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Many people think once they sell a product or two on the internet then they are automatically trading internationally. In fact, you could be deluding yourself.
Just because you are online does not mean you are attracting or engaging an international audience!
Take a look at your sales. What percentage of your sales are based in North America? Let me guess, over 90%?
This is not US-bias, I say this as someone living in England, by the way.
The important thing to take into account is the way we market, the content we produce, how we communicate, and even the times we are online in venues such as Twitter, all have an impact on who we attract and how.
I have clients in France, Norway, Australia, Philippines, India, Pakistan and Hawaii, but the majority of my clients either speak better English than I do, or are based in North America. This means, culturally, I am speaking to people just like me and therefore missing out.
If you are serious about selling internationally then you need to understand the cultures, needs and language of the target countries you are aiming for. Everything changes, you can not treat it as business as usual.
Even between the UK and USA there are differences in approaches to marketing, for example sales letters that convert powerfully for an American audience can be a turn-off for Brits. That’s before you get to words and phrases that change meaning depending on which side of the ocean you are located.
For anyone interested in learning about international marketing check out the fantastic free resources offered by Cindy King.
Bottom line is if you treat everyone as just like you then you will cut off the majority of your potential market!
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