Andrey Insarov, Founder and CEO at it.com Domains.
The B2B tech market is growing rapidly. In 2022, the Software as a Service (SaaS) market was worth $3 trillion. Primarily driven by such product categories as cloud, business applications and communication and collaboration, it is projected to reach $10 trillion by 2030.
While entering a competitive global market requires time and money, not doing so means missing out on a slice of the pie. If you consider embarking on this venture, consider this advice to help you align your online identity with global market expectations.
Prepare your brand for scaling.
Developing a successful local brand is not the same as doing so for the global market. Once you go international, check whether your brand name and logo aligns with your scaling goals. The most common risks here are similar brand identities and cultural particulars.
Copyright law can cause a lot of trouble if your brand name happens to be homophonous (sounding similar) to other brand names. This was the case with HP when they released a product titled Wex. Soon enough, they were sued by Wex Inc., and both companies had to settle the dispute in court. Microsoft encountered three similar lawsuits after releasing Bing. One came from BongoBing, which is not even the same name.
Cultural peculiarities are harder to control since “the global market” is a broad and often vague term. Eventually, it means you enter a bunch of large local markets, like MENA, APAC, LATAM, EMEA, etc. Maybe you are focusing on some of the biggest countries within these regions. Shortlist them and check if your brand name, logo, and other brand identity attributes are neutral for local cultures.
Bing had a bit of cultural misunderstanding while entering the Chinese market. The “bing” sound is a part of words like “virus” or “fault” in Chinese—and they obviously didn’t want to be associated with that—so they switched to a more positively connotated “bì yìng.” This one is featured in phrases expressing agreement.
For English, even if you are a native speaker, it might be worth checking your brand name against Urban Dictionary: You never know what kind of things people might have come up with.
Prepare the most important platform—your website.
What we know for sure is that your product is scrutinized long before a lead appears in your CRM. Gartner suggests that 60% of the purchasing process is completed before engaging with vendors. Your brand might be mentioned elsewhere, but your website is the source of firsthand information about your products. However, a website starts with a domain, and you can’t just go global with your local one.
When people encounter a local domain, they might ask, “Are they operating in my region?” or “Will they accept a payment from abroad?” We don’t want that barrier between our clients and the product.
Some domain suffixes can offer the best of both worlds: local and global. For instance, “.it.com” can indicate that potential clients are dealing with:
• A global IT company
• A global company based in Italy
• A global IT company based in Italy
• An Italian company going global
In addition, businesses can utilize a strategy known as “domain hacking.” Some brands aim to create meaningful, memorable web addresses that reinforce their identity, like play.it.com or win.it.com. Picking a domain name and setting up your website is a strategic move; do it wisely.
Prioritize content that matters.
When you enter the global market, you start from square one. Assume people know nothing about your product—because, in most cases, they don’t. The most dangerous trap you might walk into is integrating your global scaling strategy into your local one. In the global market, you have to prove your track record again—and your global website content can’t be the same as your local.
To prioritize content creation, I recommend using Google’s E-E-A-T framework. The letters stand for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. Google uses this framework to review page quality. While it doesn’t impact your search performance, we can learn a lot from it.
• “Experience” might be covered by your clients’ reviews, use cases and testimonials.
• “Expertise” is best demonstrated by research in your own product category and your ability to educate your clients. The latter is really important, according to Ron Friedman, an award-winning psychologist.
• “Authoritativeness” is where you stand in the market, whether it’s your reputation or track of participating in industry-wide events.
• “Trustworthiness” stands for your (non-)transparent approach when talking about your company and product.
The same principles should work for social media but with a little bit of trend-watching. For example, LinkedIn’s introduction of a short-form video feed, similar to Instagram Reels, signals a shift in B2B content consumption. New social media formats may suggest you experiment with employee-generated content (EGC). Like user-generated content (UGC), EGC is particularly useful for showcasing expertise, connecting with customers and reducing marketing costs.
Conclusion
Even if you’ve made your mark locally, expanding your brand into the global market is challenging. From legal hurdles like trademark conflicts to cultural sensitivities, you need a well-thought-out approach. As seen in real-life cases, even established brands face unexpected challenges. A globally accessible website and a strong content strategy can significantly boost your credibility and customer trust. Your online presence—through your website and social media—is a key driver for building authority and engaging global audiences.
However, an honest brand audit is the first step to a successful expansion. Take time to evaluate your brand identity. By proactively doing so, you’ll avoid costly mistakes and establish a strong foundation for long-term global success.
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