International Business and Technology Blog

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. 

Watch this video of Amber Repensky, from AMSOIL, discussing localized websites and ongoing international marketing campaigns, all delivered by IBT Online. As Repensky states: “We value IBT Online to the utmost!”

Launching Your Localized Websites in Africa  

AMSOIL Inc. manufacturers synthetic lubricants for automotive applications, motorcycles, and marine power sports. With continued business growth international, AMSOIL was keen to begin expanding into Africa: "Our brand is very popular in North America, and we started to gain traction in other parts of the world. Africa was one region that we hadn't put a lot of effort into, so we made it our sales goal to extend the brand there."

Africa is currently undergoing a digital revolution, and there is a massive opportunity for investments and trade for those companies willing to invest in building out an online eco-system tailored to their African prospects. As Africa’s ongoing economic growth is underpinned by a broader digital transformation of the continent, investing in digital solutions is a guaranteed way to succeed and ensure long-term business rewards. Check out our localized website programs to launch your business in Africa today.

Brookings asserts: “at least a quarter of the population has internet access" and it is predicted that by 2030 “the continent could achieve rough parity with the rest of the world when three-quarters of Africans are projected to become internet users.” Now is the perfect time to launch your digital presence in Africa and capture this market.

AMSOIL's long-term vision is to expand into all countries in Africa, but it's essential to start with a targeted approach, as Repensky says, "Initially, we focused on the northern regions that speak French, such as Senegal and Morocco, and then we will expand to the Sub-Saharan Nations."

AMSOIL's first step was to launch a localized web presence in these countries, backed by strategic digital marketing campaigns to ensure their brand would get noticed.

Leveraging digital solutions allowed AMSOIL to bypass their biggest challenge, notably the lack of time and personnel they could feasibly allocate to their expansion into Africa. As Repensky admits: "Our biggest challenge was manpower. We had no time or people to focus on that part of the world."

Once AMSOIL had launched their digital presence (localized website, active social media, and digital marketing campaigns) they felt more comfortable investing further in the region and decided to expand their team with sales professionals based in targeted African markets.

Build Trust With Your Distributors and the Sales Will Come  

By creating resources for their team in-country and building their social media presence, AMSOIL aimed at attracting new distributors, empowering them with strong digital tools to help them get established and sell their products more effectively. In fact, a best-practice, localized business development website is one of the best assets that you can equip distributors with, as it provides an accessible view of your products and services tailored to the buyer’s preferences. AMSOIL recognized the value of having a digital platform to showcase their products, as Repensky states: “The branding and digital assets IBT Online made have helped us most with our distributors.”  

Having a localized online presence helps to solidify a company’s relationship with their distributors on the ground, as Repensky says; "It makes them feel like we have their backs and that we are here for them. We are committed financially".

This type of trust becomes the foundation for long-term, profitable and sustainable relationships. The localized website offers distributors in the region the opportunity to showcase the products with a full language and relevant content experience that conveys the brand and reputation of AMSOIL.

AMSOIL’s investment in localized websites to reach Africa reflects an understanding of how consumers around the world prefer to purchase. According to CSA Research; “76% of online shoppers prefer to buy products with information in their native language and 40% will never buy from websites in other languages”.  In today’s competitive markets, consumers prefer to think, act and research in their own language and on their preferred platforms. This is exactly what AMSOIL decided to provide to their distributors in Africa; a digital platform that is available 24/7, and is tailored to meet the needs of the desired buyer persona in Africa. 

AMSOIL did not want to miss out on the opportunity to engage with their African audience. Repensky knew that localization improves the overall customer experience, and decided to shape their exporting strategy into Africa with this in mind; “When they see our official websites in their language, they know we are focusing on their territories” says Repensky. 

Digital Marketing Is The Key To Long-Term Growth

Repensky mentioned how their team lacked the proper workforce: "our biggest challenge was manpower". Even so, AMSOIL expanded their exports rapidly in Africa. How?  

The answer is simple, AMSOIL doesn't have to manage all it's digital marketing internally. IBT Online currently manages AMSOIL’s digital marketing programs for six global regions.

AMSOIL's established presence on Facebook, Google Ads, SEO, blogging, and more have all been handled and leveraged by IBT Online’s team of digital experts. Check out our international online marketing programs here!

Our team not only creates and launches localized websites, but we can create lead-generating digital marketing campaigns to ensure your websites are supporting your goals, increasing sales year on year. These effective digital marketing strategies ensure your company gets found, is understood, and does business easily in all your target markets.

“We value IBT Online to the utmost” says Repensky, “Before this, we weren't doing anything outside of the US. Having localized websites in specific regions and having real localized content has helped us tremendously.”  

A strong social media presence is also essential for building trust with your target customers, especially in Africa where social media and mobile connectivity play a more vital role than traditional marketing methods. As soon as your distributors call a prospective client, the client will likely look your company up on social media to validate your brand. When they see a relevant brand that speaks their language and provides helpful resources they can easily understand, they will trust your distributor more and be more willing to purchase!

Imagine how much more your team could accomplish if bespoke digital marketing work were taken off their plates and handled by world-class experts. Your business could have the same kind of rapid expansion that AMSOIL has experienced!

“Everything has worked together very nicely” says Repensky “We are certain that digital is a big part of future growth”. AMSOIL is right to prioritize digital solutions within their business growth strategy – According to Marketo "Companies that excel at nurturing leads with inbound (digital) marketing make 50% more sales." Digital marketing is essential to stay competitive in today's online world, and it should be an integral component of your expansion into Africa.