The International Small Business

Every small business, including DataFive, faces the challenges of marketing. Where will customers come from? How do we acquire more? How do we reach untapped markets? These questions plague a small business from day one. We (small business owners) are constantly told that this is a global economy. That is a great saying, but how does one tap into this global customer base?

Language barriers are a tough hurdle to overcome for a small business. Translation and localization require a significant investment in both time and capital. How does a small business, with limited amounts of both, overcome this problem? The answer is; they don’t. Instead of going after the tough market of non-English speaking people we can tap into the much easier market of English speakers around the world.

Did you know that there are more English speakers in Germany than there are people in Canada? What percentage of your advertising budget are you directing to Europe, where 46% of the population speaks English? Europe ranks second in the world for English speakers, and that doesn’t include the United Kingdom! India is another hotbed of English speakers with a whopping 125 million. The map below shows the top 50 English speaking countries in the world. The larger the circle the more English speakers there are. The map is interactive so you can zoom, select countries and mouse over the circles for more details.

When you take into account the lower relative cost of Google PPC (Pay Per Click) globally then you start to recognize that targeted marketing in these English speaking areas can really pay off. You can even undercut your international competitors as keywords are priced in dollars and without VAT for U.S. buyers.

Information and visualizations like this can take your business to the next level. DataFive can provide this analysis and information tailored for your specific business needs. Contact us to find out how.