With the advances in technology available at our fingertips, the world certainly seems like a smaller place. You can be at the other side of the world from someone, but with the digital capabilities at our fingertips, that same person can feel as if they are right next to you.
When it comes to business, would it not be very restrictive to focus all your efforts on the local market, when there’s a huge world out there just waiting to take advantage of your exciting IT and telecoms business?
There is an overall increase in government spending available for overseas sales and this can now be the opportunity to open the door to a whole range of new customers for your own business and that of your clients.
The world is getting to grips with cloud computing and communication via IP rather than traditional telephone lines, so it would be wise to use this change in business and consumer behavior to maximize your profits by focusing more time and resources on the international market.
Don’t miss the boat when it comes to the overseas market, you can bet your competitors won’t!
Identify the Market
It may sound obvious, but broad and deep research into both the consumer and business channels is the most important factor in international IT and Telecoms success.
At Bubble Translation Services, we’ve been involved in translating questionnaires and market research documents for the world’s biggest brands in these markets and found that there is never a ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to the products or services you are providing and there are subtle nuances only found which you can only find via research.
There are many characteristics which come into play when identifying the potential export consumer market and these will enable you to close in on those customers who will be excited about the products or services you have to offer. These include income, demographic, age, lifestyle and so on.
In the B2B market, you may want to keep an eye out for opportunities for possible partnerships with companies that already exhibit similar client bases, core values, and product portfolios or simply have the resource and established customer base to take your products to market effectively.
Look for trusted industry reports to understand more about which locations may be the most successful for your products and that of your clients. If you understand your target market, you will be less likely to waste your efforts and more likely to grow your international success.
Penetrating the Market
All companies strive to increase their market share and in an ever competitive business world, you need to understand how to penetrate the market so you can boost your profits.
Market penetration is an important method for identifying the number of people who have a particular product and finding out who to target to increase the market share.
For example, you may be marketing software for a particular IT and Telecoms company by distinguishing how many already have this and where to focus attention. It may be the case that certain regions or sectors within countries are early adopters of your product and the market is already saturated.
Depending on the willingness, ease and ability to change to your product, you may have to adapt your marketing messaging to accommodate this. You may need to consider a different commercial approach too – offering discounts in price sensitive or established markets.
Find Success Through Digital Marketing
There has been a huge growth in digital marketing and reports show that UK companies spent an astounding £14BN on digital marketing in 2013 – so it is worthwhile focusing attention on this for your international growth.
Digital marketing can be used very cost effectively in a variety of ways to target an international market – from identifying the size of the market through Google (or other localized search engines) keyword research in the native language. You could also start with website translation in the first instance, and then adapt your content to the needs of the customer, identified by your research.
Marketing Collateral
To support your sales people, you can translate existing marketing collateral, such as presentations and visual aids or translate business cards to enhance your salesperson’s appearance at exhibitions and trade shows.
Engage Professional Translation Services
Of course, this is going to be at the top of our list in developing international business but there are many reasons it should also be top of yours!
Many companies make the mistake of only producing content which is relevant to the UK market but this is really missing a trick when it comes to international presence. In order to really relate to other cultures and expand your market, the ability to translate your content’s context is imperative.
Good translation services deliver far beyond the translation of words on a page. They deliver context.
We’ve seen this with many brands in the technology market, helping them understand the differences in search terms/SEO keywords in different countries to really maximise their audience.
Think about how often we spend in front of our computers each day and people from other countries are doing exactly the same. Did you know that Google is the 1st choice of search engine for countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, USA, Iran, Nigeria and South Korea? It is also widely used in other countries throughout the world, so it makes sense to adapt your SEO keywords to suit, which is where our translation services can help.
It is not simply about translating the content though; it is also about getting the context right which can be difficult without thorough knowledge of the language.
Bubble Translation Services are highly experienced in translating all marketing, technical and contractual information for a range of diverse industries, including IT, technology and telecommunications. With over 3,800 translators translating more than 280 languages throughout the world – we speak your language! Talk to us today to see the difference we can make to your export business.
