International Business and Technology Blog

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.

HubSpot’s INBOUND2021 was yet again a great opportunity to learn, connect and sit back and think about how the world (digital and not) is changing.

As a marketer, one of the main takeaways from a number of the sessions I had the pleasure to attend and engage with was the accelerated changes in B2B marketing trends.

Historically, B2B marketing has always been perceived as, literally, “Business to Business” hence pushing messages heavily focused on hard metrics like ROI, profitability, and sales.

Well, the way businesses thrive has not changed and these metrics continue to be what drives the bottom line, but what has become more apparent is that the way we convey our messages must change.

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.

It's no secret that the pandemic hurt a lot of businesses in 2020, especially brick-and-mortar businesses. As the premier Judo training center in Southeast Idaho, Blue Line Judo was severely impacted by the pandemic and was among the companies struggling to stay in business.

At IBT Online we have always been in the digital space, keeping and helping our clients stay ahead of the curve, but in 2020 the importance of being found, understood, and easy to do business with online became clearer than ever.

We know that digital is here to stay, and so does Blue Line Judo who has invested in two optimally localized, business development websites to help them make their new digital service global!

In today's online world, your website is your #1 business development tool. But is your website easy to be found, understood, and easy to do business within your target market? If not, it's time to invest in website localization -- you can't afford to wait any longer!

We worked with Fullerton Tool Company to launch two newly localized business development websites to help them reach their Spanish and French-speaking customers. Beth Bauer, the Marketing Content Strategist, says having localized websites to reach your target markets is “just a smart business decision!”

When you're up against the international competition, your brand will look "amateur" without the proper website setup. Optimally localized websites are the key to growing your exports, sales, brand, and business in foreign markets, and they should be included in your export marketing strategy.

Achieving marketplace recognition overseas to grow your exports, sales, brand, and business globally is not an easy task – you must "look through the lens of the customer!", as Davies Hood, president of Induron Protective Coatings, learned by working with us.

“I like to purchase domestically and in my own language and in US measurements. It made me realize our partners in different parts of the world like to do the same.”

At IBT Online we pride ourselves in being able not only to understand our clients’ businesses and their goals but also to have a tracked record of being able to build and promote brands that go beyond their domestic market.

IBT Online helped Induron think more like their international consumers instead of like marketing and salespeople, according to Hood; "this was a major mindset shift!"

Canada's proximity to the US and overall eagerness to do business with America make it ideal for market entry, and you can start online today!

But careful – this does not mean that you should treat Canada as an extension of your US marketing efforts. You need dedicated resources to ensure you will be found and understood by customers across the northern border. A localized website is a perfect way to start, and it will make it easier for your target market to do business with you and buy your products.

By having a dedicated, optimally localized website you will see your local traffic explode, your engagement increase, and your sales will grow exponentially!

How, you ask? IBT Online specializes in building localized websites and this includes Canada! Over the years, we’ve learned how to maximize online visibility in Canada, and we are sharing some of our secrets here. Specifically, why Canada is a critical global market and the top tips on how to showcase your company online, growing your exports, sales, brand, and business.

You have a well-designed, SEO-optimized US website, but you struggle to reach your Canadian prospects – sound familiar?

Although many Canadians speak English, your current USA-based English-language website is practically invisible to them -- that's how the internet works. The average Google search session lasts just under a minute, and with over 40,000 Google search queries happening every second, you have to stand out.

So how do you stand out? Having a localized website with a localized URL and relevant content for the Canadian market is the most cost and time-effective way to have an immediate online presence and be found in Canada! This will allow your target customers to find you and interact easily with your brand. Your Canadian website will appear amongst the top Google searches in Canada, building trust with Canadian prospects.

You asked, we listened! Every day, at IBT Online we help US exporters navigate the online global environment, supporting them to grow their export, sales, brand, and business internationally.

What was once called the ‘New Online Normal’ is now called the ‘New Reality’! The impact of COVID-19 has compounded the rapid advancement of technologies and the take off-off the online, digitally connected world and this trend is here to stay! So today, companies are facing new challenges that come with this online landscape. So how do you make sure to thrive as a company in this online environment and what are the tools needed? 

To help you stay ahead of the curve, we created a short video that answers the top questions US exporters ask us about growing their business internationally and online today!