Jamie Hardin, GreenLit Marketing’s founder and CEO, recently spoke at the International Trade Council’s Think Global Conference. Since 1982, this conference has played a vital role in bringing together global leaders to enhance opportunities for international trade and investment.
This conference is an excellent opportunity for international exporters all over the world to discover the latest trends, opportunities, and challenges in global trade.
At the 2021 conference, marketing was a hot topic with several subject-matter experts speaking on the latest trends to watch out for. If you missed the conference, don’t worry. We took notes and now we’re bringing the lessons learned straight to you. Here are the top five global marketing trends in international exporting that we noted.
1. The ABCs of Localization and Importance of Ranking in SERP
Digital marketing is a valuable tool for all marketers, but it’s especially critical for international exporters looking to enter new markets. And when this is the case, localization is the name of the game. Localization helps you build a reputation locally and attract a target market in a specific geographic area.
By using local SEO tactics, you can increase your chances of showing up in search engine rankings not only for searches that are relevant to what you’re selling but for searchers in your target area.
To take advantage of this global marketing trend, focus on these local SEO tactics:
- Create a Google My Business profile, which will enable search engines to generate and share accurate details about your business, such as address, phone number, and hours of operation.
- Add location keywords to your website copy, including your local phone number and address, as well as surrounding locations that your business serves.
- If you have multiple locations, make sure to create local landing pages for each location with local keywords, optimized title tags, and meta descriptions
2. The Importance of Trustworthiness When Marketing in a Pandemic
The pandemic has created a new normal in the business world, so it’s no surprise that marketing in a pandemic was a topic of interest at the conference.
In these difficult times, it became clear that consumers valued businesses that implemented safety measures to protect them and protect employees. Expect this trend to continue in the post-pandemic world as basic safety measures are likely to remain in place for a while to come.
For this reason, trustworthiness is expected to be a top priority for global and local brands alike. If you can make consumers feel safe while they shop, they’ll be more likely to trust your business going forward.
How can you increase your trust factor? Use your website, social media, and other publishing platforms to share the safety measures you’ve taken to protect employees and consumers
3. The Unique Considerations of Agricultural Product Marketing
While global marketing is a complex undertaking for any business, it comes with unique challenges and considerations for agricultural brands. GreenLit Marketing’s founder and CEO, Jamie Hardin, spoke on this topic.
Here are some of the highlights from the presentation:
- Selling agricultural products internationally is best for shelf-stable, commodities, and niche foods.
- Different laws, languages, and cultural considerations need to be taken into account. For this reason, it’s a good idea to check whether your product name, tagline, or logo means something different in another country. For example, when first marketed in China, Coca-Cola’s brand name was often translated as “Bite The Wax Tadpole.” Yikes!
Some tips to help you succeed with agricultural product marketing on a global scale:
- Don’t skip market research testing! Explore the needs of the market, legalities, and market share.
- Don’t go in without a plan: Know who you plan to target and how, consider how best to position your brand and food product, and come up with a budget.
- Pilot your products in one market and go from there (it can save you a lot of money).
- Understand that the best marketing tactics will vary depending on the country you enter and your audience.
- Measure your marketing performance, sales, and spend.
4. Brand Storytelling
Facts and stats are great. They enable you to increase your brand’s credibility and connect with your audience on a rational level. Consumers appreciate knowing all the features of your global product. They might be impressed to learn that you’ve sold millions of products worldwide.
These days, though, facts and stats aren’t enough. Enter brand storytelling.
Brand storytelling can help you connect with your audience on a deeper, emotional level. Regardless of what you sell, if you have a foundation for a powerful story, you have an opportunity to win the hearts of your global audience. And, ultimately, this can help you increase conversions and sales.
This is an especially valuable marketing strategy to use when promoting sustainability and eco-consciousness. The world is connected, and global consumers will appreciate what your brand is doing to help improve life or the environment in another country.
5. Continuous Customer Engagement
Global marketing is now easier than ever thanks to technology. We are all interconnected via the internet. This gives you a prime opportunity for customer engagement. Using your website, social media, and other online platforms, you can engage and connect with customers all over the world.
Customer engagement not only improves consumer satisfaction but it also helps drive purchase decisions, loyalty, and revenue. It’s a win-win for your brand and your audience.
Get Started with Global Marketing
The Think Global Conference was a jam-packed four-day event with dozens of industry, government, and business speakers. It was a great opportunity to stay up to date on trends, opportunities, and challenges in global trade. These five marketing trends stood out as the top opportunities for brands looking to sell and market their products on a global scale.
Need help with your global marketing strategy? Fill out the form, and we’ll send you a copy of our global marketing blueprint: your step-by-step guide to international product marketing.
