Commercial activity has been changing and evolving over the years. It is becoming increasingly important to connect one’s business to the world outside one’s national boundaries. Being an international company means operating in a competitive global market. Therefore, many believe that going global is risky because it puts them in contact with different cultures, languages, and customs. However, thanks to globalization, the large gap that once existed between countries is now much smaller, making it easier than ever for businesses to integrate into any other part of the world.
Even so, not all are aware of the many benefits that the outside world has to offer, but never fear; we are here to tell you about the benefits and how to attain them.
Barcelona, Spain
Benefits of Going Global
- Offering services in different parts of the globe increase the market niche, allowing a company to obtain a greater number of clients and consequently, larger profits.
- By having business in different countries, the risk is also diversified. If you operate in a single country, the risk can be very high. If for example, the market for your product tanks in one country, your presence in other countries will help you to ride out the storm.
- In addition, an international business arouses greater interest among clients and, more importantly, generates more confidence due to the professional image of a multinational company or business. This will increase customer loyalty.
Japanese street at night
Now, do you think it’s easy to integrate into another country, or that it’s practically impossible?
The answer is that all that is needed can actually be quite affordable and easy to obtain. Of course, for many industries it is not necessary to have a physical headquarters with staff and facilities because, thanks to the rise of new technologies, internationalization is within everyone’s reach.
Here’s how to make the most of technology in order to achieve the international success we all desire.
How to Go Global as an International Company
- First, once you target a country or countries where you want to do business, it is essential to localize the website for the language and preferences of the target market.
- Second, digital marketing plays a vital role. Since the company has no physical headquarters in the country, web-based marketing becomes the key driver for success. Therefore, location appropriate digital marketing tools become indispensable as companies reach out to customers where they are.
- Third, an international virtual phone number allows customers to reach out to the company with a phone number that is local to them. Thanks to virtual numbers, it is not necessary to have an office in every foreign country country in order to have this international contact number. An international virtual number is a number that has the prefix of the country you want to target, but calling it rings through to an electronic device in your home country (or anywhere else for that matter). For example, if your business also wants to launch in the UK, you can have a virtual phone number United Kingdom with the prefix of the city you want and customers there can call a local number and have their calls routed to the United States. You can answer those calls in the office, on a mobile phone, on the sofa at home, or anywhere.
- Fourth, for those companies that receive a large volume of calls, it may be worthwhile to set up call center software. This software is a must if you want to offer, in addition to an international image, a customer service of high quality.
Running an international business from home is a much cheaper option than having an office in every city you want to target. Instead of having several offices in different parts of the world, you need only one from which all the work is managed. This allows for greater flexibility.
Increasing and expanding your market niche can increase sales. If you have an international company with customers spanning the globe, your business will give confidence to the client, differentiating you from the rest and increasing your exposure to even more potential customers.
Spanish Town
By Emma Smith and Darren Jansen
Emma Smith, PR and content manager at Fonvirtual. Fonvirtual provides companies and entrepreneurs with international virtual phone numbers and other virtual services. I’m interested in digital marketing, technology and international logistics. I am a frequent collaborator in blogs, where I try to spread the word of telecom services in international business.
Darren Jansen, business development and content manager for IVANNOVATION, has a lifetime love for tech and languages. At IVANNOVATION he helps companies get professional translation and localization for their documents, apps, and websites. On his time away from the office, he can be found hiking the Carolina wilderness or reading Chinese literature.
