7 Cross Cultural Marketing Tips

Presented by: Kari Heistad to the Global Business Alliance of New England

1. Know Your Own Cultural Background
When we learn about other cultures we often think about it as "us" understanding" them". But when developing a deep understanding about cross-cultural issues, we must first start with understanding ourselves or "us" understanding "us". Take a moment and think about how you see the world. How have your education, traveling, gender, faith, children, sexual orientation, hobbies, and/or recreational interests shaped who you are? What celebrations and rituals are important to you? These elements collectively form your unique cultural identity, the lens through which you see the world. In this sense, every encounter we have with another person is essentially a cultural exchange, not just those with someone who obviously speaks, eats, dresses or appears differently. The next time you interact across cultures, share who you are, too. This will help us to learn from each other and not just about each other.

2. Know Your Expertise
There are numerous challenges when going overseas. It is vital to understand what your expertise is, and to then find the other expertise that you need to be successful. Don't be afraid to bring in marketing experts for your target countries.

3. Do Your Homework
Spend time researching the culture of the target countries. Learn about communication, negotiation and work styles. Is your target market a high context (for example Latin America) or low context market (US)? What do you need to know about non-verbal communication?

4. Cross Cultural Meetings
We all know communication is key to ensuring good relationships, no matter who we are communicating with. But, when communicating across cultures, it is even more important. If you are having meetings with participants from different cultures, put more of your communication in writing than you normally would. Under each agenda item, put bullet points of topics to covered and key issues that need discussion. This ensures that everyone (even those with more limited English skills) can feel confident that they are understanding what is being presented.

5. Ask Open Ended Questions
When we function in a foreign language, we have a tendency to say yes when we are asked a question, even if we don't understand what was asked. This is even true when we are asked "Do you understand?" The next time you are interacting cross culturally, ask an open-ended question such as "Can you tell me what we need to do next?" instead of "Do you understand?" If the person is unable to answer what needs to happen next, then you know that you need to explain further.

6. Always Use Professional Translators
Translating materials into foreign languages is always a challenge, even more so when you are trying to convey a concept in a way that is appealing to foreign cultures. Ensure that the translation firm that you are using has the ability to use native speakers for the translation. Ask if they also do a secondary translation check with another native speaker to act as a back-up. It is better to be more careful up front, then to try and correct mistakes later.

7. Know the National Holidays and Religion
If you are working overseas, make sure that you learn about local holidays and how they might impact campaigns and other business projects. The month of Ramadan is important in many parts of the world, and, having critical deadlines during this month is challenging. If your target countries have a strong religious basis for their culture, make sure that you learn about the religion and its taboos, restrictions and ways that religious beliefs can work in your favor.