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I grew up in rural Illinois and didn’t have much international communications experience. In fact, by the time I entered college, it was already at zero. In my first few jobs, I lived and worked in big (and then bigger) cities and gained experience working with people from all over the world. It inspired me to explore different cultures, customs and communication styles. Colleagues and clients have inspired me to travel and increased the number of “countries to visit” in my wish list.
The launch of a virtual public relations agency meant face-to-face meetings may have dwindled, but the ability to connect with even more people around the world has increased exponentially.
Our agency works with partners throughout the United States and India, Israel, Finland, England, the Asia-Pacific region and other countries. One of the best things about working in tech in many countries is that good partnerships tend to lead to more collaborations and opportunities (and even friendships).
We have a marketing partner in Israel who hired us for her last three positions, recommended us to other Israeli tech companies, and now I can consider her a personal friend. Working with her many years ago, we quickly discovered the growing Israeli tech scene and decided to connect with others in the field.
And personal example, work and cooperation with international partners gave my team and me invaluable experience in international business relations.
If your business allows it and you haven’t started working with partners outside of your country of origin yet, I highly recommend this.
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1. Early bird advantage
While working on the West Coast, I often arrange early morning meetings to coincide with the schedules of my East Coast colleagues and the media. But it’s also the ideal time for international calls to take advantage of overlapping business hours. It can also help you be more productive when you work during peak hours. By working with companies on the other side of the world, you can plan your work according to your natural energy level.
Once you connect at the end of their day and the start of yours, the rest of the day will mean fewer distractions from Slack, WhatsApp, email, and other distractions.
This may end up increasing your bandwidth to attract more customers as time management is improved by the time zone connection.
Related: Should You Head to the East or West Coast to Launch Your Startup?
2. Collaborative learning
International partners promote closer cooperation. Working with brands from other countries can help a PR agency learn about new cultures and how to do business in different parts of the world.
This knowledge influences and develops new strategies and tactics that you can use to help your clients succeed. It’s all too easy to become complacent about the norms of one’s own country, and it’s important to hear, see, and learn about other lifestyles, trends, and cultures.
3. Get access to new markets
“Small world” is true when you specialize in some industry. As mentioned above, many countries have ecosystems in certain areas and this can mean ongoing partnerships after one successful interaction.
Working with brands from other countries ultimately helps the PR agency reach new markets. This is a great way to expand your business and attract new customers.
4. International partners
In our case, companies wishing to hire us to increase their presence in the North American market may have a PR agency in the specific country they work with. This means that we get a partnership with another team that already has a common bond through our profession.
It provides several benefits, including:
- Access to new markets: Partners have the local knowledge and experience needed to succeed in new markets.
- Cultural understanding and language skills: This is essential for developing successful localized PR campaigns.
- Contact network: Both teams maintain a common media contact assembly. It can help you walk in the door and open up new possibilities.
- Economic efficiency: In many cases, hiring partner agencies together costs much less than hiring two agencies separately.
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5. Become more competitive
The ability to work with companies around the world automatically increases your competitive advantage. It also means that PR agencies can offer a wider range of services and experiences, including cross-cultural communication, international media relations, and global market research.
Over time, PR agencies gain the skills and experience to understand:
- Intercultural communication: Communicate effectively with clients from other cultures. This means understanding the culture, communication style and expectations of the client.
- Relations with international media: Build relationships with international media. This means understanding the media landscape in different countries and how to tell stories to international journalists.
- Global market research: Do market research in different countries. This means understanding different markets in different countries and being able to collect and analyze data.
Working with companies from all over the world has had a positive impact on our PR agency. Through revenue growth, partnerships and international media, we have gained a deeper understanding of different cultures and how to do business in different parts of the world.