content and organic engagement? What about regional social platforms like Weibo, weChat, Line and Kakao?
- Conferences u0026amp; Events – do you have the capacity to apply to travel and speak at events – local and abroad? What events should you apply to and what is your pitch?
- Paid, Owned, Earned – do you need a clear strategy for each of these verticals or is a mix of the three enough?
- if it’s paid – what paid channels are a good match for my product?
- if it’s owned – is my website enough to convert? what is a conversion metric for me?
- if it’s earned – where do I start with influencers, KOL’s and other PR activities?
- Funnels – What does a funnel look like and do I even need one? Do I need one for all my networks and can I even follow my customers across all these networks?
- email Marketing / SEO / Adwords – do these more traditional options still carry weight?