How To Turn Your Small Business Into A Global Brand

Photo by Emma Matthews Digital Content Production on Unsplash

There is something incredibly exciting about watching your small business grow from strength to strength. It is a testament to your commitment, hard work, and creative vision – all of which deserve to be celebrated. However, once you have conquered the local market, you may wonder what the next logical step is when it comes to growing your brand. One way in which you can do this is by going ‘global’ – by offering your products and services to an international audience. 

With that in mind, here are some top tips you can use to turn your small business into a global brand! 

  • In order to appeal to customers across the globe, you must ensure that you are providing quality products and services. This means that you should focus on developing your business instead of running with one good idea.
  • Focus on building your brand’s reputation by cultivating a strong social media presence. This is usually the most effective way of bringing in new customers, as they can access your content with just a few clicks of their mouse. Be sure that you don’t miss a trick by experimenting with social media trends.  
  • Conduct thorough market research into your target audience, which may vary slightly country by country. You should also ensure that you take your products to the right market – for example, is there a demand for the product you are selling in this country? Is this something that you can garner interest around? 
  • Another way in which you can turn a local business into a global enterprise is by tailoring your content to your audience in each country. For example, you should ensure that you have a multi-language website – so that your content is easily accessible. This will make it easier for clients who speak a different language to access your website and make a purchase. 
  • Research the way in which different countries market and sell their products – this means that you can find the best way to appeal to your customers no matter where they may live in the world. 
  • Once you have a website up and running, you are ready to begin selling your products to a global audience. However, this can be a costly procedure – especially when it comes to international shipping. Thankfully, by working alongside companies such as UniShippers, you can save money on international shipping while simultaneously providing your customers with excellent, speedy services. 
  •  As with any business, communication is key. Therefore, you should ensure that your customers across the globe are able to get in contact with you or a member of your team no matter when they are shopping. Whether this means they talk to you through email, online, or over the phone. 
  • As your company grows, ensure that you are bringing in new staff. This can help you manage your current workload, connect with customers and bring new ideas into the company. For example, if your brand is performing well in a particular country – you could set up an office space there too. 

P.S. Sharing this article that was written by my friend Rafael Rivero: https://cognity.substack.com/p/localization-an-alternative-way-to

Going Global as a Small Business

One of the end-game goals of most entrepreneurs is to reach a point where they’re recognized internationally. Thanks to the internet, it’s surprisingly easy for your product to reach different cultures, countries and languages. However, this alone isn’t enough to consider yourself as a global business. Unfortunately, small companies have a much harder time breaking into international markets because they don’t have the right connections, staff or knowledge required to make it overseas. While this can be something you slowly work on over a long period of time, there’s no doubt that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication.

However, there are a couple of strategies that you can employ today that will not only increase the number of international opportunities available to you but could help you enter foreign markets on a much lower budget.

Photo by Brett Zeck on Unsplash

Consider which countries you want to appeal to

While it’s possible to appeal to the world as a whole with your product, we highly suggest that you pinpoint your focus on a particular region of the world or country. Some products do much better on a global stage because it’s something that everyone can use, such as a smartphone. However, even such a widely-used tech product can have smaller markets and demands in certain areas. For instance, wealthy areas of the world love big-name brands such as Apple and Samsung. However, areas with dense populations and lower income might prefer budget smartphones with a heavy emphasis on value.

As a result, you need to consider which countries your products appeal to. This can be difficult to identify with minimal research. This is why it’s important to do some preliminary research on potentially viable markets before you decide to invest in your growth in another country’s markets.

Do your research as early as possible

Once you have identified those opportunities, it’s time to start doing research. Everything from financial options to production and even cultural differences needs to be considered when performing research. The idea here is that you’re looking for any risks or challenges involved in breaking into a new market.

On the financial side of things, it’s worth establishing flexible options so that you can easily pivot your business when you want to capitalize on overseas opportunities. For example, having a way to send money to Pakistan could be helpful if you wanted to set up a means of production in South Asia. Similarly, having support for local payment methods and not just cards and PayPal. In the context of Pakistan, this could mean local options such as EasyPaisa and payOrder. Doing this type of research will greatly improve your chances of breaking into an international market simply because you’ll be more relatable.

Establish a small team of experts

If you want to go global as a small business, you’ll need to organize a team of experts that can smooth out the process. This can include translators, local influencers and even support staff that can speak the language. With this small team of specialists, you’ll have a much easier time communicating with an overseas audience and also appealing to them through changes in your branding and products. It can be difficult to find the right people for the job. Networking is your best friend here and doing your research on local influencers to work with can make a huge difference in your success rates.

One of the essential skills of becoming an entrepreneur is being able to lead a team. Even if it’s a relatively small but diverse group of specialists, having a team that is focused on international growth will make a huge difference in the long run. Not only will you be able to communicate with overseas customers, but you’ll also be able to change your branding or products and services to fit a different market. You should never underestimate the cultural differences in overseas markets and how they can affect both the products you create and your marketing materials. By respecting these cultural differences, you’ll have a much easier time growing your business in a completely different environment.

Going global as a small business can be surprisingly challenging, especially if you’re working with a relatively small team or have a limited budget to spend on overseas expansion. However, with the right approach and a team to support you, we believe that it’s one of the most attainable goals for a confident entrepreneur. If you’re looking for something challenging to push your business to its limits, then attempting to break onto an international stage may be enticing thanks to the rewards it can offer.