Hague Quality Water’s export success has been built over time with different solutions found for different markets. HQW’s routes to market vary from exclusive distributor in one market to tied agents and even subsidiaries in other markets. Nowhere is this mosaic more evident than across Europe and Latin America. Management was searching for a way to support and organize all their partners and looked to online tools for a solution. IBT Online was delighted to work with HQW management to build localized websites and deliver international online marketing.
HQW management prioritized some of their most important export markets such as the UK, France and Spain for starters. Thereafter, it was up to IBT Online to build and deliver the websites, with correct urls for each market, keyword research for all the HQW terms in different markets and fully optimized for the local search engines. The rapid return on investment for the websites encouraged HQW management to extend their online footprint to Latin America. IBT Online got started right away!
Social media is vital for HQW’s sales process so when IBT Online built the European and Latin American websites, online marketing strategies were incorporated from the start. Preparation is key, not just for great websites but also for successful online international marketing. This means understanding local social media, optimizing keywords for marketing and social media for local search engine preferences and of course, putting in place the reporting and analytics that make online marketing an effective sales tool. IBT Online's job is to make sure that HQW's international online marketing delivers both for lead generation and long-term brand development. This means looking after HQW social media, promoting trade show attendance, content marketing including blog writing, optimization and propagation.
Distributors and in-market partners welcomed the additional marketing support and leads that the websites generate and have even started contributing regularly themselves. Chris Grosely, Director of Marketing for HQW, says the feedback from his distributors has been positive, with lots of lead generation and great support from the localized websites:
Nurturing the brand online
Part of HQW’s challenge is their multi-channel sales - they sell to B2C, B2B and also need to reach building specifiers. For each of these types of clients however, reputation is essential. Nurturing the HQW brand is therefore a vital key to the sales process. Effective campaigns rely on demonstrating HQW's successful track record and know-how, sharing their expertise about their industry. HQW is a recognized go-to-provider for solutions, a reputation maintained and nurtured by its commitment to localized websites and marketing.
If you would like to learn more about localized websites and international marketing, contact us: 