2. Introduction and background
Commercially
astute
Technologically
sound
Culturally
sensitive
• Commercially astute
– Several international management, consulting, and
business research, development, and setup roles in
MNC environment for last 15+ years
– Diploma, Business Innovation/Development (Distinction)
• Technologically sound
– MSc, IT (Knowledge-Based Systems)
– BSc Hons (1st Class), Information Technology
– Diploma (Distinction), Internet Marketing & Online PR
– Diploma, Web Technologies
• Culturally sensitive
– Life split 50/50 between Ireland and Germany (plus
some time in UK )
– Multinational and multicultural work environment for last
20 years
– Qualified translator (German/English)
Susanne Dirks
3. Agenda
• Good and bad news
• Why do I need a different Internet marketing approach abroad ?
• How can I use the Internet to increase my export sales ?
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8. Challenge 3:
Readiness of Irish SMEs
Audit of EI companies for:
• Website Visibility
– 17 criteria across 4 categories:
Technical Tuning, Onsite SEO,
Offside SEO and Social media
• Website Impact
– 17 criteria across 4 categories:
Content & Translation,
Customer Service Support,
Clarity of Website, Trust-
enhancing Features
– Plus 4 additional criteria for
any companies that provided
e-commerce type of
transactions
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0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1
Best
Worst
Average score
Source: Data from 2013 audit for Enterprise Ireland
9. Agenda
• Good and bad news
• Why do I need a different Internet marketing approach abroad ?
• How can I use the Internet to increase my export sales ?
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10. Web presence abroad
means operating in a different environment
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Business
Environment
Technology
Environment
Socio-cultural
Environment
Legal
Environment
11. Assessing the opportunity: “Ladies Shoes”
Ladies shoes
Ireland 320
UK 18,100
US 4,400
Germany 90
Austria 10
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Source: Google Keyword planner, 27.1.2014
Monthly search volumes in Google:
Know your market
Question 1a:
Is there sufficient
demand for your
product/s in your
target market/s ?
12. Assessing the opportunity: “Ladies Shoes”
Ladies shoes Women shoes
Ireland 320 50
UK 18,100 2,400
US 4,400 14,800
Germany 90 110
Austria 10 10
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Source: Google Keyword planner, 27.1.2014
Monthly search volumes in Google:
Know your market
Know their lingo
Question 1b:
Is there sufficient
demand for your
product/s in your
target market/s ?
13. Assessing the competition: “Ladies shoes”
Ireland (google.ie) Germany (google.de)
Search:
(in native language)
No top ads 2 ads on
top
Question 2: Who are you competing with in
your selected foreign target market/s ?
14. Re-evaluating your USP
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Source: IPC Cross-Border e-Commerce report
Question 3:
What is your USP for
selling in your new
target market/s ?
15. The impact of a different socio-cultural
environment on e-commerce abroad
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Business
Environment
Technology
Environment
Socio-cultural
Environment
Legal
Environment
16. The cultural environment directly determines the
(online) marketing approach
• Culture is …
– “a universal orientation
system typical of a
society, organisation
or group”
– Influences the way all
of its members
perceive, think,
value, act :
• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action
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“The web is not a culturally
neutral medium … a website has
to be designed for a targetted
customer segment … Local
adaptation should be based on
a complete understanding of
a customer group’s culture …”
17. Many users only perceive, think, and value
only in their own language…
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Considerable country variances !
Question asked:
“Do you use a language other than
your own to read/watch content
on the Internet ?”
Also note:
- Level of
usage
- Situations
for usage
18. ... and usage of another language is not very
frequent (and not necessarily English) ...
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19. At the most basic level, cultural localisation is
about local standards and conventions
• Important conventions for cultural web
presence localisation include:
– Use of colours
– Use of formats
– Use of measurements
– Use of symbols
– Use of icons
– Use of pictures
– Use of currency
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20. But culture goes deeper and impacts thinking
(“value”) and behaviours (“act”)
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions
• Power distance
– Attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst its members
• Individualism
– Degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members
• Masculinity/femininity
– Main motivations in people, wanting to be the best (masculine) versus
liking what you do (feminine).
• Uncertainty avoidance
– Extent to which people feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown
situations
• Long-term orientation
– Extent to which a society shows a long-term versus a short-term point of
view of the future
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21. Comparison: Ireland - China
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PDI = Power Distance
IDV = Individuallism
MAS = Masculinity/Femininity
UAI = Uncertainty Avoidance
LTO = Long-term Orientation
23. Culture’s influence on purchase value
and speed of decision
Business, France Business, Japan
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24. The impact of different technology usage on
e-commerce abroad
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Business
Environment
Technology
Environment
Socio-cultural
Environment
Legal
Environment
25. Successful web presence abroad requires an
understanding of technology usage patterns
• Technology infrastructure
• Preferred search engines
• Approach to search
• Preferred websites / blogs
• Preferred social media platforms/channels
• Preferred online directories
• Preferred price comparison engines
• Online usage patterns
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28. 5 top social networking sites in Russia
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29. The impact of different legal and/or regulatory
requirements on e-commerce abroad
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Business
Environment
Technology
Environment
Socio-cultural
Environment
Legal
Environment
30. Legal considerations for web presence abroad
• Online legal aspects different from country to
country include areas such as:
– Privacy and data protection legislation
– Advertising legislation
– Brand legislation
– Consumer legislation
– Copyright
– Terms and conditions
– Liability
– Domain names
– Website content
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31. Example: Naming of the “Buy”
button in Germany
• Only FOUR legally
compliant names:
• Examples of legally
non-compliant names:
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32. Agenda
• Good and bad news
• Why do I need a different Internet marketing approach abroad ?
• How can I use the Internet to increase my export sales ?
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33. 4 key action areas for a successful web
presence abroad
• Content
• Culture
• Language
• Channnels
• Resources
• Processes
• Domain
strategy
• Search Engine
Marketing
• Social Media
• Target
market
research
• Online
Marketing
Strategy ...getting
ready for
them
...getting
them to
find you
... getting
them to
engage
with you
....getting
them to
do lasting
business
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1 2
34
34. Step 1:
Define your online strategy for the new market
• Do target market research
– Offline market
– Online market
• Review and refine your online value proposition
for your target market
– Demand
– Feasibility
– Brand
– Clear competitive differentiation
• Online content and design
• Online visibility
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35. Barriers to Cross-Border e-Commerce
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Source: IPC Cross-Border e-Commerce report
=> ‘Localise’ your value proposition
36. “Localise” your value proposition
Develop
Local USP
Kerrygold
Butter…
Natural…
Healthy…
Irish
butter
…Quality butter
38. “Localise” your value proposition
Develop
Local USP
“Translate”
local USP
SEOptimise
local USP
Adwords
Local market focused SEO
meta/technical,content,links
Local directories
Local social media strategy
45. Step 2:
Make sure your target customers can find you online
• Domain Strategy
– Domain name: TLD, spelling/meaning, legal
• Search Engine Marketing
– Search engine optimisation
• Onpage
• Offpage
– Search engine advertising
– Social media optimisation
– Other types of e-marketing
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46. Search engine marketing for new market
Social Media
Optimisation
Search
Engine
Optimisation
Search
Engine
Advertising
• Keywords for SEO and
SEA for target market
– Value proposition
– Target market
language
– Used by target market
online users
– Differentiating
• Off-page SEO for
target market
• Social Media for target
market
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Keywords !!!
47. Good keywords are not only translated, but must
also reflect native language search patterns
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Source: Google Trends on 103372013, Germany, past 12 months
Also watch:
- Language and grammar
- Different thinking patterns
79
1
48. • Create inbound links from reputable websites in the
target market
– Example: www.german.hostelworld.com
• Encourage local links and followers
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Off-page SEO for foreign markets:
The importance of local links
49. Step 3:
Make sure your target market customers
buy into you online
• Appropriate and local language content
• Cultural adaptation of web presence
• Making your web presence looks local
• Legal requirements for web presence
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51. Website translation is more than just translation
• Translation quality
• Translation scope
• Translation updates
• Style of translated text
• Formatting of translated text
• Consistency of translation
• Keyword focus on translated text
• Non-text content -> videos
• Quality assurance
• Keywords
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Avoid:
- Google Translate & Co!
- Unqualified translators
- Mixed-language approaches
Price
question:
What does
content
consist of ?
56. Making your web presence look local
• German domain name and/or German ccTLC
• Providing local payment options
• Local contact options, e.g. Address/phone
number
• Local case studies
• Seals of approval by local organisations/bodies
• List of local events
• List of local websites
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59. Localisation for taste and seasons
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Local taste
Seasons and bank holidays
60. Step 4:
Make sure you can do business with the your new
target market customers
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• Channels
• Communication
• Resources
• Skills
• Processes
61. Channels, processes, resources
for selling to export markets
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Source: Based on Alex Osterwalder: Business Model Canvas
Awareness
• How do
you raise
awareness
for your
company’s
products
and/or
services ?
Evaluation
• How you
do help
customers
evaluate
your value
proposition
?
Purchase
• How do
you allow
customers
to
purchase
specific
products
and/or
services?
Delivery
• How do
you deliver
your value
proposition
to your
customers
?
Aftersales
• How do
you
provide
post-
purchase
support ?
62. Retain and grow your customers:
Fresh and local content
Facebook, Kerrygold
DE
Franchisedirekt.com:
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63. Customer service for export markets
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74.7 % say
availability of
after-sales
support in own
language
influences their
buying decision
64. Summary & Next steps
Key points:
• Need for target market focus
• Refinement and ‘localisation
of value proposition
• Localisation of website
• Localisation of Internet
marketing strategy
• Localisation != translation
• Pre- and post-localisation
activities
65. THANK YOU
For more info, contact:
sudirks@evorsprung.com
www.evorsprung.com
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