Countdown to Going Global #10: Create a great global growth machine

Tip #10 is all about growth. In particular:

How do I grow my business overseas after launch?

Use your own data

Translation is important, but translation alone isn’t enough to create a solid presence in your new market. International growth is all about resetting your expectations and assumptions about what might be successful and instead just listening to local users, gathering actual data and then doing more of what works. Outside statistics about trends in your industry or target countries can be used as a great guiding light, but nothing is a substitute for information about your own company, from your own customers, in your specific target markets.

Drawn from our Going Global report, take Hootsuite’s Sandy Pell’s word for it:

With regards to our release in Japan, we first reached out to the Japanese audience and asked what our users liked most about Hootsuite and how we could help meet their needs. From there, we focused on providing complete cross-platform coverage in Japanese, developing an exclusive app for the common keitai mobile phones, integrating Mixi into the Japanese Hootsuite dashboard, and establishing a meaningful relationship with Digital Garage to develop sales channels for Hootsuite’s Pro and Enterprise plans. As a result of our efforts, Hootsuite became the top third-party Twitter client and the #1 social networking iPhone app in Japan.

Test. Listen. Improve. Marketing overseas is similar to marketing locally—it starts with knowing your users.

Operate locally

The same ad platforms and social networks that help drive your growth locally won’t necessarily work overseas. Use local channels, both for marketing and sales, and create unique and relevant targeted campaigns. If experimentation isn’t helping you grow quickly enough, consider enlisting the help of local agencies and consultants. It’s also important to hire team members with prior experience in your target region and with full language proficiency if you yourself lack this.

Start small

Digital tests are relatively cheap. Create a new ad. Try out a new campaign. Test messaging in content. Before pouring all of your resources into an unproven process or operational method, make small bets. As you learn more and more about where your company fits into the broader competitive landscape, strengthen your weak spots and invest more heavily in a tested approach.

Growth is all about hard, smart work and hustle. If you’ve made it this far, don’t stop! Don’t be afraid to shift focus or change your approach. Stay nimble.

Read all of the tips in Gengo’s Going Global Countdown:

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