Global Marketing Strategies for International Success

As the world gets smaller, companies recognize the need to adopt global marketing strategies. But expanding your marketing campaigns into new geographies comes with challenges, like how to engage international prospects and how to structure a global marketing team. Today we're covering best practices of international marketing teams that lead to global success.

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Global Marketing Strategies are the New Normal

The year is 2021 and the world is getting smaller. As we recently discussed in The Big 6 Benefits of SIP Trunking, 2020 saw organizations around the world adopt cloud communications at record rates. 2020 is over but the direction of that trend hasn't changed, and consumer expectations for their business interactions are evolving just as fast. Based on customer service data from contact centers around the world, we know that consumer use of digital channels to contact a company is increasing and that customers with just one poor service experience are willing to forgo a brand, raising the stakes for marketers.

There's a bright side to this story for marketing leaders. As the world economy rebounds back from uncertain times, many marketing teams have found innovative ways to succeed by expanding their inbound and outbound marketing strategies internationally. Global marketing strategies still deliver massive ROI, especially as many agencies and in-house teams struggle to adapt to the new business climate. Expanding your marketing team’s revenue-generating efforts to international customers is the new standard for large and midsize companies, and a game-changing advantage for small and growing businesses that use new technology to manage a global marketing team.

International Marketing Techniques Must Evolve with Customer Expectations

Customer expectations for sales and marketing interactions are evolving with the new normal of business communications. A recent review of our global network trends revealed some interesting statistics marketing teams should be aware of:

  • Decline in consumer trust due to fraud. 40% of the billions of robocalls made each month are fraudulent. Consumers are suspicious of incoming calls, rarely answering calls from unfamiliar area codes.  
  • Customer visibility is at an all-time high. 80% of customers say experiences provided by a company are as important to them as its product. 
  • Customers answer their phones less often. Three out of four calls are unanswered due to unfamiliar area codes. Calls are even less likely to be answered when displaying an international caller ID. 
  • Contact rates are down, but the phone is still king. While the use of multiple digital channels is on the rise, the phone is still king for revenue-focused marketing teams. Phone conversations are 10x more likely to lead to sales than email. 
  • Modern communication solutions must enable remote workforces. 76% of support functions are now fully remote, with remote marketing positions on the rise. Small businesses and large corporations alike implement cloud-based solutions so they can easily manage their phone numbers, agents, and call flows from anywhere in the world.
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Advantages of a Well-Designed International Marketing Strategy

While the challenges can seem daunting, the benefits of expanding your outbound marketing techniques into new geographies are worth the squeeze for technology companies of any size.

1. Expand Your Addressable Market to a Global Audience

Don't be bound by geography. Modern businesses sell anywhere and anytime with solutions with AVOXI; All you need is a wifi connection and a computer. Expanding your brand efforts internationally benefits your existing marketing channels as well, as consumers are more likely to trust companies that have the processes in place to serve a global customer base.

2. Access Customers & Creative Talent in New Regions

Marketing internationally isn't just good for driving revenue in new regions, it's an opportunity to access a global talent pool! Localizing your international marketing efforts with an in-country team is a great strategy when expanding your efforts, especially when it comes to outbound marketing and telemarketing campaigns.. As revenue generated in new markets increases, you have more opportunities to invest back into your international teams. 

3. Stabilize Revenue with a Global Marketing Channel Mix

Tired of bracing for seasonal shifts in business activity, especially during slow seasons and holidays? At AVOXI, we don't believe in seasonality! Or more specifically, we don't accept seasonality as a reason for slow business cycles. This is one benefit of our international marketing strategy; When things slow down somewhere due to holidays, our international mix of marketing channels keeps us engaged in areas of the world where customers are ready for business.

4. Empower International Teams with Better Remote Work Technologies

As the adoption of cloud-based communications continues, solutions like AVOXI make it easier to expand globally and manage international marketing teams. Set up toll-free hotlines or local call tracking numbers in 170+ countries, boost outbound contact rates with local caller ID in 20+ countries, manage remote employees from anywhere with a wifi connection and so much more within the AVOXI platform. 

Challenges of Global Marketing Strategies

Considering the powerful benefits of global marketing strategies, why doesn't everyone start reaching out to international prospects tomorrow? As it turns out, international communications get tricky in a hurry! The challenges of expanding your marketing channel mix into new geographies include: 

  • Cost to the customer to reach you. In many countries, the cost to call your company may be expensive for locals depending on your number type. For example, callers in the UAE are more likely to call a toll free or local number than they are a shared-cost 600 number. 
  • Differences in preferred number types between countries. While you want to set up a number in each region you expand to, you also need to ensure you're choosing a popular number type. For example, a toll free service number is a great idea for most countries, but these numbers can be problematic for connecting to callers in China.
  • High rates of fraud make it harder to get on the phone. Have we mentioned that consumers are less likely to answer unfamiliar area codes? This is where TrueLocal™ comes in! In every country we serve, we see significantly better answer rates when using a local area code during outbound calls. 
  • Complicated, country-specific regulatory requirements. Every region has a different regulatory body (sometimes multiple), and getting approval to receive or make calls to in-country prospects is a process that may take months in certain countries. Usually run by the government, it’s a slow process to get connected. success often depends on who you reach that day. 

Secret Hack for Outbound Marketing Campaigns: Local Caller ID

Our data show that customers in every country are more likely to answer calls from local numbers (i.e. local caller ID). Creating a local presence for your business using 2-way numbers provides your customers with a phone number they are more likely to answer and return calls to.

How Outbound Marketing Teams Reach More Customers with Less Effort

At AVOXI, we work hard every day creating ways for companies to connect with their customers no matter where they do business. One of the most common problems international marketing teams face is how to engage new international prospects. As we covered above, consumers are answering their phone less often compared to just a couple of years ago. So how do you get international prospects to pick up when your sales reps call?

In our experience, nothing beats the power of local caller ID services like TrueLocal™. TrueLocal is a 2-way voice number, allowing you to use one number to make and receive calls from a target country. When making an outbound call, your TrueLocal number will display as the local caller ID instead of "unknown" or "international" caller ID tags (or worse, a random phone number from a country your call was routed between). International marketplaces become easier to penetrate when you have a local edge. 

"The beauty of two-way local voice is that this technology is scalable for all business types. VoIP communication platforms have reliable tools that are easy to use, providing users a level playing field whether you're a business of 50 or 1,000 employees."
- Barbara Dondiego, AVOXI COO

Give Your Global Marketing Team a Local Edge

Interested in expanding your sales and marketing strategies into new markets? AVOXI is the cloud-communication solution of choice for global companies and international teams. Talk to us today to find out what we can do to set up your international marketing team for global success.