
Creating a Global Marketing Plan as a UK Small Business
Are you a UK small business looking to market and sell your amazing products abroad? Or are you considering it? Then some serious global marketing planning will need to be done. Yippee!
While you might already be planning your domestic marketing regularly, (or maybe you’re not?), you’re probably wondering how to make it work for a global audience.
Very valid question, my friend. Hopefully, within the next few minutes, I can give you the answer to exactly that.
And because I know that small business owners are usually not backed by a 10-strong marketing department, this article contains advice that is actually feasible for mini marketing teams and even solopreneurs.
(There’s too much generic big business advice out there anyway, don’t you think?)
Make Your Marketing Plan Country-Specific
Many businesses use the exact same marketing plan for their target markets abroad as they do for their domestic market. And it seems the logical thing to do.
However, a year in the life of your domestic customer can greatly differ from one abroad. They live in a different world, if you will, and focus on different things. If we keep those things in mind, and tailor our marketing plan to each target country, our marketing will be much more effective, and our business more profitable.
So, my recommendation is to pull up a calendar for each of your target countries, and go through all festivities and bank holidays you can find. Mark those in your country-specific marketing plans and tailor your campaigns around them individually, for each country.
Also, school holiday dates in the UK will likely differ from those in Germany, for example. In fact, in Germany they even differ from federal state to federal state (and we have 16 of them!). That means that any “back to school” promos for Germany will neatly have to match those dates.
If you want to take it a step or two further, you can also keep in mind these two things:
- Weather and climate: Are your UK winter boots really warm enough for a German winter and “demanding” German customers? Maybe you have to promote them a tad bit earlier in Germany, for fall or our beloved “in between” season.
- Time zones: What time zones are your different target groups living in? Between the UK and Germany, there’s one hour difference. Handy to keep in mind for any “ends at midnight” offers.
Create a Budget for Your Global Marketing Plan
Ok, now that the “what” and “when” are clear, it is time to laser-focus on the “how much”. Nothing’s worse than having all your global marketing neatly planned out, only to find yourself in the middle of the year with no marketing Zaster left.
Make sure to plan ahead for your marketing measures and campaigns, and put money aside accordingly.
For your global marketing plan, this can include costs for:
- Human (!) translations of any marketing material you want to use
- Ads for each of your target countries
Tip: Schedule some budget to have your country-specific marketing campaigns reviewed by a native marketing expert. They will be able to tell you if any planned campaigns won’t make much sense in your target market and suggest alternatives. (Contact me for German!) It’s money well spent, promise.
Hire Language Support
Well done so far! Let’s keep up the good energy and take a look at my personal favorite (that probably won’t be yours): language.
Don’t worry, I am not going to require you to learn any German or other language.
What I will recommend to you is to always, always, always work with professional linguists when marketing your brand and products globally. That means hiring a marketing translator or transcreator (that’s actually a term you’ll need to remember).
If you want people from other countries to buy from you, you need to offer your products in their mother tongue. It just makes filling that basket so much easier and enjoyable.
And now the good news: You’ve already found your perfect linguistic match for German (hi!), so no need for an exhausting Google search. And if you want to add another language, I am happy to recommend someone from my network of trusted colleagues. Just email me.
Side note about the AI hype: I know you poured your heart and soul into creating your small brand. Don’t be fooled into believing that a robot can effectively convey who you, your team members, and your small brand are. Instead, team up with another small business owner who, just like you, poured their heart and soul into their freelance translation business. Join forces, and help make our world more human again. I promise you, your small brand will profit from it (yes, money-wise).
Publish, Track and Adjust
Now, all that’s left to do is stick to your plan and get your marketing campaigns out into the world.
Don’t forget to track your success: Keep an eye on your analytics, be it on Google, Instagram, your newsletter, or any other platform. Now that you’re marketing beyond your domestic market, it will be especially interesting to watch engagement and conversions from abroad.
Are you already starting to notice tracktion from Germany? Could there be more? Then why not create a small thank-you gift for your first 10/50/100 German customers to lower the hurdle for them?
Get into data-collecting mode. Look at what works well and what doesn’t. And adjust your measures accordingly.
Conclusion
Creating a global marketing plan for your UK small business doesn’t have to be complicated. There are some details to consider though, that will make a huge difference.
Start small, think simple, and get professional language support on board. With that, you’re already off to a great start.
Want to work with me on your German marketing plan? Get in touch!