Expand internationally

Hi! If you’re planning to expand your business into a new market, you’ll need a plan to help you advertise effectively in a new country.

It’s possible that customers in a new market will find you through organic search results, or through word-of-mouth. But investing in advertising can help get your name out there much faster. Let’s take a look at search advertising, display advertising, and advertising on social media, and how they can work together.

Let’s go back to our vintage record store example. If you’re planning to expand your business from the UK to Germany, you’ll probably want to get your website translated and localised into German. That way when people search for terms like 'vintage records' in German, they might come across your website and become your new customers.

But if you want to get your business in front of lots more potential customers, it’s a good idea to advertise. Advertising on search results is a great way to get in front of people who are already looking for products like yours. If you’re already doing this in your home country, great! Just translate and adapt your keywords and ads. Then, make sure that your ads point people to a landing page that’s written in the local language.

If you’re wondering which keywords are commonly searched in your new market, try using a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner or Bing’s Keyword Research Tool. These tools can tell you which keywords are popular, as well as other useful information. Like how much they might cost, and how many competitors you’re likely to face. But what about people who aren’t already searching for your products? Remember, when you expand into a new market, people are unlikely to be familiar with your business already.

Display advertising and social media are two great ways to raise awareness.

You could start by advertising on the websites your audience is visiting online. So, if there’s a popular site where German audiophiles go to discuss their favourite records, this could be the perfect place to show your ads. If you need a little help, check out tools like the Google Display Planner. They can provide detailed info about where your audience is spending time online.

What about Germans on social media? Well, it’s a good idea to research which social media sites they’re using. Is it Facebook and Twitter? Or are there other popular networks? Maybe even one unique to Germany? Once you have this information, you’ll be able to use social networks to advertise to Germans who are really interested in vintage records.

By using a combination of advertising options, you’ll set yourself up to win customers in your new market. Ok so let’s say you’ve started to get some traction with customers in your new market. You could now gear your advertising to continue engaging with them, and build loyalty. Email marketing is a great way to keep in touch with interested customers over the long term. You can send updates when you have new records in stock, or special promotions. Just keep in mind that each market may have different email marketing laws.

You could also try retargeting. This lets you advertise to people who have visited your website, based on the things they did there. So, you can show ads to people who are interested in your business, and encourage them to come back to your site. If someone reads your blog twice a month, they’re obviously interested in vintage records. So, try using retargeting ads to convince them to buy. We’ve covered a lot. So let’s recap quickly. When you expand into a new market, customers probably don’t know about your business yet. So, you’ll want to do some advertising. You can use lots of different forms of advertising, all working together. Search ads are great for growing your business in a new market. While display ads, social media ads, email, and retargeting can also play a really valuable role.