5 Things You Should Always Consider When Marketing Globally
When looking at the current state of the world, you cannot deny that the world is as small as ever. The continuous growth of the internet and the digital world has led to the mass majority of the world to be connected through the click of a button. In fact, the current amount of mobile devices out number the population of the earth.
With all this being said, Companies have the greatest opportunity to grow their business globally. Depending on what industry your company is in, it is almost hard to avoid doing business internationally.
So, whether you are an expert in global marketing or just now trying to figure out how to grow your business throughout the world, it is always important to keep these 5 fundamental things in mind when marketing globally.
Your Own Biases
The development of a global awareness is key when first entering into a new international market, but before this is possible, you must first adapt and understand cultural adjustment. Cultural adjustment is one of the most challenging and important tasks a global marketer can undergo. There are two thing that you must consider while going through cultural adjustments, or else, they may hinder your ability to properly market to a foreign country.
Self-Reference Criterion or SRC deals with the unconscious reference to your own cultural values, experiences, and knowledge. This can cause problems when making decisions on ways to approach a market. You can unconsciously use your past experiences and believe just because you had success marketing one way to a group of people that it will automatically work the same way for another group. I believe SRC is one of the hardest issues to overcome due to the fact that you have to actively overcome and put aside you own culture and past knowledge.
Ethnocentrism is the belief that one's own country and or culture is best. This can be most problematic when one affluent country works with another country that is less affluent. Having this viewpoint can really hurt your ability to work with other countries, and if you have this perspective, it is most likely that other countries will not want anything to do with you.
Tolerance for cultural differences and understanding how to work with other who have different beliefs and customs is crucial. Overcoming these two ideas and viewpoints will greatly benefit your ability to market internationally.
Cultural Differences and Similarities
After understanding that you may have some underlying biases, the next step is to understand the country's culture. Figuring out the differences and similarities can help you better understand your target market.
Hofstede's Cultural Dimension Theory is a great way to categorize the kind of culture you are trying to market to. The theory includes six dimensions which consist of: Power Distance Index (PDI), Individualism/Collectivism Index (IDV), Uncertainty Avoidance index (UAI), Masculinity/Femininity Index (MAS), Long term vs. Short Term Orientation (LTO), Restraint vs. Indulgence (RVI).
If you would like to learn more about Hofstede's Cultural Dimension Theory, I found this website to be quite helpful (link).
Identify ways in which your country's culture is different and similar to your target's culture will allow you to understand how you should change your domestic marketing to better suit the needs of the international markets.
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Language and Communication Differences
The third thing you need to keep in mind when marketing globally is the possibility of a language barrier. Language barriers not only occur when it comes to countries that speak different languages, but they can also occur between countries that speak the same language.
For example, the United States and the United Kingdom both speak English, but there are many words that each country spells differently. This does not only occur with English speaking countries but can happen with many different languages. In some instances, the meaning of a word can differ among languages as well.
Something else that you have to keep in mind when communicating with your international markets is to be cautious of using figure of speeches and quips. Many of the common sayings in the United States will not translate properly to other countries around the globe. They can often make you sound unintelligent and ignorant of their culture.
Communication is not always about the spoken language. There is also something called the silent language. This term was first used by Edward T. Hall to classify the non-spoken and symbolic language that encompasses time, space, things, friendships, and agreements, and how they can vary across multiple cultures. Some countries are classified as being high context, which means they heavily depend on nonverbal communication, whereas other countries are classified as being low context, which means they depend more on explicit, verbal communication. When you communicate with your international markets keep in mind communication is more than just verbal, and it can vary from country to country.
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands written by Terri Morrison is a great source if you want to learn more about proper communication, customs, and business formalities around the globe.
Laws and Forms of Government
The world is full of different laws and forms of government, which can make international business very challenging. Learning these laws are vital for the success of your business. Before entering into a foreign market, make it your goal to learn everything about the laws and political climate of the country you want to do business in. It is preferable to do business in a country that has a friendly, stable government.
It is very important to stay away from countries that are unstable. Some potential causes of instability include big political shifts caused by corrupt leaders, strong belief in nationalism, animosity towards another country, and unsettling trade disputes.
Keep in mind the form of government that the countries have, whether they are a monarchy, oligarchy, or democracy can play a role in how business is done in that country.
Also, knowing the political parties and their philosophies can help keep you prepared for the political shifts. Whenever a political party takes over, the way that business is done in that country is bound to be altered. Because of this, it is wise to keep up with the politics of a country and make a plan before major elections or shifts in power occur.
Research, Research, Research
Everything that I have been saying in this article has to do with some form of research. I believe that the most important part of global marketing is making sure that you have a strong foundation of research that will be able to support and sustain your marketing campaigns in the international markets. Being able to create a buyer's persona is critical, and without knowing a country's culture, it is impossible to create a realistic persona that would accurately represent your target market.
Reading article, blogs, books, and other forms of material about a country's culture, customs, history, laws, and form of government will always be beneficial and lead you to greater success. There is plenty of reliable content on the internet that will help you better understand different cultures across the globe. One website that my global marketing professor recommended to me is the World Culture Encyclopedia. This is a great resource that has a vast inventory of information for many different countries.
With the world getting smaller, it is important to keep your company growing. The international side of business is closer than ever before!