It used to be that “going global” with your business was a big deal. The belief that “only the ‘big dogs’ go global” was pretty commonplace. With the advent of technology combined with efficient, cost-effective global shipping, doing business globally has become the norm. Don’t believe it? Consider the various ways individuals, hobbyists, home businesses and entrepreneurs sell their products and services.
- Etsy: “Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods.” Through etsy.com, individuals and small business sell handcrafted items, vintage items, and more.”
- Ebay: “We connect millions and buyers and sellers around the world…”
- Amazon Handmade: “Discover unique, genuinely handcrafted products created by local Artisans and Makers around the world.”
- Fiverr: A community pairing freelancers with buyers, Fiverr invites you to “Sell your services to millions of people all over the world.”
And these are just a few examples out of the many platforms that empower anyone to sell globally.
With the new “Gig Economy” growing stronger every day, established businesses must compete to keep their existing business and grow it in the face of more and more competition. It’s a given that this includes having a global voice. But what does this mean, in practice?
A Strong Global Voice
Having a strong global voice is about more than being able to ship your product anywhere in the world. Going global includes many elements and factors, such as:
- Understanding the voice of the people buying your product or service. And even if you are strictly B2B, remember that people make buying decisions for their businesses. Having a true, global brand means understanding and respecting the cultures of your buyers and speaking to them in a language they understand.
- Localizing your website into several languages. This means more than using a free “translate your website” machine translation option that, frankly put, is unlikely to capture the nuance of your carefully-branded messages and may even cause offense.
- Offering product manuals, instructions, safety materials and the like in the languages of your customers.
- Using subtitles or voice over options on your promotional and/or instructional videos.
- Offering customer service in the languages of your customers, whether through bilingual staff or interpreting services.
Vocalink Global designed its GlobalBrand solution to respond to today’s businesses’ need to establish a global voice. Need a multilingual communications partner to help you be heard and understood in today’s global economy? Connect with us today!