International Direct Marketing

In Europe, the United States, and all over the world, Directing Marketing can have a strong impact. Reaching your targets goes hand in hand with understanding and respecting local characteristics – whether linguistic, legal, or cultural.Tailoring your campaign is an essential step for gaining a foothold abroad and assessing your success.

Success will be yours if you take your target market’s unique features into consideration. Let our six pointers be your guide.

Tip N°1: Do research on your international market of choice
Tip N°2: Find an appropriate international database
Tip N°3: Tailor your message to the target country
Tip N°4: Standardise your message for hassle-free distribution
Tip N°5: Select the La Poste service that best meets your needs
Tip N°6: Plan for and process your replies

Identify target customers by reading up on your international market of choice. Do the same for each market that interests you.

• Evaluate the country’s potential: Investigate economic and demographic indices, business conditions, prospects, and current events to choose the best moment for taking action.
• Identify your target: Draw up a profile of your current market to aim your campaign at potential customers with similar consumption habits and socio-cultural characteristics.
• Familiarise yourself with local legislation: Learn about your target region’s standards, general sales conditions, patents, customs formalities, etc.
• Hone your offer without forsaking your concept
• Size up the competition: How many competitors are there? What are their products, services, prices, and communication vectors?

Finally, study the customs and habits of the target country, especially its commerce and culture. To take just one of many examples, rabbit-based food products have little chance to sell in England, where this furry friend rarely ends up on the plate.

The Chambers of Commerce and Industry, professional unions, the French Trade Commission, UBIFRANCE (the French agency for international development), and other specialised organisations can provide valuable information on your target country. You might also consider conducting your own study or doing Internet research.

Once you’ve identified your target market, find the database that best embodies it.

The database should be as finalised and reliable as possible.

• Compare offers from various suppliers.
• Choose to either buy or rent, and select the databases that best correspond to your target.

Both at home and abroad, follow our rules of intelligent Direct Marketing.The “AIEA” formula is a tried and true recipe for success:

• A to grab their Attention: Use an attractive hook (trial offers, free estimates, etc.) without promising too much.
• I to spark their Interest: Show them exactly why your product is worth it.
• E for Entice: Say what your target customer wants to hear, which is not necessarily what you mean to say. Keep it simple and personal to keep them wanting more.
• A for Action: Include a reply card among the materials you send. 

Always remember that words are perceived differently from one country to the next.

Don’t just translate your message into your target country’s language: adapt it by putting your newfound knowledge of its market and population to work.

Finally, keep in mind that you haven’t got all day to make your case: catch phrases, titles, and slogans should drive the potential customer to read on.

To facilitate the processing of your mail by customs officials and the local post office, make sure your envelopes are clearly marked.

Writing the addresses correctly  and checking that your mail content complies with regulations are both critical steps. Feel free to check out our guides to these processes.

Pay special attention to the following
The outside of the envelope must include:

• A legible and complete destination address. The name of the country is essential. Some cities and towns in different countries share the same name; for example, do you mean Cambridge in England, the United States, or Australia?
• A return address
• A fully visible postmark (we offer the option of personalising it).

The inside of the envelope:

• Must not contain any illicit or morally objectionable material.

The shipment and delivery of your mail could make or break your campaign. Before doing anything else, choose your sending options and conditions.

You care about:

• Speed: Opt for Priority service, with direct routing that cuts down on pit stops and shuffling for faster and more secure delivery.
• Price: Choose Economy service, which, though not as lightning-fast as Priority, is extremely effective. It uses direct links without costing a fortune.
• Delivery times: Compare the track records of possible suppliers. UNEX assesses La Poste’s performance in 17 European countries twice yearly.

With the development of Direct Entry agreements between operators, new international mail delivery methods are taking shape. Our sales representatives can help you select the solution that best meets your needs.

So your mail arrived safe and sound? See whether or not your efforts paid off!

To boost your reply rate, offer pre-paid reply cards to potential customers through our International Business Reply Service.

Mind your database! Databases aren’t set in stone. Our Address Change Due to Moving service lets you modify them and evaluate their usefulness.

La Poste, the international mail solution, sends back undelivered mail free of charge. Take the opportunity to correct your database for future campaigns.

And remember: it takes hard work and perseverance to become an expert in international marketing!