One of the biggest advantages of the digital market is that it offers the opportunity to overcome geographical barriers.
ebooks and all other types of digital products can be marketed anywhere in the world in an easy, practical and safe way.
However, internationalizing a business is not that simple.
Before deciding to take the next step and start acting abroad, it is necessary to take a series of actions and “prepare the ground” so that your strategies work as expected and, consequently, you can achieve your goals.
For this reason, in this post, we are going to show you some essential tips to take the first steps towards the international market and achieve success in other countries around the globe.
But first we are going to review what the advantages of digital products are for all those who want to act outside their country. Let’s go?
The context of digital products
Digital products offer a very great facility in relation to payment, delivery and support, both in the context of national sales and in the context of international ones.
The market platforms themselves, such as , have several features specially designed to help producers who want to take their business outside their own country.
Payments
It allows it to sell digital products all over the world, since purchases can be made with credit cards, a common form of payment in all countries.
In addition, in some places, such as Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, there is also the possibility for the customer to make the payment using the online debit option or cash payment ticket.
How does it work?
In the case of those who purchase the product, the international purchase occurs in the same way as the national one: the customer accesses the checkout, makes the purchase and receives the access data in his email.
Depending on where the buyer lives, the price of the product already appears in their local currency automatically. If the country’s currency is not yet available in , the price is displayed in US dollars or euros.
For Producers and Affiliates it is also very easy. If you make an international sale, the value is deposited in dollars in , which is integrated into the account. Then, just request the withdrawal of the equivalent value in your local currency.
For more information on international mining operations see .
Delivery
The delivery of the digital product works perfectly in all parts of the world.
Any buyer, regardless of the country in which they are located, will receive in their email all the information necessary to enter the members area or download the purchased file.
Due to the fact that the producer does not have to worry about the inventory or shipment of a physical product, the digital market is highly suitable for those who sell to all corners of the planet.
Support
A concern of several producers is how to offer support to buyers who are far away, since they are afraid that the distance will affect communication.
However, international support occurs in the same way as national support, so there is no reason to be afraid.
The Internet allows contact with any consumer to be fast and efficient, with the use of emails and chatbots, for example.
In addition, at we have a specialized team that supports customers from different countries and in various languages.
Great! But how do you know if it’s time to start making international sales?
Despite all the facilities that digital producers have to make sales abroad, you have to keep your eyes wide open in front of some factors before starting to act in other countries.
Do you remember when you started your work as a Digital Producer? All that planning that has been done must also be done when going to another country.
After all, we’re talking about a totally different context, and what works here may not work elsewhere.
Write down the main points you should consider to define if it is time to sell outside your country.
language and culture
This tip may seem obvious, but it’s so important that it couldn’t be left off our list.
One of the main points to consider when deciding to perform abroad is to adapt all your materials to the language of the country or countries you have chosen, if it is not the language of origin.
And when we talk about that we are not just referring to the content of your product: you, your ads, you and everything related to the sales process must be modified.
Here, however, there is a point of attention. Translating your content verbatim can be an inefficient strategy, since, in addition to the language, we are also dealing with a totally different cultural context.
This means that the needs of your consumer abroad may not be the same as those of your home consumer. Thus, even the language and examples you use may have to be adapted.
Let’s see it in practice!
Did you know that this blog you are reading has versions in Spanish, Portuguese, English and Arabic? You are right!
However, do not think that our work is limited to just translating the posts. In most cases, the content is adapted for the reader of each country, both in relation to verbal and non-verbal language.
For example, the images we use in Spanish have to be adapted to Arabic, because the culture is so different that even the clothing of the characters has to be appropriate.
Look at the difference in our post about Arabic and Spanish:
Spanish
Arab
In addition, our YouTube channel also has more than one version and the content is adapted to better serve each audience.
In some cases, inserting subtitles is not enough, so we create the material from scratch in the target language.
Below you can see our Tips with advice on the version of social networks for the channel in Portuguese and its version for the channel in Spanish.
Spanish
Portuguese
Many times, you will need to create exclusive content for your foreign audience, since you may not identify the same needs in the national context.
To do a good job in this regard, you must do market research and always pay close attention to the people in each country. We will talk about that in the next topics!
Demand
Despite placing language at the top of the list, identifying demand in other countries is the first step you need to take when you decide to expand your business abroad.
At the end of the day, it is useless to make all the effort that we mentioned in the previous topic if the people of the country in which you are going to act have no need to consume your product.
For this there are several options. If you have the opportunity to visit other countries, participate in events in your area abroad and visit foreign companies, this is sure to be a good option.
But if that’s not possible, you can count on some internet tools that will help you understand if and what the demand for your product exists elsewhere.
Keyword tools, for example, are a great way to find out if people are searching the internet for what you offer. Analyze the search volume of the main terms related to your niche in the , or .
Google itself offers interesting options that you can use to understand the demands, such as autocomplete (when you start typing something and Google suggests the rest of the sentence) and related searches, which is at the bottom of the page.
autocomplete
Related searches
Golden tip!
A very interesting suggestion that you can take advantage of to do Google searches and understand the demand of another country is to use a VPN from another country (acronym for Virtual Private Network).
This is to use an Internet connection as if you were somewhere else. For example, you can be in Mexico and choose to use an IP from England.
That way, when you do a search on Google, the results you see will be the ones shown to English users. Great, isn’t it?
Here at we use , but you can choose the one that suits you best.
Competition
This suggestion is closely related to the previous one, since one of the best ways to analyze the demand for your product in another country is to understand who your main competitors are in that place.
When doing this, you must be very alert about two specific situations:
- Excessive competition: If there is an excessive amount of competition in that niche and you don’t have anything new to offer, it can be difficult for you to stand out in that market.
- Lack of competition: If you can’t find any competitors in the country you’re researching, beware, because there may not be any real demand there.
The ideal is that you identify that the demand exists and that there are already companies operating in this field, but that there is still room for you to offer a differential to your consumers.
Another advantage of knowing who the other brands or people who are already active in the market are is that this can give you insights about the adaptations you can make to your product and what you can add to differentiate yourself from others.
To identify your competitors, you can also use tools like Google and SEMRush. Another idea is to go to the market and see what products are registered there.
buyer person
Even if you are going to sell the same product in another country, your buyer persona can be totally different.
For example: here at , we offer the opportunity for people to meet and work on the Internet.
In some countries, our buyer persona may be a professional who is unemployed and wants to have an alternative source of income. Your focus is, that way, on profits.
In other places, where unemployment does not affect the population so much, our person can be a successful professional who is dissatisfied with his job and wants to do something he likes. The focus, then, is on the possibility of being happy at work.
Have you noticed the difference?
The buyer person will guide all your strategies and actions abroad, both in relation to the product itself and in relation to promotion techniques.
To do this, you must create your buyer persona from scratch. But no need to worry, because here on the blog we have a . If you prefer, we also have a video with several unmissable tips:
partners
If you operate in the digital product market, you already know that having partners can help you, and a lot, to boost your sales, right?
Whether it’s to create marketing strategies together, organize niche events or even create content on , having other experts in the field is essential for the success of your business.
So, another point that you should consider before starting to act abroad is the possibility of finding people with whom you can make collaborations or alliances in the country…
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