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Growing up in rural Illinois, I had little international communications experience. In fact, it was actually sitting at a big zero by the time I got to college. In my first few jobs, I lived and worked in big (and then bigger) cities and grew experience working with people from all over the world. It energized me to learn about different cultures, customs and communication styles. Colleagues and clients inspired me to travel and increased the “countries to visit” portion of my bucket list.
Launching a virtual public relations agency meant the in-person meetings may have reduced, but the ability to connect with even more people worldwide increased exponentially.
Our agency works with partners all over the United States and India, Israel, Finland, England, APAC and more. One of the best things about working in the tech space in many countries is that great partnerships tend to lead to more great collaborations and opportunities (and even friendships).
We have a CMO partner in Israel who has hired us in her last three positions, recommended us to other Israeli tech companies and is someone I would now consider a personal friend. It was upon working with her years ago we quickly discovered the growing Israeli tech scene and made a point to connect with others in the space.
While a personal example, working and collaborating with international partners has given my team and me priceless experience in international business relations.
If your business allows it and you have not started working with partners outside your own country of origin, I highly recommend it.
1. The early riser benefit
Working on the west coast, I often have early morning meetings to coincide with my east coast counterparts’ and media schedules. But it’s also a perfect time for international calls to take advantage of the overlap between working hours. It may also help you be more productive by working during your peak hours. By working with companies on the other side of the world, you can schedule your work around your natural energy levels.
Once you’ve connected at the end of their day and the start of yours, the rest of the day means fewer interruptions by Slack, WhatsApp, emails and other distractions.
This may ultimately increase your bandwidth to take on additional clients as time management improves due to time zone communication.
Related: Should You Head to the East or West Coast to Launch Your Startup?
2. Collaborative learning
International partners foster a more collaborative environment. 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 impacts and develops new strategies and tactics that can be used to help their clients succeed. It’s far too easy to become complacent in your country’s norms, and it’s essential to hear, see and learn about other ways of life, trends and cultures.
3. Gain access to new markets
“The world is a small place” is true when you specialize in an industry. As mentioned above, many countries have ecosystems in particular areas, and it can mean ongoing referral partnerships after a single successful engagement.
Working with brands from other countries ultimately helps a PR agency to gain access to new markets. This is a great way to expand the business and reach new customers.
4. International partners
In our case, companies looking to hire us to increase their presence in the North American market may have a country-specific PR agency they work with. That means we get to partner with another team who already shares a common bond through our profession.
It provides several benefits, including:
- Access to new markets: Partners have the local knowledge and expertise you need to succeed in new markets.
- Cultural understanding and language skills: This is essential for developing successful localized PR campaigns.
- Network of contacts: Both teams support the shared build of media contacts. This can help get your foot in the door and for developing new opportunities.
- Cost-effectiveness: Many times, the collaborative hiring of partner agencies costs far less than hiring two agencies separately.
Related: 5 Ways to Connect and Network With Other Entrepreneurs
5. Become more competitive
The ability to work with companies around the world automatically increases your competitive advantage. It also means that PR agencies may be able to offer a wider range of services and expertise, including cross-cultural communication, international media relations, and global market research.
Over time PR agencies develop skills and expertise to understand:
- Cross-cultural communication: Communicate effectively with clients from other cultures. This means understanding the client’s culture, communication style and expectations.
- International media relations: Build relationships with international media. This means understanding the media landscape in different countries and how to pitch stories to international journalists.
- Global market research: Conduct market research in different countries. This means understanding the different markets in different countries and knowing how to collect and analyze data.
Working with companies from around the world has had many positive impacts on our PR agency. From an increase in revenue, partnerships and international media, we have gained a deeper understanding of different cultures and how to do business in different parts of the world.