International marketing planning: how to do it in 7 steps

• 
  
  
  

If you are thinking about international marketing planning , it means you are taking a very important step! Whether with the internationalization of your own business, or with the possibility of taking the company you work for to another geography, feel proud of your achievement!

Furthermore, knowing that it is necessary to establish a specific marketing plan for this moment, and not just reuse local planning, is an excellent sign. It means you understand that marketing strategies need to be adapted according to countries, audiences and business objectives.

So how to do this? Is there a single formula? What are the steps I should follow? And where to start?

To help you, we have organized the answers to all your questions in a real tutorial. In it, you will find everything you need to put together a respectful international plan, considering all the essential details to be successful in your venture.

Ready to start learning?

International Marketing Planning: what is it?

First of all, let’s define what international marketing is. When we think about global marketing, we are talking about strategies and tools to boost the internationalization of a brand.

Whether it’s a product line or an entire company, marketing plays a fundamental role in this journey. After all, he will be one of those largely responsible for spreading the new name in a different country, helping with the success of this business movement.

However, for this to happen, you will need to adapt your look and pay attention to specific points. They may go unnoticed in your daily life in the Marketing area, after all, you are in your own country and you already know, intuitively, how certain things work. However, the story changes when we are in another culture.

To know exactly what to do to cross Pak’s borders, keep reading the article and prepare your notebook to write everything down!

What are the stages of international marketing?

1 – Get to know your new audience in depth

The first step is to understand who your new audience will be. Even though you have already carried out a series of research and mappings taking into account the brand’s home country, you will not be able to rely on this material for the internationalization stage.

After all, we are talking about a new country, with a different culture and population. Perhaps the same gender, age group and social class in your region have completely different interests and behaviors than your new audience, and not being aware of this can be dangerous.

So, get ready to investigate your new audience, create a new persona and find out everything about the adaptations you will have to make, whether in marketing strategies or business strategies, to achieve success.

2 – Carry out a complete mapping of challenges

You must have realized that doing international marketing is almost like starting from scratch, right? This means that identifying as many challenges and obstacles as possible is a great way to start, ensuring you have all the information you need to proceed.

To do this, investigate local laws and regulations, find out everything you can about customs and habits that relate to the brand or products, follow the local economy and study both the new language and the main forms of language.

All this information will help you create a true overview of the new geography, understanding in detail the culture and behaviors that will be part of the company’s day-to-day operations.

3 – Find out everything about your new competitors

In your research and mapping, don’t forget to evaluate your competitors. Are there similar companies or products in the country? Are they well established? What is the reputation of such companies? Do they cover the entire available market? What is the level of customer and consumer satisfaction? What are the financial results like?

This benchmarking study will be valuable for your process, helping you keep your feet on the ground when establishing goals and objectives.

4 – Make the necessary adaptations to the new culture

Once you understand the new reality, it will be easier to discover everything that needs to be modified and adapted. So, think about strategies so that your products or brands are actually relevant in a different geography, meeting local demands, respecting and communicating with the culture.

This includes the products themselves, and also the marketing strategy. Both parties need to work together for the result to be satisfactory, and at this time of adaptation, proximity is essential.

5 – Ensure that branding is aligned for all geographies

However, you need to be careful that the company does not turn into something too complex. Changes must occur so that there is identification and integration with other cultures, however, global branding needs to be aligned across all geographies.

After all, the company is still one and even demonstrating this sense of unity will help in international marketing.

6 – Consider partnering with local companies

Arriving “with your feet in the door” may not make all the noise you want when we think about foreigners entering a new country. Because of this, it may be interesting to consider local partnerships to boost your arrival.

To do this, map consolidated companies in the new country to establish partnerships, whether product, publicity, public relations or marketing itself. Consider that they will be catalysts for your internationalization journey, making the process more friendly, calm and focused.

7 – Monitor and reevaluate your strategy constantly

Finally, be aware that international planning will never come to an end. Just like any other marketing strategy, it needs to be revisited and reevaluated periodically.

So, to continue improving your marketing knowledge and make this international marketing planning operation a success, invest in a postgraduate degree ! This way, you will develop new skills and discover even more specific techniques to perform your work in the best possible way, standing out in your company and in your field in general.