Our Weblog: Excerpts of Exports
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Why Export Now!
As we are all aware, times are tough but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t opportunity out there-somewhere in the world. And somewhere in the world someone needs and wants what you have to sell. Not only does exporting even out the dips and valleys in domestic sales, increasing your market grows your brand. 
According to SEO expert, Gillian Muessig, globalizing should be done in good times and even faster in bad times. I don’t agree with the faster part since entering global markets requires more expertise and caution than selling domestically. However I don’t think that only selling to one market is a good idea either…especially when times are bad.
As a consultant in Michigan, I met with dozens of suppliers to the auto industry. While they had lower margins as approved suppliers to the auto industry, they had the business and it was a very good business. But we all know what happened to the auto industry in Michigan. I would try to convince suppliers of the sound practice of diversifying but they would typically not hear of it. They were busy filling the orders of their primo customer with no time or interest in looking to other markets. Most of the suppliers that I spoke with depended on the auto industry for the majority of their business, up to 95% of sales. And where are those companies now?
One good way to determine where your product might do well is, of course, to look at your Google Analytics. If you are getting lots of hits or even better lots of inquiries from a certain region of the world, start to investigate that area. But don’t assume that interest from a certain country can be viewed as a single market. There are many regional variations; cultural differences, diverse dialects, and views. That is the challenge, but it also the fun of it.
If you need help targeting markets based on visits to your website, check out our services under Consultation.