In our mobile and rapidly changing world global PR is not something that only huge and rich corporations can do. In fact, startups need it more than ever.
13 July, 2017, Victoria Zavyalova, co-founder, V Startup Agency
In the beginning of 2017, when we just launched our agency in New York and started developing on this highly demanding and competitive market, there was one young entrepreneur I particularly admired.
He developed a solution for small farmers in his native Ukraine and brought it all the way to the U.S. He never stayed at one place: one day he would fly to Lima, and the next day meeting a prospective client in Bolivia or making a presentation at a conference in Peru.
His achievements and traction in one country facilitated growth in another one, and still he implemented a few exciting projects in the New York area. He got the investment he needed and was invited by a major American university to bring his company in their newly established R&D center free of charge. Last time we spoke he was somewhere in between flights from his native Odessa, Ukraine to Helsinki, the capital of Finland.
Mobility pays off, just like the ability to work under pressure or a positive mindset, although these factors are sometimes ignored by investors. Great startups are global, and so is their communication strategy and crowdfunding campaigns.
That’s especially relevant now, when so many businesses are trying to raise money on the cryptocurrency market. Those who had an international approach from the start are successfully implementing their ICO (Initial Coin Offering), raising money from crypto investors in China, Russia, and around the globe.
You might be put off by the prices that big PR agencies offer to corporations. But, in fact, an international campaign doesn’t have to be incredibly expensive – a thoughtful approach can bring you benefits, just like with anything else. Here are just a few tips on how you can build your successful international PR strategy.
Your message can vary across the markets
Seriously, it’s ok. Big international corporations send most of their messages to the global audience from their headquarters in New York or London. They think that’s the only way to do this, but they sound alien to people in different countries. Chinese or Latvians live in a different cultural paradigm, they don’t get the same trick you can play with your customers in the U.S. That’s one of the main reasons global giants can’t beat smaller companies on local markets.
Find good people to work with…
This advice is coming from the previous one. There is no way you can decide what should be the information angle for media in Brazil if you never left your native New Jersey. If you can’t afford to hire a big agency, you can find freelancers, who should be based in your target country. Even if you think that you know the foreign market, knowledge and experience is different. One might know how to build a successful company but you have experience only if you actually did it.
Trust and give yourself a break
Control is a great thing, and everybody wants it, because everybody believes only they KNOW HOW. Operating across different time zones and dealing with freelancers at a distance can be frustrating. Remember, you can evaluate the results of a PR campaign only after four to six months, depending on the country where it’s taking place. It takes time to break into the media and build a relationships with relevant publications.
