One of the biggest reasons businesses fail in new international markets?
A lack of localisation.
This does not just mean translating a website, but making sure every aspect of a customer’s digital – and physical – journey is adapted to be relevant and accessible to them.
Let’s look at three ways you can understand your target markets and ensure you are meeting the needs of your audience in each one.
1. Gather market intelligence
Having detailed knowledge of your target market is essential for strategic decision-making. By gathering in-depth market intelligence, you can better understand customer behaviours, identify opportunities and mitigate risks.
The following methods can be used to gather market intelligence:
- Market research: Conduct surveys and interviews to gather direct feedback from your target customers.
- Competitive analysis: Study local competitors to understand their strengths, weaknesses and strategies.
- Data analysis: Use data analytics tools to track market trends, customer behaviours and sales data.
- Local knowledge: Collaborate with local consultants to gain insights from those who know the market intimately.
- Social listening: Monitor social media platforms to gauge public sentiment and emerging trends.
Once you have gathered all that valuable market intelligence, you can use it to refine your strategies, product/service offerings and marketing efforts.
Keep in mind that market research should not just be a “one and done” activity. It is important to repeat this research at regular intervals so that you can continually learn and adapt, based on new market insights.
2. Localise for the target market
Once you have a full understanding of your target market, you can start making sure you are correctly localising for that market.
Localisation refers to the practice of adapting your content, products/services and business practices to the needs and preferences of the local market.
This is essential for international business success. Here are some of the key elements to consider when localising for your target market:
- Language: Ensure all relevant content is available in the local language. Always use a professional native speaker when embarking on translation or copywriting projects.
- Cultural adaptation: Be aware that you may need to adapt your product/service and marketing materials to fit local cultural norms and values.
- Regulatory compliance: Ensure that your product/service and business practices comply with local laws and regulations.
- Payment methods: Offer payment options that are popular and trusted in the target market.
- Customer support: Provide local customer support, in the local language and time zone, to address issues and queries in a timely manner.
3. Use the right platforms
Once you have fully localised your product/service and content, it is time to think about your marketing.
A key part of this is making sure you are focusing your marketing efforts on the right platforms. This is important because different markets may favour different platforms when it comes to search engines, social networks and e-commerce platforms.
When selecting the right platforms, it is important to keep in mind the following:
- Popularity and usage: Identify platforms that are widely used by the audience in your target market.
- Relevance: Choose platforms that are particularly relevant and effective in your industry.
- Cost versus benefit: Evaluate the cost of using each platform against the potential return-on-investment.
But how do you know where to start? The Webcertain search and social report 2025 can be a great place to begin. This report covers 57 countries and provides a top-level overview of the most popular search engines, social networks, e-commerce platforms and digital marketing best practices for each market. It is designed to empower businesses to make smarter, data-driven decisions when adapting their digital marketing strategies for local markets.
Are you ready to succeed in global markets?
Taking your business into international markets requires a well-thought-out strategy that considers the unique attributes of each target market.
By following the steps laid out in this blog post, you can significantly mitigate the risks and gain a competitive edge over your rivals.
Localisation at every step is vital: from the initial market research, through to localising your product/service and content, and finally choosing locally-appropriate platforms for your digital marketing efforts.
The Webcertain search and social report 2025 is available now and is ideal for marketers wanting a succinct overview of the digital marketing landscape across 57 countries – we hope it will be useful during your international marketing journey.
If you would like a no-obligation chat with our international digital marketing experts, get in touch with us today and we will get back to you promptly!
