Making the leap from a small, local business to a successful international one is never easy. In fact, this is where many businesses find themselves failing when they choose to expand. Growing into an international company requires a new way of thinking and reaching out to customers that you might have done in the past.

In order to find success, you are going to have to consider what your brand means to another type of audience, how to reach customers, and which aspects of your business you want to remain the same. Rebranding can be difficult, but it’s all necessary when you are planning on making the next leap to a new market.

Research your buyer personas

You might have known your local customers by heart. Maybe you’ve been working with the same type of customer over a long period of time. If this is the case, then you are going to have to think in a few new ways in order to reach new customers through marketing.

Before you jump head-long into the process of marketing, however, the best thing to do is know your international buyer personas just as well as the local ones you have been working with. This can require interviews, chatting with customers who have looked to competitors in the past, and running some polls by people who you think might be interested in what your business has to offer.

Once you’ve gathered some basic information, you can develop a market based around your average customers.

Think about how your company looks to an international audience

What might work in one country might not always work in another. Maybe your colorful branding and laid-back content appeals to a market in Brazil—that doesn’t mean it will go over well in Sweden. Like knowing your buyer personas, you should also know what interests your customers in each location you are planning on expanding to. You might also think about hiring a digital agency for each country you are planning to market to.

Mazda doesn’t use the same advertisements in the United States that it does in Japan. Even though it does cost a bit more money upfront, you’re more likely to see a higher ROI when you cater to your well-researched buyer personas. Knowing your audience and what it can get from your product specifically is more than half the battle when you are looking to expand.

Use content and social media the right way

Just like with branding, potential customers aren’t always going to be searching for the same information on Google. Different areas have different problems and often require different solutions. That’s why if you considering on marketing to a number of countries, you should have an expert in each one who can let you know what is concerning potential buyer personas, what trends they are interested in, and how best to educate them on your product.

This also means delivering content and promoting on each country’s social media pages (not just your country’s), providing content that addresses specific problems your buyer personas might be facing, and reaching out to the media in each country.

Know the laws

While you might know the laws that could affect your business in your home country, it’s not always so easy to be aware of the laws abroad. Before you choose to expand, you will want to sit down with some international lawyers and ask them about any complications you might run into if you start to do business on a global level.

Make sure (just like your buyer personas) you know the ins and outs of the rules and how other companies have chosen to expand abroad. You can learn a lot from the competition and how they have approached stepping outside of their home countries.

With a little thought beforehand, you can reach out to an entirely new audience and reach customers on an international level. Rebranding can take a little time and effort, but the added thought and care will eventually make the difference when you choose to expand your company.