Marketing your business in Europe

Expanding your business into Europe brings many marketing challenges. Take steps to plan carefully and avoid the potential obstacles.

Do your research 

While you never know exactly how your marketing is going to be received, you can minimise your risks by researching the market first.

Marketing mistakes include assuming what your customers want. They also include ignoring the competition and trying to compete on price alone. Relying on too few customers is also a mistake.

There is a variety of tools available to understand and measure customers' attitudes in different countries. These include:

• online survey tools
• customer focus groups
• website analytic software
• competitors' advertising

These methods offer free or relatively low cost ways to understand how your customers are interacting with your brand. Compare and contrast different messages to see which works best.

See market research and market reports. 

Penalties and fines

Cultural marketing varies by country. There are also big differences in the penalties and fines.

Complaining about your ads in the UK might only get a warning from the Advertising Standards Agency. But, in Germany, the same complaint could make you pay extensive damages. In Belgium, the same ad could mean you have to publish (and pay for) corrective ads. In Belgium, the same advert could mean you having to additionally publish (and pay for) corrective advertising.

Understanding EU marketing regulations has no simple solution. Countries strict in one area may be very lax in others. If you are running a campaign, always make sure that you comply with the law in every country where it is running.

It may also be important to check official resources. These include the EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices.

Overcome language barriers

Getting the right tone is vital when marketing your business abroad. Never assume that you can simply translate existing material word for word. Always check with native speakers to gauge their reaction to your marketing. Even if your campaign is grammatically correct it may not be giving the message you think or want to convey.