With the current Covid-19 situation why would you think of expanding overseas?
Unforeseen downturns, previous pandemics, regional wars and natural disasters have had an impact on businesses as long as we can remember. Now is the perfect time to stay calm, think and come up with a new strategy, backed by great research. Expanding overseas could give your business great potential and reduce your dependency on a single and limited market. Going global can extend the sales life of your existing products and services, give you access to new talent and benchmark your brand against international competition.
You end up thinking big, with a fresh vision, unique goals and ultimately lead your business to new heights.
The backstory
One of our clients, a Malta-based international business development consultancy, wanted to make inroads into French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa in a bid to continue its expansion overseas. The company planned to hold a professional seminar in the West African state of Togo, targeting the local business community using Facebook. Being an initial trial run for the client, we were constrained to a limited budget but were dead set on delivering the best possible results. Entering a new market is never easy and depends on great research to lay down the foundations for a strategy to be built on.
Togo is a former French colony. Our design, advertising copy, website landing page and our voice needed translation. However, we went one-step further. Rather than simply translating, the Keen team ensured that the wording used was professional, written in the right tone of voice and was localised to the Togo market, making it more engaging. We analysed Facebook use, including peak usage times, geographical hotspots and the way the Togolese use Facebook before starting any advertising campaigns.
A four-pronged digital blitz
To maximize the return on investment, we launched an action plan based on four effective marketing weapons: audience research, content, the target market and social media insights. We focused the client’s budget on the platforms that work best. After creating a custom-made CRO optimized landing page on the client’s website to promote the Togo business seminar, our digital team launched a four-pronged digital blitz.
- Event responses campaign
- Traffic to website campaign
- Traffic to website campaign
- Pixel retargetting campaign
The results blew us away
The entire campaign had a huge impact and, as a case study, proves that the strategic use of social media marketing in the region has significant benefits.
1. Event responses campaign
The customer gained 140,683 impressions to 33,128 unique users, meaning that each user saw the advert on average 4.2 times. This campaign gave them 234 responses to the event, which means that every person who attended had an acquisition cost of 0.47 USD.
2. Traffic to website campaign
The client gained 237,504 impressions to 50,432 unique users, meaning that each user saw the advert on average 4.8 times. This campaign produced 3,769 link clicks through to the landing page. Every person who clicked through to the website had an acquisition cost of 0.03 USD.
3. Direct messages campaign
They gained 212,242 impressions to 69,504 unique users, meaning that each user saw the ad on average 3 times. This campaign sparked 129 unique new messaging conversations directly with the client’s page, which means that every person who started a new high-value conversation with a representative from the client’s company had an acquisition cost of 0.87 USD.
4. Pixel retargeting campaign
The customer gained 4,612 impressions to 149 unique users who had already been on the landing page but had yet to sign up. The campaign achieved a Click Through Rate of 8%, far above the industry average of 2-3%.
Keen’s secret marketing weapons managed to convert the ad campaigns into genuine engagement and real-life leads. In fact, it was so successful that the business seminar was packed. It helped our international client build a local presence in Togo for their brand, involving local stakeholders before even setting foot into the country.
How Keen can help your business go global
Expanding overseas is not easy. If not done properly it can lead to a failure which can damage your brand, cost you a fortune and demotivate your directors and employees. With the support of digital marketing, the great tools available and an international network of PR agencies, Keen has the experience and knowledge to help you put your best foot forward. As always, preparation is the key to success.
Are you aware of the current funding opportunities available from Trade Malta’s COVID-19 Export Response Scheme?
- Invest in digital marketing channels to promote products and services internationally
- Train staff in digital marketing tools through eLearning
- Recover funds lost in eligible expenses related to trade exhibitions cancelled due to the pandemic
If your annual business strategy review or the impact of Covid-19 have pushed you to consider expanding your business overseas, we would love to have a chat and find out how we can help you reach new shores successfully.