Marketing your business in Europe

Before you start doing business in another country, you need to decide what goods or services to offer. You should then consider the image you want to present for your products or services. You may already have a well-established brand - including name, trademarks, logos and more - but you should still analyse if these will translate well into your new market.

Consider the country you are planning to do business in - what qualities are admired there? Are there any negative connotations you should avoid? What difference will language make?

Define your business values

Consider the values that your business stands for and how to emphasise these. Remember you are operating in a foreign country so it may make sense to use a different approach to marketing.

In some countries, UK-made goods may carry extra prestige. They are desirable because they are foreign. For example, a small business selling antiques may do well by emphasizing the UK history. They can also emphasize the foreignness of their items compared with local suppliers.

However, if your business is built on offering a local service, it may be better to focus away from your foreign origins. Working with a reseller or setting up a branch office can make customers think you are a local firm.

Lost in translation

Language is a powerful tool in any marketing campaign. You should do as much research as possible before entering any new market. This will help you avoid any mistranslations or negative connotations. It's a good idea to consult with a fluent or native speaker.

Remember what appears as a good brand name in English may not be appropriate in another language. Ask people what they think as slang words often don't appear in dictionaries. Consider how your brand name may be pronounced differently in another country. Check whether it is similar to a local brand name or word in the native language. 

Register trademarks and domain names

Remember to register trademarks and domain names when expanding into a new market. In the European Union, consider filing for a Community Trade Mark (CTM) to protect your business. Also, check the availability of the Internet domain name for your company and product. It's a good idea to register a dot-com domain, which is the most popular business domain worldwide.

You may also want to register domains with country codes like .nl for the Netherlands or .co.uk for the UK if you are targeting local markets and plan to translate your websites into regional languages.