The vast majority of large, multinational brands today had no idea that their presence would become so felt around the world when their operations first began. The careful and deliberate growth, expansion and selection of audiences is often something that many online brands consider – search engine optimization plays a key role in this, as many brands try to target specific audiences within a niche in order to build up their presence. The global market is highly competitive and brands that wish to branch out of just one market or language will need to hone their approaches in order to appeal to an array of audiences from around the planet. If you want to prepare your brand for future stardom and start off on the right foot, then continue reading to find out how you can promote your brand and be successful with a worldwide audience.

Pick a Reputable Brand Name

It is no surprise that people will first judge a brand by the name with which it “brands” itself. Many companies and brands that seek international exposure will select names that are not indigenous to any one region or derive their origins from a culture that is equally foreign to all. Wikipedia is a perfect example – it combines two different words from separate cultures to create an entirely new word that is exotic to all. In the process, Wikipedia was able to completely create a new word from scratch, as ‘wiki’ is now a common term for any online source of information or reference. Any brand that wants to be pinging URLs and branding around the world should consider a reputable yet decentralized brand name.

Know Your Markets

Not all audiences within a similar culture respond identically, so why would anyone expect audiences from different countries to do any differently? Innate knowledge of demographic and consumer habits is crucial for a worldwide brand to be successful. Tools like SEMRush will provide users with information on how likely an individual is to share a select brand via social media and how likely an individual is to engage with a stranger’s recommendation. These metrics are just a few examples of the types of information that your brand will wish to consider when it begins a global outreach. There will be audiences where acceptable comes more naturally and audiences where resistance will be more pronounced – move into the former, first, and build your structure around these audiences so that your influence will be stronger when you move into more difficult markets.

Promote Online, Retain Domestics

Part of any successful global outreach involves pinging URLs to social media, search engines and other venues that can reach multiple markets throughout the world. Whether you use search engine optimization, paid marketing or viral efforts (preferably all three), online promotion is the fastest and cheapest way to gain international exposure for your brand. Another tip that is crucial for brands is to develop a solid foundation in a domestic market – without a base from which you can count on brand awareness and loyalty, you may wind up a mile wide and an inch deep. This strategy can be dangerous for any brand in its infancy, as a loyal market will always keep a brand’s ability to propagate to other audiences viable.