International Business and Technology Blog

In April 2022, the European Union released the Digital Services Act with the goal of creating a safer and more open digital space. This Act includes a concerted effort from EU leaders to crack down on “Big Tech” platforms like Google, Meta (Facebook), and Twitter and encourage accountability. The Digital Services Act was announced right after the Digital Markets Act.

These two acts should not be confused – as they each have very different implications for those who operate businesses online, nonetheless both Acts work in synchrony to encourage safety and further accountability to online services and providers.

Here’s what you need to know about the Digital Services Act and how it will affect your business activities in Europe. IBT Online has launched the Online Global Programs to best position your business within this new landscape and optimized their programs to ensure the long-term growth of your exports, sales, brand, and business in Europe. Check out the Online Global Programs here! 

In late March 2022, the European Parliament and EU member states reached what media outlets are dubbing a "historic deal" – the Digital Markets Act. EU leaders see this as their most significant overhaul of the digital marketplace in 20 years.

The Act has not reached full approval yet, but when the EU sets up digital regulations, you can expect a ripple effect around the world – just like when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policies were enacted. 

Here's what you need to know about the Digital Markets Act, how it will affect your business activities in Europe, and how you can leverage the Online Global programs to thrive in the European market. 

While a beautiful location to visit, the Caribbean can be a challenging export market. The islands are spread out geographically, the population is multi-cultural, and there are several different languages spoken there! How can you grow your business and boost exports in this geographically dispersed and diverse market?

Hillary Hassell of Hassell Free Exports came to IBT Online with that very question! “IBT Online set us in the right direction moving forward, I definitely see a long-term partnership with them!” says Hassell. IBT Online supported them with the build and launch of a localized website presence in this market, backed by strategic online marketing campaigns to ensure the Hassell Free brand would get noticed and ensure long-term business growth in this region.

Keep reading to learn how this Florida-based company launched a bespoke exporting strategy and boosted their sales in this tropical and multicultural market.

AMSOIL, Inc exports to 83 countries worldwide, and they have never been more excited about their global business growth, notably in Africa. AMSOIL was quick to recognize that Africa represents a huge potential return on investment and would help to solidify their global reach, as Amber Repensky, Senior International Marketing Specialist states: "We want to share our awesome products and branding with this part of the world. The market is ready; we are ready and are excited about this new continent and we are certain that digital is a big part of future growth”.

This is the impact that localized websites and digital marketing can have on your export business too! Five years ago, AMSOIL began a partnership with IBT Online to launch their first localized websites and international digital marketing campaigns.

Thanks to digital solutions, AMSOIL enjoys a full pipeline of customers worldwide and global business growth with long-term rewards.

Read more to learn how AMSOIL expanded into Africa with the help of IBT Online, which is leveraging and launching localized websites and international digital marketing campaigns for them. 

It takes a lot of time and effort to build a strong reputation in your industry, and there is nothing more frustrating than discovering that your brand and products or services are not being found outside of your domestic market!

As an Agribusiness company, Endovac Animal Health recognized that website localization can give their business a competitive advantage, helping their brand stand out in a crowded digital landscape.

Since 1983, Endovac Animal Health has enjoyed an established reputation in the U.S. for its products (livestock vaccines). In an effort to capture new clients and more international market share in the Canadian market Endovac signed up for the Online Global programs with IBT Online and launched two localized websites. "Our goal is to make connections with distributors in Canada and reach more end customers," says Ashley Bauer, Endovac's Marketing Coordinator. 

How it all starts – you have a small team, everyone wears hundreds of different hats and no one speaks a foreign language. You know there is demand for your product, but how can you reach them?  

This is exactly the conundrum OEM Fabricators, a manufacturing company based in Wisconsin, faced. No one on their team speaks an international language. There is demand for their products in Canada, specifically among those who speak the French-Canadian language as well as Germany.

So, instead of opening up the Rosetta Stone and facing this challenge alone, OEM turned to IBT Online to help them to boost their presence in these markets and reach more Canadian and German customers. Find out whether your home state offers the Online Global program & grants!

For Agribusiness companies, IBT Online Global programs help solve a major challenge: reaching new customers in foreign markets and boosting international exports.

Mountain State Oilseeds is a classic example, as Kacy Gehring asserts: “We currently export to Senegal, Ecuador, Peru, Thailand, Japan and Belgium and being able to communicate and have technological tools that help us communicate with our customers that we are in their business, we understand their business, and we want to make our best effort to do that in their language whenever possible, this is a huge solution to solving a really difficult problem”.

Read how the IBT Online Global Program supports this agribusiness company in expanding its international reach, shortening its sales cycle, and boosting its exports globally. 

When you add an online marketing strategy to your localized website, it's like throwing gasoline on the fire!

Your web traffic explodes, leads will increase, and you will grow brand recognition.

When Pettibone launched their online marketing campaigns with IBT Online, that's exactly what happened.

Mitch Fedie, Marketing Manager at Pettibone, says: "We've received exponential website traffic increase to our localized websites and an uptick in traffic to our domestic website from other countries."

Read more about online marketing and what it can do for your global brand and business.

Morooka America is a manufacturer of all-terrain construction equipment based in Virginia. They work primarily through a global distribution network.

Up until 2020, they had reasonably good sales in North America from local distributors and were gaining traction in European and South American markets. However, when the pandemic hit in March 2020, their international sales came to a halt.

Read how this manufacturer launched 4 new optimally localized websites and international online marketing programs with IBT Online to expand into new markets and exceed their sales goals during a global pandemic.

As Takashi Inoue, CEO of Morooka America, says; “I’m very happy with IBT Online and the web marketing they provide, and I want to recommend them to our mother company in Japan!”

What do sea cucumbers, soup seasoning, cattle, and safflower seeds have in common? They are all being promoted and sold online around the world via our Online Global Programs.

IBT Online has helped many agriculture exporting companies enhance their global reach by building best-practice, optimally localized websites and designing and implementing international online marketing strategies in their export target markets around the world.

Through the Online Global Programs, we’ve transformed agribusiness websites and their online corporate footprint so that they can be found, understood, and easy to do business with online in their chosen target markets.