10 guidelines for launching a global PR strategy

Expanding your business to foreign countries can be daunting for any entrepreneur.

There are so many hoops to jump through: new distributors, legal requirements, different marketing channels, new competitors to monitor. Crossing borders also often entails appealing to different sensibilities, worldviews and cultures.

Spokespeople are typically aces at managing affairs in their own country and milieu. However, when dealing with a foreign audience, many factors can transform the rules of the game. So, where do you start?

Here are 10 tips to guide you:

1. Focus your resources.

Many companies claim to be “global” from the get-go, but successfully expanding beyond your country of origin takes no small amount of strategy—and resources.

Being in too many markets at the same time will reduce your effectiveness. Focus on a country where you can make a substantive difference, rather than spreading your budget too thin. What good does it do to say you work in 50 countries if you receive negative reviews in most of them?

Once you get traction in one place, you can consider expanding nearby.

2. Avoid a culture clash.