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Establishing Your Business Image Internationally
by Ann Lee |
Globalization has been introduced to the business market for the past few decades. Globalizing an existing business is no longer a luxury but a necessity to compete in the business market. Business globalisation using Internet helps to establish an international business image effectively because Internet goes beyond the national boundaries and geographical barriers. European and Asian countries are going online faster than ever as they are catching up with the technology in a short time. The online population for these countries have doubled over the past year.
The Internet is within reach to many people regardless of urban or rural areas. The percentage of Internet users from United States has been dropping for the past few years because the number of people accessing the Internet from other countries around the world has been increasing rapidly. In 1999, United States contributes 62% of the total world Internet users. Today, the Internet users from United States is 36% and predicted a drop to less than 25% by year 2005.
Domestic sales in United States are limited and static due to the economic situation face. As a matter of fact, globalization is an open world market that generates international sales effectively. Companies can reach their potential customers from all over the world through Internet. Web sites provide the convenience for customers to browse through the companies' list of products, make enquiries and purchase the products immediately. Faster and easier inter-communications between companies and customers through web sites thus enhance better sales and profits. Once the global marketing is mature, the international sales will be doubled or tripled the total of domestic sales.
According to the International Data Corp, the world's Web market from outside the United States is expected to reach 75% by year 2005. If local marketers are not serious about the world market, the competitors from European and Asian countries will slowly take over the business ground. Local marketers should not delay in having own company web sites to publish their businesses virtually. Now is the excellent time for local business owners to start focusing and expanding their businesses actively in the global market. The people who manage to globalize their business first will have the 'first mover advantage' to obtained an early recognition and market acceptance.
Local businesses in the traditional marketplace will continue to shrink as more active business owners start to join the online marketplace. The online global marketplace allows business integration of products, languages, cultures and staffs from different locations which helps to reduce time and efforts. Business owners, partners, suppliers and customers are connected to each other throughout the year in the communication network. The business owners in the local market must go online to capture the customers from the global marketers if they do not want to loose out to their global competitors. Running the businesses along with the development of new business strategies keeps the businesses surviving and growing.
There are many opportunities today for globalizing a business. Every company has its own plan to diversify physically or virtually to market the products internationally. Physical diversification is to invest and set up companies in other countries. Virtual diversification is to expand the existing web site into several web sites using different languages and contents to suit different targeted markets. People from other countries speak their own languages and have their own cultures.
English is a native language to England and America but people from other countries such as Germany, Korea, Japan and China do not understand English that well. In order to create multi-lingual web sites, global marketers should understand the language and cultural requirements of the targeted countries to capture the attention of those local customers from all the particular countries. Developing multi-lingual web sites are useful and compliant to non-English speaking customers.
People from other countries find limited contents provided in their own language, and are hunger for web sites that give them what they want. Having a multi-lingual web site will eventually bring the current business to many of the different cultural population such as China, Japanese, Korea, France and Germany. Non-English speaking customers will have the chance to perform businesses with international companies using their national languages. Multi-lingual web sites are essential to gain and maintain the company's global status as a true competitor to the local companies in the target countries.
Web sites globalization is design in a way that supports many nationalities and full adaptation of the products for use in a different language. Companies are translating their English web sites to different languages to adapt the non-English speaking business market. Web sites translation is more than a simple conversion of text from one language to another language. Direct translation of the web sites may not represent the same meaning in the original web site. The translated contents need to be reviewed to make sure that they are well presented, appropriate to the culture and do not offend the country population.
Web surfers prefer to browse through web sites in their own language rather than a foreign language. People also tend to ignore or overlook advertisements display in other languages. They spend most time searching for interesting information using understandable language. Customers would purchase products sold in their own language because they can read and understand the instructions display for the products. Companies should be aware that native language could attract more customers from the targeted countries.
Companies are encouraged to globalize their business virtually through Internet since the rest of the world is catching up with the global competition. Business globalization increases sales and attracts investors from other regions to invest in a company. Multi-lingual web sites raise the number of customers from other countries as they provide the convenience to people who do not learn English. Globalization brings in more revenue and profits to a company that is successful in marketing the products internationally. Keep reading the following topic and I'll tell you how online business automation helps to reduce expenses and minimize investment for globalization. |
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