Coronavirus and the UK’s departure from the EU are raising all sorts of emotional, financial, political and logistical questions.

Covid-19 has changed the experience of being a customer, employee, citizen and human being and it is certainly changing the way we live.

Businesses are being forced to look for new ways of working as customer behaviours have been changing, shifting rapidly to digital environments.

Perhaps you sell overseas and orders have stalled, or you have seen a new opportunity and would like to start selling internationally, but don’t know where to start or what kind of marketing approach to take?

At the No Fuss Group we have been working to support our clients during this difficult time and have created a top level International Marketing Essentials checklist that has helped our clients to review and understand where they are at the moment, and how they can ensure that they are clear on their customers’ needs and communication preferences.

This checklist can be used to help gain clarity and to inform your international marketing and communications strategy.

6 Essentials of International Marketing

1. Back to Basics

• Complete a business audit and benchmark where you are at.
• Keep your finger on the pulse with your clients & markets.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and develop a plan B….and C

2. Put Yourself in your Customers Shoes

• Review and analyse your customer data.
• Identify the key decision makers for target customers.
• Develop detailed profiles of your ideal client.

3. Digital First

• Think Global, Act Local.
• Be visible and show that you are trustworthy.

4. Tell your Story

• Create world class localised content.
• Speak your customers language.
• Do your cultural research – a picture says a thousand words

5. Mind your Language

• Global English as a first step.
• Communicate in the local language.
• Be sure to translate content and meta data

6. Take Care of Yourself

• Have a written plan broken down into manageable parts.
• Develop simple, smart goals and celebrate success.
• Seek support and share the load.

Now more than ever there is a need to deliver world class communication and take account of foreign languages, culture research and digital strategy to be more globally oriented to suit the needs of international customers as well as internationalise your website and social media resources.

How you communicate with customers, explaining what you’re doing and why, listening and hearing the early signals from customers in terms of what they want and how they feel, and your businesses’ ability to respond to these signals quickly and appropriately, will be critical to your export sales success.