Q: We are an established tech company based in Latin America. Late last year, we opened an office in Silicon Valley as the first step in our plan to expand to the U.S. marketplace. We can’t dedicate personnel full-time in the U.S. until we demonstrate traction, but we do have a consistent presence. Any ideas?

A: Congratulations on making a commitment to expansion in the U.S. Branding and promotions will never take the place of interpersonal relationships. However, if you have personnel in the U.S. on a somewhat regular basis, even if it’s one week per month or two, you can leverage promotional tools to establish your brand, raise your visibility, make sales calls more effective, and create an on-going dialogue with clients, prospects and partners. Whether you are an established U.S. company or an international firm looking for traction in the U.S., the idea is to participate consistently in the marketplace or be forgotten. There are many ways to make an impact in the U.S. market. Consider these five ideas for leveraging the power of your brand to sell for you when you can’t be there in person:

1. Create an engaging website customized to the taste and needs of the American market.
2. Share stories of your key initiatives and their meaningful outcomes with a monthly electronic newsletter.
3. Develop engaging features of your people via video--these can bring you virtually face-to-face with prospects--without the cost of a flight.
4. Share knowledge and establish your credibility with blogs and social media that contribute to the knowledge of the community.
5. Provide interesting news about your people and initiatives with a vigorous public relations campaign.
   

Your U.S. and international competitors are leveraging these very tools to succeed as well. Therefore, it is your mission to create a promotional approach that is more compelling. An effective promotional approach, one that is true to your culture,value proposition and brand, will give you the one thing that every salesperson wants: the opportunity to compete.

Tags: international, business, marketing, public relations