The dream of going global is somewhere in the heart of every entrepreneur and CEO. Your business revolves around solving problems, and problems tend to be universal. But, the messaging around these solutions is anything but universal, and that is where companies poised to go global get into trouble.

In this series, we’ll teach you how to reach international markets with lean globalization strategies that ensure you have the right product and the right message to take over the world.

Exploring market fit from local to international markets

Your product has been described as “the best thing since sliced bread”—and not just by your mother. And you have big dreams of seeing your logo on every street corner, in nearly every country in the world—at least on the corners not already claimed by Starbucks. You’re pretty sure that you have what it takes to go global, but the challenges of effectively reaching foreign markets have baffled many successful companies. Our advice is to ask yourself these three questions:

• Is your product already successful in your local market? (Y/N)
• Have you saturated your local market so much you’re outgrowing it? (Y/N)
• Is your product competitive in the market you wish to reach? (Y/N)

If you replied “No” to any of these questions, you risk falling into two quagmires.

1. If you haven’t quite mastered product-market fit for your local market, expanding would only mean fighting the battle on two fronts, never knowing what to prioritize. You may find that the best move is to scratch everything and pivot to a new approach, which is much easier to do if you only have one market to worry about instead of multiple.
2. If your marketing strategies, or product, have been failing in local markets, you might think that expanding into different markets is the solution. It almost never is. Expansion will, however, distract you from fixing those problems and inhibit growth.

However, if you answered “Yes” to those three questions, then your product may be ready to introduce to other markets around the world. But don’t start looking for office space in Hong Kong just yet. Your globalization efforts will be rewarded if you take the time to research the market, culture, and languages of your target locations (and in doing so, avoid hidden dangers).

Three common pitfalls of globalizing brands

1. The position has been filled. Successful U.S. companies hoping to branch out to foreign markets often find that their target niche is already saturated. For example, Google Russia wasn’t able to capture more than 30% of the Russian search engine market because it was competing directly with Yandex. Do you know your biggest competitors? Have you developed differentiators that make your offering unique and valuable?
2. Pardon my faux pas. Even big brands make famously embarrassing mistakes with branding their products in foreign markets, especially with translations. For example, “Got Milk?” got in trouble with its direct translation in Mexico, which came out as the question “Are you lactating?” And the Chinese were horrified when an ad for KFC told them “You’ll definitely eat your fingers,” which is a far cry from “finger-lickin’ good.” Have you invested in a translation service that understands how to deliver your marketing message?
3. Good for the gander. Expecting what works in your culture to work in the context of another culture is an all-too common mistake. Twitter brilliantly leapt the Pacific to expand in Japan, but in doing so, had to change its signature “tweet.” Japanese culture isn’t tweety, or even chirpy. It’s quiet, modest, and unimposing, which means a direct translation of “tweet” wouldn’t appeal to most Japanese in quite the same way it does in Western cultures. “Tsubuyaki,” which means “mutter,” was a much more appropriate choice. Is your marketing team sensitive to the cultural differences you’ll find? (Learn more about doing business with other cultures with our Business Cultures of the World Infographic)!

Going global may be the next logical step for your company, and if it is, it’s a step that will change the way you do business forever. If you’re ready to expand into other markets, check out our free eBook, Going global, Part II: Lean Globalization, for more tips on how to build a scalable global strategy.

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