Doing business might be fun enough but what is even more exciting is branding that business. Essentially, being a form of marketing, branding involves researching the audiences for the sake of creating a perfect image of the company using all possible assets. These assets largely vary, from the logo to slogan to product diversification. While being fun on its own, international branding can turn into an adventure of your lifetime. Why brand internationally? Pretty much for the same reason that all companies internationalize. Internationalization is a creative process, similar to branding, that has a strong potential to expand the company’s reach, increase revenue, and simply handle another challenge.
Branding is Meant for Internationalization
Seriously though, internationalization resembles branding very much, only it occurs in the international marketplace, meaning that you can research any audience as you enter the market. So, by branding in another country, you basically kill two birds with one stone, your brand internationally and you internationalize your business (or at least acquire the needed practices). Still, even though international branding might seem like a fun and easy thing to do, it requires a serious approach, nevertheless. To brand internationally, you need a solid and powerful strategy, which can be built using the following tips and tricks.
- Having a solid vision for your brand. Think about what mission or what good your brand brings to your customers. If you see the purpose of your brand vividly, you can build a solid image for it for sure.
- Study your audience. Knowing who you design your brand for will make your life so much easier. Since you know what value your brand brings, it will be easier for you to pick the appropriate audience to target specifically.
- Study your competition. Look at what your competitors can give to your potential customers. Focus on what you have but they don’t. This is what will help you work on your originality factor. While you don’t have to be desperately original, you can be different from what there is on the market.
- Be flexible regarding your vision and values. No matter how cool you are, if that doesn’t correspond with your potential customers’ needs and worldviews, that’s quite useless. Always be ready to adjust your brand to what you’ve learned in the two points above.
- Speak to your customers in their language. This might seem like an obvious point, especially since we talk in terms of internationalization, however, it’s often overlooked. An already classic study once found that customers prefer to consume the information about the brand or company in their native language, so taking a look at the list of the best translation services at TranslationReport before you go is a great idea. In any case, it’s certainly worth it.
- Take examples from local brands and media. Oftentimes, what’s extremely local and specific to a certain area, is the closest to your potential audience. Observe how the media and other companies communicate with the locals and you’ll find the perfect spot.
- Localize. This is not exactly like the previous point because this one requires originality from you in the first place. Combine everything you learned before, think of how it can be presented to customers, browse this certified translation agency, and you’re almost done. Right after you get into your customers’ hearts, you’ll be ready to let them into your stores.
- Don’t forget about the internet. In the 21st century, the internet is the king, and overlooking an opportunity to address and target your audience there can be fatal. Communicate with your potential customers using all available digital channels, your website, SEO, social media, etc. and you’ll never miss.
- Don’t try to be perfect. Nobody and nothing is perfect and this also applies to your brand. In fact, you can turn this into your whole advertisement campaign by acknowledging your imperfections and presenting your ways of dealing with them in a kind of humorous manner.
- Build a network or community. Aiming for a smaller target might seem like a bad idea but if you do it properly, you are able to create a solid and loyal customer base that will ensure your success in the future. So, targeting locals is another opportunity not to be overlooked.
Internationalization is Best with Branding
Since the two concepts come so well together, they should be realized together. If you’re seriously thinking about expanding onto the international market, then doing it by branding is, perhaps, the best idea. Not only you kill two birds with one stone, as it was mentioned earlier but you’ll also be able to realize your business in another country in a creative way, which will certainly make its mark in history. So, challenge yourself, be brave, think creatively, and go for it. And the world will smile at you.
BIO:
Mark Blackwood can never call his career boring or uninspired. The thing is that Mark takes inspiration literally from everything as he travels a lot, experiences a lot, and shares all of it. Only by constantly being on the move and telling others about what you learn, you can learn yourself.
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