In the third step of our Guide to Global Sales series, we reviewed ways to close the deal with your international customers.

The fourth and final stage of the funnel involves keeping your global customers happy. Just because they’ve already spent money doesn’t mean you can forget about them. Smart marketers recognize the lifetime value of customers, and will continue engaging them even after they’ve purchased. Here are three tips to engage, delight and transform international customers into global promoters of your brand.

1. Offer multilingual customer support

If your global organization only offers customer service in English, you’re leaving out a potentially huge customer segment. A single-language approach to support limits participation within your customer base, and you’ll receive less engagement and feedback as a result.

In order to maximize the ROI of your global initiatives, you should consider multiple strategies for offering multilingual support. We know—having in-country support teams for each of your target markets sounds like an unreasonably high price to pay. However, there are plenty of ways to offer superb service to your international customers without breaking the bank. For example, the Gengo-powered Transfluent plugin allows support agents to handle tickets across multiple languages directly from the Zendesk platform.

2. Translate ongoing marketing communications

A business plan isn’t complete without a thought-out communication plan. You should tailor your communication strategy in a way that makes shoppers feel valued throughout and after the buying process. This involves constant engagement via localized marketing campaigns and targeted messaging.

In your follow-up communications, you should ask for feedback on whether or not the customer is satisfied with their purchase, if they would be willing to write a review, and offer discounts in exchange for more information. This makes customers feel like their business is appreciated and that the brand cares about their experience.

Knowing how to engage, nurture and maintain a dialogue with customers needs to be considered before you begin selling overseas. Global customers are far more likely to refer others if they feel close to the brand, and engaging them in ongoing marketing communications is the perfect way to build a sense of personal connection and trust.

3. Encourage referrals to grow your global footprint

A critical component of any customer acquisition strategy is providing happy customers with ways to refer friends to your business and be rewarded for doing so. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful avenues to growth, especially in new geographic markets. Referrals make the best prospects because they have already developed some level of trust for your brand. Their defenses are down, and their minds and hearts are open. These are the ideal conditions for building new lasting company-customer relationships.

By investing time and effort into your international support and referral program, you can reap the benefits of one of the lowest cost-per-acquisition marketing methods out there. From increased customer trust all the way to higher sales numbers, these benefits can be enjoyed by practically any online business.

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