Webmaster tips & trix   contact | privacylink partnersfree website content
Home » Articles » Miscellaneous
Articles

» Affiliate programs
» SE optimization
» Miscellaneous
» Newsletters & E-zines
» Promotion
» Web design
» Usability
» Domain names
» Create income
» Web writing
» Hosting
» Guerrilla marketing
» Accessibility
» Web credibility
» Data recovery

» Archive

 


Special articles

» Google tools/services
» Yahoo! tools/services


Thinking "Global" in global terms

Final exams are around the corner and another semester is about to end. And this week in college the curriculum in my marketing management class is centered on global marketing and the new, global economy (which of course is primarily knowledge-based). Undeniably, my students were quick to point out that the catalyst, which is "shrinking" the world and giving new meaning to the expression "the global marketplace," is certainly the Internet.

When we develop an online business we quickly realize that we're no longer subjected to the traditional limitations of location, communication and market cycles. The Internet offers new opportunities and new tools that were once nonexistent in the brick-and-mortar world. However, while global marketing in the traditional sense requires a lot of planning, resources and time, and since online marketing cuts a lot of that fat, many tend to think that no careful thought is required when going "virtual." Not entirely so -- and here's why.

Of course market entry barriers have been lowered due to the emergence of the web, but there remains certain things we need to carefully investigate, take into account and plan when we do go online. If one's target market is primarily North American, the need for such strategic thinking may not be so evident at first. And oftentimes, such a need is easily ignored. But down the road things may change. And the web *is* a fertile ground for change.

More than likely, over time an online business will encounter a new set of challenges of which its owners may have never thought. Things like taxes, laws, cultures, politics, tariffs and so on, from another country in which one wants to conduct business, can harm a business if not properly researched. And to discuss these at length would require several textbooks. For now, let's stick to the topic of marketing in a global, Internet-related context.

Every country has its own unique set of advertising laws, customs and values. Since I'm not a lawyer I can only guess that going online is not a problem unless business is conducted in a country in which one breaks any of its regulations. (In fact, new legal precedents are being set almost each day.)

Moreover, certain marketing approaches may not necessarily break any laws but may be considered unethical or outright insulting to a specific culture. Admittedly, it would be quite a challenge (and expensive) for a small business to adapt one's marketing. So the basics would certainly be to take a careful look at one's target market and the potential growth of one's online business.

How can one's online marketing be considered unethical let alone insulting? A friend once told me that, in Singapore, chewing gum in public is forbidden. So would marketing a new brand of chewing gum online, and selling it to the Singapore market, break any laws? Maybe. Maybe not. In other countries, I've been told that showing a woman's bare legs, above the kneecaps (and no more), can be considered as pornography. And pornography in some Asian countries, namely Japan, is exceedingly legislated.

Here are more examples. Would http://www.pigfarmer.com/, a site selling pork, do well in Muslim populated countries? Would http://www.fcuk.com/, which really stands for "First Consultants UK," do well in purist countries? (In fact, the site is actually being disputed in the High Court of England and Wales. The domain name is also being disputed by French fashion chain "French Connection UK," which was also charged by the UK authorities recently because one of its storefronts displayed the acronym "FCUK.")

These are things to consider. Arguably, some of these examples are quite extreme. And attempting to follow every single law, in every single country, is impractical and next to impossible. But the most common errors committed by newly globalized businesses are translations (or the lack thereof) of their advertising, which have drove some companies to the brink of bankruptcy.

Here are some true yet funny examples. Read the bad marketing translations at http://wopr.caltech.edu/~mph/humor/archive1/msg00187.html. In fact, some of these well-known blunders are pulled right from college textbooks on marketing, and I've them in my marketing classes.

While these may bring a chuckle or two, it is nonetheless important to ensure one's online marketing appeals to a global market -- if one wishes to serve the global market. Online a company has definitely entered the "global marketplace," even though it may only conduct its business in, say, North America. In the very least for a North American business, Spanish (for Americans) and French (for Canadians) -- including language, culture and customs -- should be considered, even when no translations are made and the international language of business, being English, is used.

But it's food for thought, anyway. Let me ask you, how does your product name, advertising or website copy sound to or in another language?


About the author
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter and consultant dedicated to turning sales messages into powerful magnets. Get a free copy of his book, "The 10 Commandments of Power Positioning," when you subscribe to his free monthly ezine, "The Profit Pill." See http://SuccessDoctor.com/ now!

Latest articles

» Change your mind about an eBay bid?
We have all made choices in life that two seconds later we know we should take back. Especially when there is money involved this can become a problem.

» A simple way to create 7 effective autoresponder messages
Email is the Net's most powerful marketing tool. And autoresponders are the best idea yet for marketing with email.

» 7 ways to drive laser-targeted traffic to your website
Getting people who matter to see one’s website is a difficult undertaking if he tries to consider the fact that there are rivals everywhere waiting to pin him down.

» Website valuation: Why standard website pricing methods will emerge
The market of buying and selling developed websites is becoming more and more liquid each day.

» One way links are better than reciprocal links
You probably know by now that where your website ranks in the search engine rankings dramatically affects how many visitors you have to your site. Did you also know that you can change where your site is ranked by being proactive and getting as many one way links to your site as possible?

» How to make visitors stay at your website
The very first thing which you should provide the visitors with is some free interesting reading material.

» How to make your visitors click your ads
Here is a simple solution; Convert your banner advertisement to look like a text advertisement!

» Offline advertising should be a part of your online strategy
Day by day, online business has become more & more complicated and competitive.

» How to sell traffic
Selling the traffic arriving at your site is a good method to increase profits from your portal.

» Make money from online auctions
Online auctions have the best benefit of a vast platform. Your product is viewed by loads of people & hence there is more possibility of finding a suitable bidder.

» Groupware explained in easy terms
Groupware is a term used frequently to describe collaborative software. Groupware is application software that integrates work on a single project by several concurrent users at separated random workstations.

» Timely back up can save you from disasters
Few things which people often back up are e-mail addresses, bank records, photographs, personal records, software’s, music etc.

» Why should one go for autoresponders
Autoresponders are programs which get automatically executed in particular situations.

» Become your own boss - Start your own online business today
A survey conducted by SBA states that two third of new business survives at least two year and about forty four percent survives at least four year.

» Express your thoughts - Creating your own blog!
What exactly is a blog? Technically speaking it is a journal or a newsletter which is regularly updated and can be used by any one.

» Pop-up ads - To be or not to be?
According to a study conducted by the Bunnyfoot University, “The Efficacy of Pop-ups and the Resulting Effect on Brands” Internet users feel harangues and harassed by pop-up ads.

» Why content is king on the Internet
The advantages that Internet holds over the rest of the other communication mediums should not wasted because of the inability to find a comprehensive plan that will bind all these faculties together.

» 10 niche marketing tips
In our increasingly driven consumer economies, the average customer is bombarded by choices. With increased saturation of the market, companies look towards niche marketing to search new, ever-evolving and sophisticated consumers.

» Using free traffic exchange
These days internet has emerged as both, a market and hub for marketing. Unlike the ‘brick and mortar’ world where large manufacturers manage to squeeze out the market bases of smaller companies, the internet provides haven like the free traffic exchange.

» Ten ways to drive traffic to your website
Developing a web site and then letting it grow is like planting a tree and then nurturing it.

» Marketing through keyword articles
One of the most effective tools of Internet marketing is the use of keyword articles.

» Want to make money online? Market a service to businesses
Don walked across the street from his house to mine to announce he had finally retired. "But I'm not ready for the golf course," he said. "I want to make a living on the Internet. What can I sell?"

» Web site design mistakes - Database parameters in URLs
Creating a web site takes thought, planning and execution. Unfortunately, many designs are dead in the water before they are even published as far as search engine optimization is concerned. Whatever you do, avoid these critical mistakes.

» Alexa Toolbar - The ultimate internet tool
There are numerous tools available on the Internet to assist online businesses. A valuable tool that you should use is the Alexa Toolbar. Even better, this tool is free.

» Web site design mistakes
Some wise human once said "Learn from the mistakes of others. There isn't nearly enough time to make them all yourself." Hence this article. Here are five of the most annoying and common web design mistakes.

» Abandonment - Why visitors don't turn into customers
Every good Internet business understands the value of conversions versus hits received. Far too often, businesses become fixated on the hits they are receiving instead of monitoring their hit to sale conversion rate.

» Creative search engine optimization - A case study
Search engine optimization this and search engine optimization that. You read and hear about it all day, but what about your site?


Tools & services to enhance your online business

» Site Build It!
Over 100,000 small businesses of all kinds outperform larger, well-financed competitors. Read about this all-in-one site-building-hosting-marketing system of tools that delivers results.

» Secrets To Their Success
Take a private tour of two "Mom & Pop" web sites every month that earn $100,000+ a year... and discover the exact step-by-step strategies they have personally used to generate these massive profits.