International Business: Showing Up on the US Radar

There’s never been such a grand opportunity to export goods or services to the US. It should be one of your key goals.

For the minimal amount of cost, the upside potential is huge.

Stellar Canadian tech startups that have boomed recently in US or global markets include Hootsuite, Shopify, Real Estate Webmasters, Unbounce, Uberflip, and 500px. With new free trade deals being signed each year, we’ve got access to Europe, China, US, and Japanese markets that were once inaccessible. Launching into the US could be just the beginning of  big things ahead. Time to modernize.

The US recovery could be stalled if the USD stays so high. US companies must leverage cheaper, more agile service and technology partners to compete with Chinese, European and Japanese competition.

The Truth – We Desperately Need to Export Services

The numbers don’t lie: this graphic below from StatsCan reveals how dire the situation is here in Canada. Since we have the talent, our marketing efforts should pay off — with the right strategy and results.

Big Advantages for Canadian Companies:

• no need to charge HST tax and clients won’t have to pay their state taxes
• exchange rate 30% bonus
• a portion of your business costs are 30% less
• it’s exciting, invigorating and challenging and you’ll learn more
• gives you scale to let you explore new product/service opportunities
• reduces business risk due to more market access
• makes your business more attractive to investors

Positioning for Explosive Growth

As I pointed out in my post on doing Business in the US, there are plenty of serious reasons for looking beyond Ontario and BC. Revenue, growth, product potential, and connections multiply ridiculously.

With digital marketing, it’s easier now to orchestrate an effective surge into the US. Positioning in this sense means creating content, publishing it correctly, engaging influencers, and doing a knock out job with direct marketing.

And it doesn’t have to be all at once.  However it does need to be launched with enough oomph to create the critical mass necessary to generate awareness and action. Slow growth is not an option nor is it cost efficient. Strategic omnichannel marketing done right will help ensure you’ve got enough gravity to make it work.

As an service entrepreneur who has provided traffic-building SEO and content development services for US companies and agencies, I feel it’s a smart choice for any Canadian company. It may take courage and a focus on being the best you can be, along with optimism, confidence and a commitment to adjusting to what US companies want.  The rewards are worth it. It could be you know much more than I do and you haven’t created the strategy.

Here’s a few ideas to help:

9 Ways to Create Customers in the US

1. repurpose your service/product selection to fit the US marketplace and build new custom websites/social pages to deliver your content to your US audience (they may not like Canadian sites)
2. have your own brand /client relationship manager who will be responsible for persistently promoting the value of your company and shaping your product/service experience
3. study your target cities and travel to them so you have a better empathy for their culture
4. understand how they see Canadians and how you can leverage those beliefs rather than fighting them
5. strategize, plan and create your Wow/Impact campaign and the engagement experience with your content
6. do omnichannel digital marketing – Content marketing, email, SEO, PPC, and social media are your 5 pillars
7. impress them with your knowledge of their markets and specifically how that will benefit them
8. build relationships with influencers, personalities, celebrities, noted business people, politicians, and journalists in those cities — convey your unbeatable, significant, personality, unique value proposition in every communication and transaction (subtly, via your content)
9. hire a great salesperson in the US to give you instant access to events, news, and opportunities down there

Make the decision to put an emphasis on the US. Growing into Europe, China and Japan will flow out of that.  If your goal is to build a company and sell it to investors with the financial power to take it big, there’s little to be concerned with. Hire someone to get the ball rolling.  It will be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.

Check out the  2020 US housing market forecast and San Diego economy as indicators for your timing.

Additional Resources:

Join the Linkedin Group Doing Business in the US.

Vancouver: clean technology exports booming

Profitguide: A surprising way to crack the US market

Ontario guide to taking your business global

Ontario government consulting on how to export

Contact me now about all aspects of marketing for small businesses.