Digital Presence for Export Ventures: The Need of The Hour

The Indian export sector is well and truly on the fast track of growth. Before the end of FY 2021-22, our country zoomed past the target of $400 billion in export value. On a YoY basis, Indian exports increased by nearly 38% last year. Piyush Goyal, the Honourable Commerce & Industry minister, has correctly dubbed this achievement as a ‘Make In India Blockbuster’. The growth trends of Indian exports are expected to gain further momentum in the foreseeable future.

While the future of Indian exports seem all bright & rosy, exporters – especially the relatively new ones – have to tackle various challenges. Internationalisation of brands is not the easiest of tasks (even when they are extremely popular domestically), and building a strong brand awareness & recall value in the export markets can seem to be a daunting task. This is precisely where the benefits of digital marketing services in Kolkata come under the spotlight. We will here offer some important insights on why digital marketing has emerged as an absolute must for export ventures:

Helps To Generate Awareness Among The Target Audience

Traditional marketing methods – no matter how carefully planned – are limited in their scope and reach. By switching to digital, exporters can promote their products/services through dedicated business websites as well as social media channels – reaching out to potential customers from across the globe. With greater awareness, brand recognition and recall values go up significantly.

Builds Stronger Brand Names; Boosts Brand Reputation

Having a strong presence in the digital space goes a long way in establishing a robust reputation for brands. Simply identifying the target audience is never enough – and exporters need to make sure that customers find it easy to actually seek out the products/services that they are offering. An optimised business website (with multilingual options, if required) also adds a layer of reliability to the operations of exporters. Ours is a ‘connected world’ – and a smart digital marketing strategy (with the website as the first point of contact) – is necessary to build a ‘stronger’ brand name.

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Facilitates Competitor Analysis

With the number of exporters rising exponentially, the level of competition in the international markets is insanely high. In such a scenario, in-depth study of competitors’ strategies, product/service offerings, promotional activities, and other operations should serve as a starting point for new exporters in particular. With the help of digital marketing agency in Kolkata, companies can quickly and easily identify their competitors, track their communication strategies, and compete with them effectively. Proper research also enables export businesses to take data-backed decisions.

Communicating With Customers Becomes Much Easier

Communication with Customers Offers Better Feedback & Suggestions

Apart from helping export ventures reach out to more international customers, digital marketing also helps companies maintain seamless communication with buyers. Through carefully synced logos, catchlines/slogans, USP statements, brand promise(s), website elements & more – businesses can showcase a level of consistency that will generate a positive buzz and make more people consider the concerned brand(s). With the help of digital channels, exporters can promptly respond to customer queries, track feedback & suggestions, and share information as required. In other words, export ventures can stay ‘always available’ to their global customers.

Enhances The Visibility Of The Business

Website designing and search engine optimisation (SEO) typically feature in the service portfolio of any digital marketing agency. That’s hardly surprising – with 3 out of every 4 potential customers estimating the credibility/authenticity of a business on the basis of the latter’s website (and the UX it offers). In this context, the importance of expert SEO services also needs to be highlighted. If the optimised, mobile-friendly, information-rich website of an exporter ranks right near the top of Google search results, the chances of more queries coming in goes up automatically.

Helps In Finding A ‘GLOCAL’ Voice For Export Businesses

One of the biggest factors that keep buyers from doing business with overseas companies is the ‘trust gap’. This problem can also be resolved with digital marketing. Through carefully thought-out communication strategies (website, social media, etc.) and content marketing plans, export ventures can set up distinct, ‘local’ tonalities for different international markets (which would be more relatable to respective buyers). When an export venture can position itself as a strong global entity – while having ‘local’ voices for different customer segments – an effective ‘glocal’ strategy is formed, which takes the business to the next level.

Makes The Task Of Framing Country-Specific Marketing Strategies Easier

Region Specific Digital Marketing Strategies

For businesses that export their products to multiple countries, forming a marketing strategy is never a one-shot game. A holistic digital strategy is instrumental in helping exporters chalk out different promotional strategies and communications that would be suitable for the audience from different countries. The need for in-depth research is immense in this context as well. Companies, with the help of surveys, market reports and other such material, can find out the potential demand for their product/services, the level of competition and the main competitors, market dynamics and other key parameters. Marketing tactics and brand positioning can be customised accordingly.

Opens Up Opportunities To Connect With Business Decision-Makers

The power of social media as a brand-building and awareness generation tool can hardly be overemphasised. For B2B exporters in particular, LinkedIn is the go-to platform – to directly connect with key decision-makers from their sector, understand their requirements & pain-points, and push their products/services in a suitable manner. Channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube (for video sharing) have important roles to play as well, depending on the nature of the brand. From bolstering brand awareness to striking up potentially beneficial partnerships – exporters need to leverage social media optimally.

Makes It Possible To Track Business ROI

For business-owners in general, and export ventures in particular, uncertainties over profitability are never good. A comprehensive international digital strategy includes regular tracking of the marketing expenses as well as the returns on investment (ROI). These give a proper idea on what strategies are working, and whether the marketing campaigns are being adequately effective or not. Without periodic evaluation of sales, revenues & profits – export businesses cannot move ahead.

Establishes Export Businesses As Thought Leaders

Online Visibility is Important for Export Ventures

Reliability and dependability can boost the prospects of export businesses considerably. Through well-crafted digital communication strategies, such businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders – generating awareness, sharing key insights, and unearthing opportunities from their respective sectors (instead of simply trying to hard-sell products/services). By positioning themselves as ‘knowledgeable’ thought leaders, businesses can take up the overall credibility and trust factor in a big way. Effective content marketing is vital for the successful establishment of an export venture as a thought leader.

The degree of visibility in the online space can – and more often than not, does – make or break the fortunes of export ventures. Without systematic digital marketing, it is practically impossible to generate the requisite amount of brand awareness to sustain in the international markets. This lack of awareness, understandably, leads to trust issues – with buyers generally preferring to do business with brands/companies they are more familiar with. Chalking out, implementing, and regularly updating 360° digital marketing plans is essential for exporters to make their brands more familiar in the international markets, generate more genuine leads, and drive up conversions.

In the absence of a proper digital marketing strategy, an export venture would be just like a rudderless ship. Be smart, plan well, and be prepared for success.

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Sayak Mukherjee

Co-Founder & Director at Brandwizz Communications Private Limited, Sayak entered the business of Communications Designing at the age of 21. He specializes in Internet Marketing, Communication Designing, Social Media and Experiential Design projects.