Give Your Business an International Look | International Business ...

Despite the enormity of the world, you do find out it is smaller than you think sometimes.

As a business owner, are you doing all you can to reach not only local and national customers, but also those around the globe? If not, you could very well be missing out on some great financial opportunities.

In order to grow your business globally, there are several key factors that you need to take into account, just as Kamal Nath, Indian Minister , has done when looking to expand commerce for his native country.

Among those:

* Know Your Target Market ? First and foremost, you need to understand who it is you?re targeting, what their needs are, and how you can best serve them with both product and price. Ask yourself questions like what answers and benefits do you specifically have available for them to meet their major need? What are the specifics when it comes to their demographic or industry profile? What are the major issues they face that you can uniquely help them overcome, something that the competition can?t do? When you are able to answer these questions, you stand a much better chance of landing additional business;

* Optimize Your Online Marketing Approach ? From search engine optimization (SEO) to social media, you need to be regularly active on the Internet, especially in today?s global world. Make sure that your content includes the proper keywords and backlinks so that you can drive more traffic to your website. With social media, you need to branch out beyond the local and national community, taking it global. Look for online group discussions on Facebook, Twitter and the other major social media venues where you can partake in talk with people in different countries, especially those interested in what you have to sell as a business. Opportunities here are endless, so never stop exploring. One way to expand here is by writing guest blog posts or having others guest blog on your site from international destinations. When you do one or both, you expose your site to international traffic, something that allows you to increase awareness of your business on a global scale;

* Understand who you are talking to ? One of the key aspects in taking your business global is knowing who you are talking to from border to border. What passes as acceptable culture here in the States does not in other countries and vice-versa. Even when consumers have the same needs, you can?t paint them with a broad brush, so study and learn the backgrounds of those you are trying to serve. Language can be a major roadblock, especially since it is wrong to assume that English is spoken well and understood worldwide. While most countries are adept at degrees of English, if you are marketing to folks in Germany, having a little German in your background not only makes it easier for you to do business, but your consumers will have greater respect for you;

* Know the global markets ? While business may be good in one country, it can be suffering in another. As we have seen with parts of Europe and even here in the U.S., economic conditions have been on a roller coaster ride in recent years. If you are trying to sell something in one part of the world, know the economic conditions in that region ahead of time, helping you to determine if all your efforts are worth it then and there. If not, zero in on those areas where demand is the highest and revisit some other areas down the road;

* Understand payment methods ? Even though credit cards are accepted at most businesses here in the U.S., do not assume that is the case around the globe. Also look to see what is a reasonable rate to charge for your products and services in other parts of the world before you assign a price.

Taking your business on a global scale can open up a number of doors, along with increasing your net profits.

Before you travel that route, however, know what you are getting into in the first place.

from your own site.

Source: http://www.internationalmarketplace.us/give-your-business-an-international-look/

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