Using Technology to Take Your Company Global: How It Can Put You on a Level Playing Field With Much Larger Organizations

Technology can be deceiving, but in the world of business, that’s sometimes a good thing. That’s because for companies looking to expand and take their product or service global, the Internet can make them appear more substantial—putting them on a level playing field with much larger organizations.

Whether your business sells a product or service, these statistics from a 2008 Nielsen Global Online Survey on Internet shopping habits show exactly why a strong Internet presence can be a powerful tool in your global business expansion:
-More than 85 percent of the world’s online population has used the Internet to make a purchase—increasing the market for online shopping by 40 percent in just two years (now imagine how many have used it to research products and services before they have made purchases offline).
-Among Internet users, the highest percentage shopping online is found in South Korea, where 99 percent of those with Internet access have used it to shop, followed by the U.K. (97 percent), Germany (97 percent) and Japan (97 percent). The U.S. came in at eighth, at 94 percent, in the study.

To take full advantage of the Internet to accelerate the growth of your women-owned business, here are a few suggestions:

• Create a powerful presence. Before creating or updating your Web site, it’s a good time to revisit your branding to make sure it is the best it can be. You’ll build on that branding to create a Web site that is consistent, easy to navigate, credible, focused, etc. As of 2008, there were approximately 156 million Web sites in existence—all the more reason to make sure yours stands out.
• Keep it fresh. To drive more visitors to your site, update it regularly with fresh content. Web sites that are regularly updated encourage both online users and search engine spiders to visit often. Fresh content can come from blogs on timely topics and RSS feeds and reprinted articles from directories. Also, consider submitting articles to other Web sites and building links via an exchange with other sites.
• Maximize your exposure. Whether your company has an ongoing public relations effort or distributes press releases only as needed, consider how these releases can help maximize your online exposure. There are dozens of sites where you can submit releases for free, including Free-News-Release.com, Free-Press-Release.com and MyFreePR.com. These postings will also further your search engine optimization.
• Tap into the social media: NAWBO National—as well as an increasing number of chapters and members—has a presence in the social networking arena. These sites are a great way to be relevant in today’s world and connect with customers and resources from around the globe. If you’re not sure about Facebook and Twitter, start with professional networking sites like LinkedIn and Plaxo.
• Prepare to succeed: One study shows that 50 percent of exporters get into exporting by accident—when someone overseas finds their product on the Internet or they meet someone by chance. So put a plan in place for how you will meet a sudden increase in demand if your online marketing efforts are a success.

According to a 2008 report, the top 15 countries in Internet usage are:
1. European Union
 2. U.S.
 3. China
 4. Japan
 5. India
 6. Brazil
 7. Germany
 8. South Korea
 9. U.K.
10. France
11. Italy
12. Russia
13. Canada
14. Mexico
15. Spain