International Links

Last week I found several interesting links on international social media and a few others for international business. I particularly enjoyed reading the first one in the list below: the Forbes article on the shift in trade routes. It’s a bit long but well worth reading.

International Business

• The Future Of Finance Shifts From West To East – Enjoyed reading this article by Michael Geoghegan of HSBC on how the CIVETS are joining the BRICs and why trade routes are changing. Are you seeing these changes?

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Why Did Paris Hilton Drop Her Guard In Brazil? – A look at how a beer company skilfully took culture into consideration to get the results they wanted. -

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• Negotiating With Chinese Companies. In Real Life – Here is a review of “When Chinese dreams meet the real world: Western negotiators in China need to keep their heads out of the clouds” by Andrew Hupert with great insights into negotiating in China.

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• StatCounter Global Stats – Have a look at this infograph comparing popularity of different social media platforms worldwide. You can also select world regions and see the differences there. It’s interesting to see how StumbleUpon does in North America compared to Europe. Like all social media stats, I wonder how accurate these are.
• Official Google Blog: Integrating virtual keyboards in Google search – Difficulty typing in foreign languages on your keyboards? Have a look at these virtual keyboards with different alphabets.
• 8 Social Media Strategies to Engage Multicultural Consumers – A great read by Jessica Carter from Technicultr. What other social media strategies would you use for multicultural audiences?
• Twitter analysis: Development organizations and their listening skills – Christian Kreutz has a look at social media strategies of a few development organizations. I’m interested in seeing how things evolve over the next few years. What about you?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

• What interesting links did you find recently?
• What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
• Which international link is your favorite?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 17 2010

International Links

I shared a number of interesting international and cross-cultural links last week on Facebook and Twitter. Here’s a quick summary.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• Ten things we have learnt about Africa - Some interesting stats here on different African countries.
• Investing in Foreign Land – this article brought up things I hadn’t thought about.
• A Popular U.S. Export, the $100 Bill - ”A big part of the demand comes from the use of American currency in stores and at street vendors in many countries, including some in which citizens have little faith in their own currencies.” An interesting look into the new $100 bill.
• Reverse Japan’s insularity - Are there less Japanese students abroad now?
• Eufeeds – over 1000 newspapers, updated every 20 minutes - An incredibly handy online international newspaper rack found via Adam Vincenzini

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Who Are America’s Exporters? - ”While forming the bulk of U.S. exporting companies, SMBs ship only a fraction of the value of U.S. exports.”
• Understanding Cultural Differences in Offshore Outsourcing - Here’s a look at cross-cultural challenges when outsourcing.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• What Was Tiger Woods Thinking? - Great points made by Elliot Polak of Textappeal (@CultureShocks on Twitter). Different cultures don’t have the same response to “personal scandals” of celebrities. It’s interesting how Nike played this out.

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• Size no barrier to export success - A look at how Australian small businesses are now selling more to China than to the European Union.

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• Skype By the Numbers: It’s Really Big - I use Skype daily and when I first started I lost lots of time dealing with French speaking North Africans who use Skype as a “dating chat tool” and who culturally take a long time getting to the point. I also notice how some people use Skype exactly like a phone, they just call whenever they see want to. … While others realize this tool is more than a traditional telephone when used in a new environment and send a Skype chat message first. What’s your experience of Skype as an international networking tool?
• How Tech Start-ups Like Foursquare and Meetup Are Trying to Overthrow Old Media - Several things stood out in the article, including adapting social media to different cultures within the same country and the lack of women in social media start ups. This is a bit long, but a good read. What stands out for you?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

• What interesting links did you find recently?
• What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
• Which international link is your favorite?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 16 2010

International Links

Here are the international and cross-cultural links found last week.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• Baidu Integrates Real-Time Translation into its Browser - Putting the Google/China story aside, this is proof the tools for International Marketing are getting much more interesting.
• Asia’s Expensive Restaurants - Part of the fun when travelling is trying the local food. I wonder what extra these restaurants have to offer.
• For Japanese Women, The Past Is The Latest Fad – Here’s an interesting read on Japanese culture today.
• Globish, Technology, and the Plight of the Japanese Language - A very interesting read on how Globish impacts other languages. Grab a coffee, there are lots of videos too.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• The India Way Of Doing Business - This is a fascinating read even if you are interested in doing business in a culture other than India. It highlights the cultural differences in doing business.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Cross-cultural Communication Strategy – the 4 Building Blocks - Read Amadou M. Sall’s article on how to build a cross-cultural marketing strategy with a Global Mindset, Global Knowledge, Global Cross-Cultural Skills & Global Business Skills.
• One Piece Localization or Censorship? - Click through and watch this 4 minute video to see an example of a Japanese anime cartoon localized for the American market. What do you think of this?

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• A special report on America’s economy: Export or die - Do you think American businesses will need to rely less on selling to Americans and more on selling abroad?
• History of American Sales Culture - Here’s an interesting look at the American sales culture by Alen Majer. If you have insights about other sales cultures please let me know.
• SarahLacy.com: My Favorite Books about Emerging Markets - What are your favorite books on emergying marketing?

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• In Canada, .ca is replacing .com - Here in France most French websites use .fr What’s the trend in your country?
• Multilingual SEO: Things to Remember - This is a good read on Search Engine Journal to get you started with multilingual SEO. Do you have any other tips to add?
• Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Working with multi-regional websites - Read this for guidelines on how to structure multilingual blogs and websites to reach different markets.
• How To Add Languages That You Speak To Google Chrome - Here’s a useful tip for multilingual Chrome users.
• What translation means for SEO – Blogs & Content - Here’s a look at the difference of translation for SEO and for advertising or marketing. What do you think of the translation solely for SEO purposes? We don’t usually do it in English. But it seems some websites need it to reach global audiences fast.
• Cause for concern – The Personal videos Campaign - Here’s a video case study of how an Israeli TV show used free social media as its only source of publicity. The results: 4.7% rating for the season debut and 1,800 mentions in blogs, social networks & newspapers in Israel.
  Do you have any other video social media case studies to share?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

• What about you? Did you find any interesting links recently?
• What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
• Which international link is your favorite?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 15 2010

International Links

Here’s the weekly roundup of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• The History Of White People By Nell Irvin Painter- I learned a few things in this book review.
• ‘Irresponsible’ Newspaper Experiment Issued With An Injunction Order By News Intl – Happy April 1st everyone! This was my first today, and will probably be the best one too. What other fun things have you read today?
• Astonishing Transatlantic Cultural Comparisons by Peter Baldwin - There are some interesting insights into the real picture behind cultural American & European stereotypes.
• 5 Ways to Beef Up Your International Resume - Going Global, Inc. gives some good advice on the ground work you need to do before looking for a job abroad. I like the last tip best of all which is building your international network. I’d add that you need to build a RELEVANT network. And don’t expect people to open you to their own network or recommend you unless t…hey actually know you. So you really need to work on developing relationships first.
• The Gender Wage Gap, Around the World – It definitely pays more to be a women in some countries compared to others. Women interested in International Business should read this.
• Who’s still biased? - It’s no surprise that American companies are not always happy with the diversity training they give their employees. Cross-cultural skills take enormous personal effort and commitment and you also need to be in a context where these skills are needed. So timing has to be right too. Do you think the next generations will be more cross-cultural savvy?
• Travel full-time for less than $14,000 per year - There is a long article with tons of information. Very useful if you want to take off and travel.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Asian Consumers, Not U.S. Consumers, Now Lead the World - Here are examples of a change in business dynamics as emerging markets become the new kings of consumption. Have you noticed this impacting your lives?
• Dispatch from Africa by Steve Finikiotis - This is a great article on the cultural challenges when doing business in Africa and some insights into why we should care.
• A list of links about international business for small businesses on Small Business Trends – Some very good reads even if you’re a bigger business. Do you have any other links to share?
• The Corporate Stampede to Developing Nations by Joseph Quinlan – A good read with some interesting stats and comparisons on what’s happening withh American companies abroad.
• How SMBs Can Grow Their Business and Capitalize on the Rebounding Economy – a good read with tips for businesses via Laurel Delaney
• The Trick to Getting Meetings in India – Here’s a useful read if you are doing business in India. What other countries are you interested in?
• Three Ways to Fish in the Global Talent Pool – A great read on how international businesses need to build the right teams today. The situation has changed due to a variety of factors including our changing demographics.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Showcase Of Web Design In China: From Imitation To Innovation – A good review of web design in China based on interviews of 6 local experts.
• Global Wellbeing Surveys Find Nations Worlds Apart - ”There is a clear wellbeing divide between the wealthier countries of
  northern, western, and central Europe and some poorer countries within eastern and southern Europe.”
• Too Few Diversity Dollars on Madison Avenue – There’s a list of US diversity milestones here to look at. I wonder how an evolution in international online marketing will impact American diversity marketing. More companies will have to integrate cross-cultural marketing to reach new online markets. What do you think?
• How’s the craic? 10 Tips for Cross Cultural Marketing – Some great cross-cultural marketing tips on Bloggertone. What other tips would you add?

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• The Secret to Exporting Part 1 – You Gotta Have a Plan (but not an extensive one) - This is the first part of a mini-series.
• How The Mighty Succeed Globally – Read this presentation by Laurel Delaney to find out the next level of countries you should be following beyond BRIC countries. What are you doing to improve your international sales?
• India delivers growth for Domino’s Pizza - Some insidghts into the international growth of Domino’s Pizza. There are several interesting links in here too.

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• Why Japan is the king of mobile: the stats and facts - This is well worth reading whether you are marketing to Japanese or interested in mobile markets for International Social Media. Are you using mobile marketing yet?
• Did You Know 4.0 – This is the first time I’ve come across this YouTube video. Some great stats here showing why mobile is so important today.
• Here’s Why The Next Year And A Half Is Critical In The Smartphone Wars – Here’s Why The Next Year And A Half Is Critical In The Smartphone Wars
• Web Globalization 2010: How Many Languages is Enough? – Read this if you are wondering about foreign language content for your website. How many languages does your website need today?
• Where is China’s fast-track IDN? – This article is a reminder of the changes to come, not only for Chinese URLs, but also for other countries.
• Why Internet connections are fastest in South Korea – “Countries with fast, cheap Internet connections tend to have more competition”. Are you happy with the speed of your internet connection?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

• What about you? Did you find any interesting links recently?
• What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
• Which international link is your favorite?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 13 2010

Twitter

Here is my article which was first published on Social Media Examiner:

Many business owners and marketing professionals respond to the social media buzz with what Olivier Blanchard calls the “Social Media Terror Syndrome“—a wait and see approach. The next barrier is often a lack of time. And the focus becomes “how do I avoid the social media time suck?”

Here are 7 steps to help you overcome the time dilemma.

1. Set One Specific Social Media Objective

One of the reasons why people waste time on social media is because their objectives are:

• Not clearly linked to their business strategy
• Inappropriate for the environment of social media

Don’t be surprised if you find you need to participate in social media for a little while before you find the right way to use it for your business objectives. Take the time to observe your audience and learn how to connect with them on social media.

Read the Social Media Marketing Report to understand how other marketers are using social media.

Return on time investment: Before you see any return on your time investment in social media, you need know what your business can get out of it.

Don’t jump into social media with both feet and no business objective. Develop your social media presence with one clearly defined business objective in mind.

2. Find the Right Social Media Strategy for Your Business

This is what Mari Smith, the Pied Piper of Facebook, says: “The main reason people fail in social media is lack of a strategy. There’s so much confusing and conflicting advice out there, it’s easy to get lost in the social media jungle. By having a clear objective, developing a strategy to accomplish that objective, and measuring milestones along the way, you’re bound to have better results.”

• What can you say on social media that would interest your audience?
• How should you say it?
• Where should you say it?

Many businesses choose to use a blog as their central social media hub. A pivotal role is played by what Authority Blogger Chris Garrett calls Flagship Content. The truth is that your social media strategy needs to be tailored to the particular message you want to convey to your audience.

Return on time investment: When you include a clear objective in the social media strategy most appropriate for your business, it boosts your overall marketing strategy.

Don’t waste time using other people’s social media tactics. Find a social media strategy that connects your business to your audience.

3. Make Your Presence Social

Once you have defined your social media strategy, the process does not end there. It will only work if your presence is truly social and, as Rebecca Leaman says, you need to also “focus on being good online neighbors.”

A good resource to find out how to connect with your audience is Groundswell. And for ideas in creating the valuable content your business needs on social media, Jay Baer gives 7 steps to get your message right.

Return on time investment: The right message aligned with your business objective in a social media marketing strategy can save your business time spent elsewhere on sales and marketing.

Don’t waste time sending inappropriate messages. Find the right message for your business and, above all, be social.

4. Stay Focused on Your Business Strategy

Social media can be a particularly dangerous time waster because:

• It is a social environment.
• Businesses need to create a social presence and it can be hard to find the balance between business and social.

Don’t fall into traps when adapting your marketing to social media. As Chris Brogan says, the question of friending and reputation “is difficult in the face-to-face world, but it’s even harder online.”

Return on time investment: Social media marketing creates stronger relationships with the people in your market. You can use it to build trust and loyalty with more people and in less time than with most other marketing tactics.

Don’t waste time by getting sidetracked. Adapt social media to work for your business.

5. Adopt Social Media One Step at a Time

Amber Naslund says trying to be everywhere on social media is a big time waster. Social media is made up of numerous different places where people hang out, and these places all have different environments. You cannot try to be everywhere all at once and know how to act and what to say. You need to take things slowly:

• Research to find out where your business should be present.
• Observe and learn what to say.
• Listen and learn how to adapt to each different site.

Be sure to add your own social touch to all of your social media communication. Have a look at Chris Brogan’s social media task suggestions. Look at them closely and you will see how these tasks add extra value to his marketing strategy as a whole.

Return on time investment: When you choose your actions wisely and add some social juice to them, they can give you back much more than you put in.

Don’t try to jump into all social media platforms at once. Find the social media sites that work best for your business.

6. Get Extra Mileage Out of Your Social Media Marketing

Many businesses look at what the social media “stars” are doing and think they would never have the time to do the same thing. Here is the scoop: You need to get into social media before you can fully understand how your time spent can multiply in value.

Once you get your basic social media presence up and running, something very interesting happens. You begin to see little things to do to get a much wider presence on social media.

Return on time investment: The good news is that you can get extra mileage out of your daily social media actions as soon as you begin. One of the very first things you need to do when you begin marketing using social media is to set up professional listening activities. The time you spend on this aspect alone usually adds much more value to your overall sales and marketing activities than you can imagine.

Don’t waste opportunities for more visibility and buzz. Adopt the social attitude.

7. Avoid Social Media’s Fatal Attraction: The Shiny Bells and Whistles

The truth is that there is a lot of movement in the social media arena. New social media tools, applications and platforms hit the news every week. And you just do not know who the key players will be this time next year. It’s natural for businesses to hesitate in investing time in such a climate.

Return on time investment: The key is to focus on developing social skills and to integrate these into your marketing strategy. This is how you can spend your time wisely and be well-prepared as:

• Marketing becomes social
• Media habits change

Don’t focus on the social media tools. Focus on developing the social skills you need for your business to create a strong social presence.

Use Social Media to Add Extra Value to Your Current Marketing Strategy

Social media helps businesses to create stronger relationships with their clients; for instance, by creating trust agents. This trust factor can be so powerful it removes the question of time investment.

Social media marketing can save your business time when it is included within your overall marketing plan. When you add the ability to build trust, social media becomes a powerful marketing tactic not to be ignored.

These are just some examples of how to integrate social media into an overall marketing strategy to save businesses time. What other tips do you have? Please share them in the comment section below.

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

7 Ways to Overcome the Social Media Time Sink

International Links

Here’s the weekly roundup of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• Chinese Tigresses - It’s always interesting to look at how well women fare in business in different cultures. Here’s a look at women in China.
• Poetry to boobies wins the Dutch press ad “peoples choice” award - As @DR4WARD say on Twitter, winning awards in one country would earn fines in another. Outside of Europe, where do you think this campaign would be received as intended?
• The big red word, the little green man, and the international war over exit signs. - A very interesting read on the cultural differences in the perception of different types of “exit” signs. And a look at America’s skepticism toward pictograms and symbols, which have long been more popular in the rest of the world.
• Gestures Speak Louder Than Words – Gestures have different, very specific meanings in different places. This is an endless source of miscommunication, amusement and despair for the world traveller and in International Business. Do you have any amusing stories to share?
• Africa’s Cyber WMD - Here’s something to read if you like to follow International Social Media. Do you think this is a real threat?

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Middle Eastern Mirage - Dubai’s spectacular collapse has destroyed vast
  fortunes and exposed the dangers of doing business in the Golf. What
  have investors learned?
• The World’s Most Tech-Friendly Countries - The U.S. is slipping and Sweden is in first position on this list. Martin Lindeskog does this surprise you?
• Get a Great Start - Many French entrepreneurs decide to move to the United States to set up their company. Start ups simply have it easier there than in France. Here’s some useful information from globalEDGE if you’re thinking of starting a company in the US.
• Hands on or hands off? The social media balancing act - This is an interesting read on Interbrand with a few examples of what businesses have learned about giving more power to their audience. So, who has another example like the Vegemite story?
• Princeton Map Of The Month – A world map showing how Starbucks & McDonald’s are taking over the world.

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• Getting Real About Creating Change – This article by Amber Naslund raises some great questions about the reasons why our customers want to connect with us on Twitter and read our company blogs. How has this impacted your international marketing today?
• Cultural impact on advertising - Here’s a slideshare presentation on the cultural impact of advertising. Does anyone have any others to share?
• Facebook’s global gaffe - John Yunker raises some great points: the new Facebook globe icon for notifications is potentially confusing to users. And it also prevents Facebook from creating
  a global gateway strategy that leverages the globe icon. What icon would you like to see Facebook use for notifications?
• Best Global Brands List In 2009 – There are not many surprises on this list, but it’s worth a look. Which of these brands has your vote?
• Digital across cultures: superglobal or hyperlocal? – A good read on how mobile impacts cross-cultural marketing in International Social Media. “Evidence shows that the better a brand understands its customers’ local cultural triggers, the more likely it will be able to profit from digital marketing’s unique cross-market potential.”

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• How to Shorten Your Sales Cycle - Using trigger events to your avantage gets more international sales too. This article by Jill Konrath is a must read for anyone in international sales.
• The U.S. Commercial Service International Sales Leads Gadget is Here! - globalEDGE shares information about a great resource to find international sales leads… and its an iGoogle Gadget! Is anyone using this? What’s you take on it?
• W.T.O. Sees Trade Rebounding in 2010 - China overtook Germany as the world’s top exporter of merchandise in 2009, accounting for almost 10 percent of global exports. Do you see changes in where your international sales are coming from?
• The China Price. Low, Lower, Lowest And Incredibly High. - Here’s a very interesting read on the cultural differences of how price is perceived in China. On the one hand China produces very low cost items, but on the other hand it’s a culture where high priced items are perceived as much better. Do find the contract interesting too?

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• Iceland wants to be your friend. Really. - Here’s an example of how another country is using social media.
• Social networking: Twittering classes - Here’s a graph to have a look at for an international perspective on how much time people spent on social media in 2009. The keenest social-network users, Australians, spent over seven hours a
  month on such sites, “poking” friends and “twittering” in late 2009, twice as much as users in Japan.
• Link Building and International SEO - Here are some tips on basic international SEO. Do you use any of these?
• The best global web sites of 2010 - Here’s John Yunker’s 2010 list of best global websites. Facebook is tie with Google. And the new baseline to be a global website is 20 or more languages, and climbing. Which one of these websites is your favorite?
• Blurred Out: 51 Things You Aren’t Allowed to See on Google Maps - There are a few things listed here located outside of the US which is interesting to note. Thanks to Blog Godown for sharing on Twitter!

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

• What about you? Did you find any interesting links recently?
• What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
• Which international link is your favorite?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 12 2010

International Links

I‘ve started a weekly roundup here on this blog of all of the useful and interesting links I share on Facebook and Twitter. As I explained last week, I have several Facebook Business Pages and have started using them a bit like how I’ve used Delicious in the past: to share useful links. The links for the different Facebook Business Pages are below if you want to follow them there.

Here are the international and cross-cultural links for this week.

Cross-Cultural Topics

• The art and science of cultural difference – An insightful read into cultural differences. Below is the “most wanted” picture in Holland. Read the article to see how this is different to the “most wanted” picture for Americans. A great illustration of cultural differences found via Christian Hoeferle.
• Irish American Culture: Pass the Colcannon – In case you missed reading up on St. Patrick’s day this week, here’s a good read on PocketCultures
• Cultural Competency – Where Do You Begin? - Amadou M. Sall reminds us that we don’t start by talking to “cultures”, we start by connecting with individual people.
• China Blogs by Western Women who Love Chinese Men – Here’s a great resource to get insights into different perspectives of Chinese culture.
• Dubai: The Identity Crisis Next Door – This is an interesting read by Arun Rajagopal. I expect several countries to go through identity crisis as our demographics sift over the next few decades. I wonder what it’ll take for these countries to come through these changes for the better. What do you think?
• Google partners with Italy for groundbreaking book scanning deal – Google has similar arrangements with Oxford University, Madrid’s Complutense University, the Bavarian state museum and others.

Facebook Business Page on Cross-Cultural Communication:

International Business

• Why MBAs are Going East – This trend in looking for better jobs in the east is definitely one to watch.
• The Biggest Roadblock to Upping Exports – Here’s a good read on the challenges of developing business abroad. “The biggest hurdle stopping most companies from doing business abroad is fear”. Do you agree with this?
• Mobile Phone Subscribers Earn Money In the Developing World - As usual, here’s an interesting read on international business by Laurel Delaney. What other international business stories do you have to share?
• Despite Digital Crackdown, Brands Still See Growth in China –  This is also a review of Google’s story, the mistakes they made in China and why other companies should still consider developing there.
• How can I use partners to internationalise when the supplier-buyer relationships are key? – Some great advice from Donagh Kiernan to Get International Clients

Facebook Business Page on International Business:

International Marketing

• A transparent world through face recognition and the great challenge for privacy – Christian Kreutz brings up some great points in the cultural differences in how people are using facial recognition. What do you think about this? Is it a good thing all round or not?
• 9 Killer Tips for Location-Based Marketing – As more location-based tools and platforms are coming out, how can you use these technologies for better marketing. Do you think these tools will help your International Marketing?
• The Future of Publishing - Great video on two different perspectives of the future of publishing.

Facebook Business Page on International Marketing:

International Sales

• gE Blog Series: Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Here’s an interesting series by globalEDGE on transportation and how this impacts International Business : Planes, Trains and Automobiles – Transportation
• European Union Looks at Vietnam – globalEDGE shares how the European Union Looks at Vietnam for free-trade negotiations. Are you aware of all the International Business opportunities available through trade agreements?
• Free Market Webinars Now Available! - Here’s yet another great resource on globalEDGE. This time it’s a list of free webinars to help you make more international sales and Get International Clients. It’s worth checking out.
• Keeping an Open Mind will Open New Markets - Here globalEDGE shares a link to an interview with the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and reminds us of the export opportunities to Get International Clients there. “China, India and Russia have recently earned over $19 billion in business that has traditionally gone to American firms.”

Facebook Business Page on International Sales:

International Social Media

• Data Shows Articles with Digits May be Shared More on Facebook Than Those Without – Dan Zarrella always shares some interesting stats. This one shows why it’s good to include numbers in the articles you share on Facebook… Do you often write article titles with numbers? Do you think works across all cultures?
• Are You Taking Social Media Shortcuts? - In this article Jay Baer gets us thinking about the big picture of social media. Outside of the big 4 mentioned here I like the social bookmarking site BizSugar for it’s business community. Plus, for international audiences I also use the French Viadeo and the European XING. Are their any international social media platforms you like to use?
• Social Media In Philippine Tourism – It’s always interesting to have a look at ideas on using social media in different countries. Although there are not any new ideas here, it does show that opportunities are not exploited.
• Twitter’s Leadership Promises The Impossible – After following Google’s story in China, here’s the take on Twitter. Do you think we’ll have many social media platforms operating all over the globe? Or will there be more of a tendency towards specific platforms for different countries?
• ‘Enemies of the Internet’ Countries Include Iran, Saudi - It seems this is a list we’ll need to watch for a while as the web continues to develop. Are you surprised to see any of these countries listed here?
• Chavez: Twitter and websites may soon be blocked in Venezuela - And after the last link, here’s another interesting bit of news from Venezuela. How much do you think political restrictions in different countries will impact international social media across the globe?
• Bloggerati versus Literati - A good read by Yang-May Ooi on the rise in popularity of Malaysian blogging and bloggers. Are blogs changing the reading habits in your country?

Facebook Business Page on International Social Media:

Now It’s Your Turn

• What about you? Did you find any interesting links recently?
• What do these international and cross-cultural links inspire for you?
• Which international link is your favorite?

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Links: Week 11 2010

International Business Development Strategy

In today’s economy, it seems that everyone is scrambling to keep existing clients and find new ones. And the question of getting international clients pops up.

The trouble is that some people seem to look at developing their international business with a little too much haste. The businesses that contact me for guidance on developing their international business almost always need to be reminded of the following three important points.

Find The Right Product

It’s easy to embrace international business when you already have something to sell.  If you are currently selling something to local clients, it’s easy to assume you can sell it abroad.

The problem is that your assumptions may be wrong.  And the problem gets bigger if you develop a marketing and sales plan based on these wrong assumptions. The sad thing is that wrong assumptions can keep you from identifying great market opportunities.

Key Point: Spend time to make sure your product is appropriate for your international market.  The amount of time you need to spend on market research here depends on your business, your product and many other factors.

Tip: There’s a balancing act to do in knowing when you have too little information or whether you’re expecting too much information at this stage. You may need a little bit of international marketing flair to know when you have enough information to proceed.

Position Your Product

Even when you’ve identified what you want to sell in a new foreign market, you still need to spend time to find the best way to position your product within this new market. Your sales success depends on how well you can position your product in your international market.

Key Point: Find the right way to position your product for international sales and use this in your international sales and marketing tactics.

Tip: Different cultures respond to different emotional buttons, so always listen to learn more about these emotional buttons and improve your empathy with these clients.

Adapting Your Product

When you sell to different cultures, you may need to adapt your product to increase your sales appeal to different clients. It’s not always an easy task and there are many little things that can be overlooked.

In addition to this, adapting your product to an international market can also impact many different areas of your own business. The process can take some time to get it right.

Key Point: Give yourself time and resources to learn how to adapt your product to sell well to different cultures.

Tip: Pay close attention to your assumptions about your international market and spend time cultivating and listening to feedback from you new clients.

Successful International Business Expansion

Many businesses spend time preparing to enter a new market only to realize they need to re-work their sales and marketing once they reach the entry point.

This is a direct result of cultural differences and the challenges faced when trying to sell to people who respond to different emotional buttons and live in a different environment.

What About You?

• Do you have any international business tips to share?
• How are you developing your international business?
• What are you doing to identify the emotional buttons that bring in international sales?

More On International Business Development Strategy:

• 3 Key Points For Businesses Going International
• 5 Actions To Start Developing Your International Markets
• Action Strategy For International Business Development
• Aligning Your Questions To Build Your International Business
• Are People In Small Countries Better International Business Developers?
• Are You Outsourcing Too Much?
• Define International Business
• Global Or International Business?
• Is The Expense Of Foreign Travel Stopping You From Getting International Clients?
• Market Research For International Business Development
• New International Business Development Phase Today With The Right Marketing Mix
• Online Success? Study Traditional Paths To International Business Development For More
• Plans With Adaptability, Flexibility And Agility
• Small Businesses Need To Take Action To Uncover International Business Opportunities
• When Discrimination Is Useful In International Business

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International Business: 3 Tips On Product Marketing