When companies expand into foreign markets, they need to gain the trust of local business partners and prospective customers in order to succeed. The most common ways of doing this are to send executives to build personal relationships with international business partners and to hire local distribution partners — or independent, third-party intermediaries — to represent their products or services overseas.
To Grow Your Business Abroad, Partner with Local Influencers
When companies expand into foreign markets, they need to gain the trust of local business partners and prospective customers in order to succeed. The most common ways of doing this — sending executives to build personal relationships with international partners and hiring local distribution partners — are time-intensive and costly. A better approach is to work with local digital influencers. These people are thought leaders on social media with loyal followings. They spend their days developing new content — videos, photos, blog posts, and podcasts — and engaging their fans. They build active communities both online and off, and people turn to them for industry insights, new product information, and recommendations. They already have the trust of thousands, if not millions, of your target customers. So why not weave your brand into their story, rather than telling yours from scratch?