Social Media Ideas for Supporting International Business Expansion ...

Social Media Ideas for Supporting International Business Expansion

By Becky DeStigter, The International Entrepreneur LLC

Learning how to harness the power of social media (Twitter, Blogging, Facebook, Linkedin, Xing, RenRen, etc.) can help you to grow your company and expand your reach - at least it has for my company. ?You can meet clients, partners, and vendors through social media, if you know where to look and how to ask. Social media done right can drastically improve search engine optimization. Many people try social media and give up because they can?t figure out how to use the tools. Here are a few tips for those of you looking to expand globally and need social media to support your expansion.

Listening to Conversations and Connecting with the In-Country Industry Contacts

One of the best ways that entrepreneurs can use social media is to make industry contacts in target country markets. I highly recommend Twitter for this function. Start by following people working in potential target client organizations. Then add industry contacts. I feel that a dedicated Twitter list is one of the best ways to track the conversations going on and to learn what people in your industry are discussing, including new regulations, changes in the market, upcoming events, etc. You may need to rely on an online translation tool if messages are written in a language you can?t read. Once you are connecting with the right people then start an online conversation. If it goes well then bring the conversation from social media into more direct communications via Skype video call or email.

Consistency of Message and Timing

Many companies using social media give up too soon. Building the right audience may take weeks or months, depending on the target group. Another issue is consistency ? companies often randomly make comments on a Facebook company page, post a blog or tweet in Twitter. Social media content delivery should be planned and scheduled to give messages that match the rest of the company brand. And once the company develops a following, the growing audience will want to be able to depend on the frequency of content delivery. When you track your website analytics, you should be able to see consistency paying off in steady traffic growth.

International Cultural Adjustments

A few recommendations to help avoid international cultural incidents? Never tell jokes ? they rarely translate well from culture to culture? Error on the side of formality in order to convey respect online? Show deference to people based on especially age? When an online conversation starts to make progress, take it to voice communication to help avoid certain types of misunderstandings? NEVER insult a person?s country of national origin? and as always, avoid talking about religion, politics and anything related to sex.

About Becky DeStigter:

Becky is a serial entrepreneur who helps B2B technology and professional services companies become more globally competitive. She provides research on international target markets, strategic marketing, and cross-cultural business training. For more articles from Becky, please visit The International Entrepreneur?s website.

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