Market entry communication: what to check before the first materials are created

Entering a new market starts with the question of whether what convinces customers at home will convince customers there. Before the website, proposal and profile in the new language are created, we check the market, the competition and buying habits, and then adapt the arguments. That way the first materials hit the mark instead of learning from mistakes.

What needs checking before entering a market?

The most expensive mistake when entering a market is translating everything and waiting for it to work.

Every market has its own expectations of a supplier, its own leaders and its own way of talking about the industry. Preparing communication means checking four things before the company spends money on materials:

• customers: who buys, what they pay attention to, what concerns they have about a foreign supplier,
• competition: how local players talk about themselves, what is standard there and what sets you apart,
• buying habits: what the decision process looks like, what proof is needed, which channels work,
• industry language: the terms, names and ways of describing products that the market uses.

How do we prepare communication for a new market?

1. We analyse the market and the competition. We review the websites, proposals and profiles of local companies, and check which arguments they use and what customers expect.
2. We compare it with your offer. We check which of your arguments are strong in that market, which are irrelevant and which are missing.
3. We arrange the message and arguments for the market. The brand message stays, but the order of arguments, the proof, the examples and the tone are tailored to the customer in that country.
4. We write the communication plan. What to prepare and in what order: website, proposal, profiles, materials for partners. With a schedule and a scope.

What do you get?

• a market analysis from a communication angle: customers, competition, industry language,
• the brand message and arguments in a version for the market,
• a list of materials to prepare, ordered by impact,
• a communication plan for the first months of presence.

When should preparations start?

• when the decision to enter the market has been made but the materials have not yet been created,
• when the company is already in the market but the translated materials bring no enquiries,
• when a local partner or distributor asks for materials and nobody knows which,
• when the company is planning a trade show or a campaign in a new market.

Frequently asked questions