Home topics small-business-resources growth-import-export Growth | Import | Export Growth | Import | Export Marketing for Export Guest Author February 1, 2006 Marketing your product or service internationally can be very different to the strategy you use locally. Rebecca Spicer explores traditional methods, some new technology -driven options, and the research and planning needed to assess a market before taking the plunge. The world isn’t getting smaller, in fact it’s getting bigger every day in terms of potential customers. International customers might want your product or service, but first they need to know it exists. And you need to know what it will cost to take it to those markets , what conditions might apply, and how to evaluate your first step into exporting . Good planning and commitment are key to a successful and rewarding marketing campaign, according to Yunus Ali, senior lecturer in marketing at the Queensland University of Technology. A strong commitment to export and market research will put a business on track to preparing a detailed export plan and a comprehensive marketing strategy. Once you’ve established the best overseas markets to tackle first, further research will determine how best to promote and prompt interest from potential customers, partners, distributors or agents in those markets. Using the local services offered by Austrade and state governments is a good start, but Ali says Austrade officers overseas can provide more detailed information about the product market, the intermediaries and potential importers. Another avenue is international research organisations such as