Today, you can sell your products to any part of the world by taking your business online. You can expand revenue by developing marketing strategies that capture clients in different regions. For example, Alibaba achieved $126.49 billion in revenue in their 2022-2023 fiscal year. You can generate similar incomes if you learn to overcome cultural barriers — one of the most common challenges in global B2B markets.
Let’s explore the strategies your organization can apply to understand cultural differences and create customized marketing campaigns that increase brand awareness and conversions in the international market.
Build Cultural Intelligence
Cultural intelligence refers to the ability to understand and interpret beliefs, behaviors, and practices from a new culture. You can gather cultural knowledge by reading scientific papers, listening to local news, or visiting the location and interacting with locals firsthand.
With this information, create a database to educate your team about the new market. For example, design an in-house cross-cultural training program educating your employees on how your local beliefs and lifestyles differ from the new market’s values.
Develop a program that encourages your team to:
- Be empathetic when interacting with others
- Respect other cultures
- Seek feedback and ask questions
- Be flexible, for example, in how they communicate at work
- Embrace new ways of life without judgment
Such a program will enable you to invest in any new market because it prepares your team to welcome change and adapt quickly.
Define Your Target Market’s Culture and Beliefs
What kind of businesses do you hope to engage with in the new market? Research your target audience — define their beliefs, values, location, preferred means of communication, estimated budgets, business practices, communication styles, and other characteristics that influence their decisions.
For example, if you’re targeting African businesses, develop a strategy to reach your customers through mobile since over 70% of page views on the continent originate from mobile phones.
Customize Marketing Messages
Customers resonate with tailored messages and engage with them. You can drive revenue up by personalizing marketing content for different audiences using these techniques:
- Language: Use local language, vocabulary, slang, and humor to create ads, emails, blogs, and social media copy.
- Tone: Based on your research, use a formal or informal tone to create marketing messages your prospects appreciate. For example, while you may emphasize personal gains for the US market, it would be best to focus on collective benefits in Japan.
- Values and Beliefs: Research the beliefs influencing businesses’ decisions and create content that aligns with those values.
- Relatable Visuals: To get the best results from your campaigns, employ images people in the new market identify with. You can hire local ambassadors and use their images to capture attention.
Utilize Local Marketing Channels
Do businesses in your new market use Facebook or rely on traditional channels such as radio and television? Launch your marketing efforts on the channels your prospects participate in.
For example, based on our earlier example about Africa, you’d optimize your pages for mobile and focus on WhatsApp, which is common among small businesses in the region.
Build Trust and Relationships
Even though you’re targeting businesses, the people in those organizations make decisions on behalf of the enterprises. Find ways to win the trust of executives and managers who lead these companies.
Cultivating trust takes time; therefore, you have to constantly find opportunities to build relationships with prospects in the new market. Follow these methods to showcase your brand as a trustworthy partner:
- Deliver on your promises
- Participate in local trade shows
- Demonstrate your capabilities and results through case studies
- Build authentic personal connections with key decision-makers
- Follow up with your clients after a sale to determine whether they’re satisfied
- Ask questions instead of making assumptions
Work With Local Partners
Working with local companies and individuals may encourage your target audience to trust your organization. Local partners enable you to overcome language barriers and build a comprehensive cultural intelligence program.
You may hire local employees to help refine your marketing content and advise when to hop on local social media trends to increase brand awareness — when those trends align with your values and beliefs.
Test and Refine Your Marketing Campaigns
Marketing is a continuous activity that enables you to identify opportunities to create brand awareness and close deals with more customers. Keep researching and finding new ways to attract businesses to partner with.
Determine when economic conditions and customer behavior change. Read marketing updates to identify new tools that can help you reach your target audience more effectively.
Finally, measure the results of your campaigns and find opportunities for improvement. For example, if you realize businesses in the new market prefer closing deals face-to-face rather than via email, let your customers know you are available for in-person meetings in your marketing copy.
How Airbnb Overcomes Global Cultural Challenges
Airbnb partners with local organizations in different parts of the world to boost bookings in local markets. For example, the company partners with Wesgro in South Africa to create awareness about working remotely in Cape Town. Wesgro enhances remote workers’ trust in booking Airbnb accommodations in Western Cape Town.
In Italy, Airbnb collaborates with Visit Trentino to promote Trentino as a favorable environment for digital nomads. Airbnb’s partnership with WWF Mexico has expanded domestic tourism by advocating for safe travel in Mexico.