So is going global as easy as having your website and brochure translated into a different language?

Not quite.

Communicating with a global audience can be complicated. There are several factors to consider that reach beyond simply translating communications into other languages. First we must consider the brand and what it will mean to audiences abroad. Will it be seen as new and exciting, will it fill a particular market gap, or will it attempt to break into the market as a competitor to a local favorite?

Once you have made the decision to invest resources in a particular global community, you must consider not only the native language, but the language’s nuances, communication vehicles, and culture in general.

Language
It is imperative to correctly translate English-language material into the a culture’s native language. In addition, it is extremely important to understand the nuances of the foreign language. For instance, the word “policy” translated into Spanish, is understood as “police,” even within the proper context. You can see how confusing it can be to an audience if communications are simply translated and not reviewed for conceptual accuracy.

Communication vehicles
Choosing communication vehicles is equally as important as the message you send. Just because an English-speaking audience prefers to be reached through email, does not mean that it will work for every one. For instance, in some countries the mail is not as reliable as it is in the United States. In addition, some cultures prefer more formal methods of communication or a specific communication process.

Culture
Culture is an extremely important factor in business communications. Educate yourself on etiquette, customs, and important holidays before sending any communication.

Expanding a communications program globally can have a positive affect on an organization and their brand. However, it is imperative that you are informed about the marketplace you intend to reach, the native language, and the culture of any country before developing a global communications plan.

Transitioning to a new logo involves a strategic approach to maintain the integrity of the brand. Because your brand is your promise to your marketplace, consider how brand integrity will be affected when transitioning from an old logo to a new.

Converting to a new look
There are two generally accepted approaches to logo transition.

The first is to prepare all communications during a pre launch phase and on a specific date scrap all old communications and use only new communications from that forward. This approach works well with consumer goods and product lines where multiple logos can send a confusing message.

The second method is to take a deliberate approach of transitioning to a new logo over a period of time. Generally, the time period should not exceed three months, but done over 8 to 12 weeks, a smooth transition both internally as well as externally can be accomplished in an orderly manner with minimal disruption.

The second method is considered an acceptable approach with professional service enterprises. Their audiences tend to be contained and easily reachable. This second method also tends to be more cost effective and resource efficient.

Steps to be taken include;

• Identifying critical areas where the new logo must appear immediately
• Finding the items that can transition when current stock is depleted or resources become available

Much of the transition strategy also depends on the degree of separation from the old logo to the new one. An inverse relation should exist between the level of change and the length of transition. If the logo changes dramatically, a shorter transition period should be deployed. If the changes are subtle, a longer transition can be an acceptable approach.

Transitioning from an old logo to a new one should be approached with a strategy that includes identifying where the current logo exists and then executing the transition in a way that not only maintains the integrity, is also mindful budgetary and time constraints.

A strong brand strategy provides an organization with the foundation on which business, marketing, and communications plans are constructed. An organization’s brand is who it is to its marketplace while the business plan is all about reaching that marketplace. The branding strategy and the business plan need to be aligned in order for either to be successful. As the business and the marketplace evolve and grow, the brand must evolve as well. An organization must continue to provide its market with a product or service that meets their needs and the brand promise to convince its audience.

Both the business plan and the brand should touch all areas of the organization and be the foundation for each and every business line—new or existing. As products and services are expanded, they should still fall within the business plan and the branding strategy to ensure the target audience’s needs are met.

Adhering to the brand through all phases of business brings the organization and its activities under the same umbrella, forging unity and distinguishing the organization from the competition.

Lets look at the two main reasons why experts say it is best not to send communications—vacation and attitude.

Vacation
First of all, just because business people go on vacation during the summer, for a few weeks or maybe even a month doesn’t mean they are not paying attention the rest of the summer. Secondly, these days, business people are so connected through email and blackberries, that although they are on vacation, they are still checking their mail. As they may only be looking for emergencies and ignoring the day-to-day office emails, your e-blast could catch their attention. Vacationers have the time to read marketing email that may otherwise get ignored or put aside. Another thing to consider, as vacationers come back to work, they usually do not have last week’s crisis top-of-mind and may pay closer attention to unexpected communications.

Vacation also gives people the chance to clear their head of the day-to-day minutia in which we tend to get caught up and see the bigger picture. As they return to work, they are more likely to pay attention to communications that address “big picture” needs.

Attitudes
Summer is a time that the business world generally slows down. With people in and out of the office on vacations, summer interns, and a more relaxed atmosphere It is often said that “nothing gets accomplished over the summer.” This is no longer true. Though less may be accomplished in the summer due to vacations, things get planned for the coming months. Reaching out to your audience during these summer months may give you the opportunity to be in their plans come September. Take advantage of the relaxed attitudes and lesser volume of mail to make your communication the one that gets read!

A critical part of every marketing communications strategy is knowing the most effective methods for sending meaningful messages. When it comes to marketing, organizations find that though it is easy to create the same types of collateral over and over again—because that is what has been done in the past, what the audience expects, and what is comfortable for the organization—it rarely results in the crucial change in behavior they seek.

Could the message have been better said in a different way? As the business world and technology evolve so do consumers, investors, vendors, and employees. Determining the message and the audience before developing the communications allows for more insightful and creative marketing communications that reach audiences with more impact.

When developing communications consider the following:

• Who is the audience?
• What is the message to be shared with this audience?
• What are their demographics and pyschographics?
• What is the audience’s preferred way to receive communications?
• Have they heard from you before?
• What is the relevance of the message to the audience?

Once the audience and the message have been established, determine the most appropriate communication vehicle.  If the audience is the technology companies, it may be an e-blast; if the audience is interior decorators, it may be a a branded tape measure. There are so many ways to send a message—a little foresight and a little creativity can go a long way to make your communications stand out from the crowd.

The Obama administration has insisted GM remake itself into a company of fuel efficiency, a friend of the environment, and a producer of quality products. Now in bankruptcy, they’ll eventually emerge with new financing and equity structures, new union contracts and government guarantees, less workers, less dealers, and less models. That could be the easy work.

Now, GM will have to convince the American consumer that they really are a new and different company. Not the company of trucks, SUVs, and large cars.

America has evolved and will continue to evolve.

The made in America label only goes so far. With new generations it carries less and less weight. Americans enjoy the right to buy what they want. Loyalty to a mismanaged colossus producing products misaligned with consumer demand will take a long time to develop.

Though they are in the midst of a predicament, GM’s senior management needs to get to work on the new brand. What will they promise to their marketplace? Will they be able to deliver it? This time there won’t be a second chance. Call it cultural or attitude, the new brand needs to be established and the employees have to buy into it with fervor. Then the consumer needs to come around and buy GM vehicles. Only then will GM have a chance of making it.

The Web has also effected the way organizations brand themselves. The web’s ubiquity and ability to break down geographical boundaries, makes it more important for organizations to distinguish themselves online. One of the most effective ways to stand out from the crowd is through your web address, or url. A url should uphold the tenants of effective branding—it should strive to be relevant, memorable, tangible, timeless, and important. Though an organization’s name would appear to be the most obvious choice, there are other conventions for choosing a url—attaching a geographic area (bostoncarpetcleaning.com) and using a descriptor (carpet-cleaner.com) are just a couple options.

Recently the options of choosing a url have increased to allow numerals. Organizations now have millions more opportunities to secure an effective url by including number and letter combinations. Adding a numeral into a url is another way to extend your brand and stand out from your competition.

In the coming year, organizations will have the ability to purchase a unique suffix. Instead of having .com, .org, or .edu; companies can have .anything. Though this is coming at a hefty cost—$185,000 plus a yearly maintenance fee of $75,000—companies willing to pay the price will have the opportunity to set themselves apart and own a unique suffix. These changes will continue the evolution of the Web, will set a new precedent for the way organizations market themselves online, and will affect the way enterprises brand themselves in the future.

Articulating the message
A brand’s unique selling proposition is what makes it rise above it’s competition. It should be superlative, memorable, tangible, important, and timeless. A unique selling proposition is constructed to stand the test of time. Unless the organization’s core offering changes, the unique selling proposition stays the same and should be consistently conveyed across all communication.

Crafting an effective delivery
The delivery is where, when, why and to whom the brand puts its stake in the ground. Delivery depends on;

• Medium—Print, web, radio, and word of mouth are all mediums through which a message can be delivered. Communications written for the Web are very different from communications written for a radio spot, which are both very different from a formal business letter.
• Timing—Some communications are planned, others are spontaneous. Some are proactive while others are reactive, but whatever the circumstance—message must align with the brand.
• Reason—Reason for communication can be positive, negative, or neutral, but whether communicating to avert or alleviate a crisis, announce an increase in earnings, or inform about a new product, the message must reinforce the unique selling proposition.
• Audience—Audiences can include customers, potential customers, vendors, investors, and employees. The brand reaches out to each of these audiences for different reasons and through different mediums but each audience member must receive a consistent message.

A brand’s delivery will vary but the it must always effectively communicate the unique selling proposition. If the message changes with the delivery method, it will be diluted, the audience will be confused, and the brand will suffer.

It takes months and years for organizations to develop products and services that go to market. Employees often get so attached to a working name that it becomes its consumer name. The name makes complete sense for those who have seen it grow but may have little relevance to the audience it is meant to serve.

This is a common and it is not hard to see why. Company culture is often so strong that it finds it way into external communications. As part of an organization, employees become so immersed in the way a company speaks to itself that it becomes hard to think in the terms of the consumer. Nomenclature and phrases that seem ubiquitous are a communications pitfall to the public.

It is important to review the working and marketing names of products and services in various stages of their development. Test them with consumers and find the way to speak to the end user in a way that is relevant, important, memorable, and tangible.

Right now, few are taking advantage of a business opportunity that is looming over all of us—you and your business. In the midst of this recession, there may not be a better opportunity to grab a higher return on investment. Where? In your marketing and advertising budget. Advertising and marketing are traditionally the first expenses to be slashed in an economic downturn. The accountants see it as overhead and General Accepted Accounting Practices (GAAP) agree. No amortization of this expense.

Consider the facts: repeatedly and consistently, studies have shown, firms who maintain or increase their marketing and advertising budgets during recessions not only come out of the recession stronger than before, but shift the competitive landscape in their favor. This increase in business proves to be a permanent step rather than just a bump. Meanwhile, these firms’ timid competitors lose market share and are forced to change their differentiating proposition based upon the new standards set by their assertive competitors.

Meldrum & Fewsmith’s former Senior VP, J. Welsey Rosberg observed “ I have yet to see any study that proves timidity is the route to success. Studies consistently have proven that companies that have the intelligence and guts to maintain or increase their overall marketing and advertising efforts in times of business downturns will get the edge on their timid competitors.”

Maintaining or expanding your marketing and advertising budget to build visibility, credibility, and profitability gives your organization a distinct advantage in a time when the marketplace is not saturated by the competition. The subliminal message that your enterprise is strong will allow you to leverage today’s efforts, taking a position of greater leadership within your market.