Go Global with Confidence: A 5-Step Guide to International Expansion

While the journey to global expansion may be lengthy and, at times, intricate, it’s also a thrilling and fulfilling venture.

Expanding into international markets should be seen as a continuous and promising aspect of your business strategy, offering significant potential for growth and success.

To help you get started, I’d like to share a comprehensive 5-step process that has proven successful for us at LEXIGO. This approach has earned us recognition as a Cool Company Finalist for Global Growth two years in a row.

1. Conduct Initial Research

Thorough research is the foundation of any successful global expansion. Begin by assessing your current position and capabilities:

• Evaluate Current Efforts: Understand where your organisation stands regarding its existing global business initiatives.
• Identify Key People and Case Studies: Look into past globalisation efforts within your company. Who were the key players? Are there any success stories you can learn from?
• Content Organisation: Analyse how your content is currently organised online and offline. Is it ready for a global audience?
• Key Decision Makers: Identify who needs to support your globalisation efforts. This includes executives and stakeholders who can champion your cause.
• C-Level Goals: Align your globalisation efforts with your organisation’s overall objectives, including those set by the C-Level executives. This alignment is crucial for securing buy-in from top management.
• Global Language and Translation Capability: Assess your organisation’s readiness to handle multiple languages and cultural nuances. Cultural intelligence (CQ), which refers to the ability to understand and adapt to different cultures, plays a pivotal role in this process.

2. Deepen Your Research

Once you’ve conducted initial research, it’s time to delve deeper:

• Market Analysis: Understand your target markets’ cultural, economic, and political landscape. This will help you tailor your approach to each specific region.
• Competitor Analysis: Research other organisations in your industry that have successfully gone global. What strategies did they use? What can you learn from their successes and failures?

3. Build a Solid Case

Building a compelling case for globalisation involves demonstrating the potential benefits and aligning them with your company’s strategic goals:

• Data and Metrics: Gather data and prepare metrics that support your case for globalisation. Highlight potential increases in market share, revenue, and brand awareness.
• Industry Comparisons: Show how other organisations in your industry have benefited from globalisation. Use these examples to benchmark your potential success.
• Identify Opportunities: Outline new opportunities that globalisation will unlock. These can include new customer segments, partnerships, and revenue streams.
• Capability Enhancements: Identify how globalisation can enhance your organisation’s capabilities regarding technology, talent, and resources.
• Cost Savings: Highlight any cost savings and advantages that globalisation can bring, such as economies of scale and more efficient resource utilisation.
• Strategic Alignment: Ensure your globalisation strategy aligns with your organisation’s C-level objectives. This alignment will help in securing the necessary support and resources.

4. Develop a Comprehensive Strategy

With a solid case in place, it’s time to develop a detailed globalisation strategy:

• Goals and Objectives: Define clear goals and objectives for your globalisation efforts. What do you aim to achieve in the short, medium, and long term?
• Roadmap: Create a roadmap outlining how to achieve your globalisation goals. This should include timelines, milestones, and key deliverables.
• Build a Globalisation Team: Assemble a team with solid expertise in your brand, products, and the global market. Ensure your team includes members with cultural intelligence (CQ) to navigate diverse markets effectively. For instance, consider hiring local staff or partnering with local businesses to better understand the target market.
• Content Preparation: Select and prepare culturally relevant and engaging content for your target audiences. This includes translating and localising existing content to resonate with local cultures. For example, consider adapting your marketing materials to reflect local customs and traditions.

5. Execute and Manage

Execution and ongoing management are crucial to the success of your globalisation efforts:

• Regular Assessments: Continuously assess your progress in globalisation against your strategy and objectives. Adjust your approach as needed to stay aligned with your goals.
• Team Meetings: Hold regular meetings with key staff and team members to ensure everyone is aligned and moving in the right direction.
• Benchmarking: Compare your results against industry benchmarks and your initial projections. Use this data to refine and improve your strategies.
• Continuous Improvement: Global markets are dynamic. Stay agile and be prepared to adapt your strategy based on feedback and changing market conditions.

Going global is a journey filled with challenges and opportunities. Your organisation can achieve sustainable global growth by conducting thorough research, building a solid case, developing a comprehensive strategy, and executing swiftly. Remember, globalisation is an ongoing process that requires continuous learning and adaptation.

Have you been involved in going global or planning to do so? I’d love to hear your experiences and feedback in the comments below.

About Mark Saba

Mark Saba is the founder and CEO of LEXIGO, a leading provider of translation, multicultural communication, and translation technology. He is the author of Native Experience Marketing: How to Authentically Reach, Include, and Engage Your Audiences in Their Native Language and Culture, a guidebook for marketers looking to build genuine connections with diverse audiences worldwide. With over 20 years of experience in both technology and the language industry, Mark brings a unique blend of expertise to LEXIGO. His passion lies in creating marketing strategies that are both culturally intelligent and deeply resonant while using technology to leverage insights and drive impact.

About LEXIGO

LEXIGO is an award-winning translation services, technology and native language communications agency that enables business, enterprise and government teams to communicate with confidence and boost in-language engagement across 171 languages.

With a commitment to delivering peer-reviewed, culturally-informed communication, LEXIGO harnesses the power of its proprietary cloud technology and advanced AI. This unique approach has earned LEXIGO recognition as one of Australia’s most innovative companies in the Smart100 Index and a place among the Top 10 SMEs in the DELL Business Excellence Awards.

LEXIGO is a triple ISO-certified organisation certified to the following international standards: ISO 9001 for Quality Management, ISO 17100 for Translation Quality and ISO 27001 for Information Security.

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