The UK is a prime destination for many international-based businesses with sights on global expansion. It’s the sixth largest economy in the world and the second largest in Europe in terms of GDP. Beyond market size, there are immediate advantages such as the ease of doing business here and the global popularity of English as a preferred business language.
However, the transition to the UK is not without its challenges. Businesses commonly accustomed to strong brand recognition and media influence at home will likely find themselves with little brand awareness while competing against well-established and better known local players.
Here are three communication strategies that can help scale-ups to hit the ground running in the UK.
1. Map the competitor and stakeholder landscape
One of the first steps for businesses headquartered overseas is to identify local competitor activity and the array of stakeholders in the UK market.
Take Xero, which expanded into the UK in 2008, as an example. The brand had already been hugely successful in New Zealand and Australia where it enjoyed market dominance. But on arrival in the UK it found it faced fierce competition from established brands such as QuickBooks and Sage. To succeed, Xero had to quickly get to grips with its competitors’ offerings and communications strategies to understand how to position itself and stand out from the crowd.
It’s also critical for businesses to identify key stakeholders across various domains, including media, policy and business. Understanding these influential individuals and organisations in your space is vital to the development of effective messaging and PR strategies. Once mapped and prioritised, strategies to engage each stakeholder can be designed. This is often a crucial exercise to build solid foundations for your local reputation and achieve long-term success in the UK.
2. Tell your story in a way that resonates
Differences in the competitor and stakeholder landscape, in addition to distinct consumer expectations, regulatory frameworks, and media preferences, means that businesses should consider creating a UK-specific communications narrative. This locally-informed document should articulate the positioning of the company within the UK market, in a way that speaks to local audiences.
UK-based communications consultants can facilitate workshops with senior leaders to overlay business strategy, purpose, and USPs on top of a deep understanding of the competitor and stakeholder landscape and an attunement to the media agenda. Ideally, a narrative should be backed by solid proof points about what has worked well in the home market.
3. Develop your PR strategy
A successful PR strategy should balance global brand consistency with local targeting. This involves creatively adapting global assets and ensuring that language and messaging are tested against British communication styles and cultural nuances.
Brands must develop UK-specific PR and communications strategies that are highly localised while still laddering up to broader business objectives, and a successful strategy should include measurable communications goals and integrated tactics that align to and support the overarching strategy.
Driving long-term success
Expanding into the UK market is a significant step for any business. While most who are ready to expand will likely have achieved significant success domestically, the UK presents a new set of obstacles that require a fresh perspective.
Businesses can thrive in the UK by truly understanding their audiences, then investing in PR to communicate their strengths and differentiation as the foundation for long-term commercial success.
Image credit: Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels
