Webinar around Marketing Strategy in the US with Lucie Broto (CMO Withings), Marion Janic (Rooney Partners), Matt Rauscher (Nituno) and Nicolas Rose.
Webinar organized as part of the US Bridge Program on: How to build your marketing Strategy for the US? Our roundtable was composed of the following experts: Lucie Broto, ex-CMO of Withings, Marion Janic, Partner at RooneyPartners, Matt Rauscher, founder of Nituno and Nicolas Rose, french-american partner at XAnge.
8 US Marketing commandments to follow:
- 1️⃣ Prepare yourself for the “Big League”
- 2️⃣ Test U.S. marketing channels and methods
- 3️⃣ Do not JUST translate content into English
- 4️⃣ Cut to the chase and be straight forward
- 5️⃣ Work on your Buyer Persona
- 6️⃣ Change your mind on trade shows
- 7️⃣ Don’t waist time on press conferences
- 8️⃣ Public speaking, you won't neglect
Here is the replay (in 🇫🇷) :
1️⃣ Prepare yourself for the “Big League”
USA is 6 times bigger than France. The market is ultra-competitive. To avoid being left behind, you must play by the same rules.
What you must do?
Dare to position yourself as the leader in your market: provide figures and mention American clients as key references.
“If you don't claim yourself to be number one, someone less successful than you will do it instead.” - Lucie Broto, ex-CMO of Withings
Want to get an overview of the cultural gap? Read this:
2️⃣ Test U.S. marketing channels and methods
Are you used to doing subway marketing campaigns or TV spots in France? In the US, don't even think about it! It would be too expensive. Even a simple digital marketing campaign is 4 times more expensive in the US than in France.
What you must do?
"What works in France, won't work in the United States, but what works in the United States will work in France.” - Matt Rauscher, founder of Nituno
In our interview of Fabrice, General Manager US @ Odoo (XAnge Family), he declared that US marketing costed approximatly x5 more than in Europe.
3️⃣ Do not JUST translate content into English
Translating your website content from your language into English will not convey your message with accuracy.
What you must do?
Create your site in English from the start to avoid counter-productive and approximate translations. You must think your content like a native speaker would and therefore adapt how you present your product. It’s really important to get it proofread by a US native to make sure what you want to say and what you’re saying are the same.
Be US-first in your content creation, both internally (knowledge management in English) and externally (social media communication in English).
“Your head of content must be based in the US.” - Marion Janic, Partner at RooneyPartners
4️⃣ Cut to the chase and be straight forward
In France, we tend to lengthen our speeches and give a maximum of details to prove the quality of a product. That’s not the case in the US.
"Apple has the most complex products. Yet their Marketing is perfectly simple. It makes the buying experience simple.” - Matt Rauscher
What you must do?
Be clear and concise in your messages. Don’t try too hard with long technical explanations. Force yourself to explain in simple words, complex ideas.
5️⃣ Work on your Buyer Persona
Don't try to target the widest possible audience. An overly generalized message can dilute your value proposition and will have a counterproductive effect.
How to find the perfect persona?
"What allowed us to grow was targeting a specific audience. These early-adopters allowed us to test the U.S. market.” - Lucie Broto
6️⃣ Change your mind on trade shows
In France, trade shows are not considered as lucrative business event to attend. It’s the complete opposite in the US: trade shows are mandatory for newcommers trying to expand in the US Market.
"The best way to create authority is to go to trade shows. You get all the potential customers there over three days.” - Matt Rauscher
What you must do? Trade shows are a unique opportunity to meet your clients. It's a great chance to test your message and value proposition. List the key annual trade shows in hyour industry and don’t miss them!
"During the COVID period, we had to put extra effort into digital marketing to achieve the result we would have achieved in 2 days of trade shows” Thomas Habib, COO @ Implicity (XAnge family)
7️⃣ Don’t waist time on press conferences
Only large corporations like Apple can justify making such releases.
What you must do?
Prioritize personalized 1to1 meetings with journalists.
“Most journalists consider press releases as spam.” - Marion Janic
8️⃣ Public speaking, you won't neglect
What you must do?
Practice as much as you can: