Tamar Badashvili, Deputy CEO at Setanta Sports • Business Consultant specializing in revenue growth and market entry.
Every new market has its own unique challenges and demands. It’s never as simple as taking a strategy that worked in one place and applying it everywhere. While you might find some overlap in similar markets, most of the time, success requires thorough research to understand what truly resonates with each audience.
However, even though every market is distinct, there are certain strategies you can rely on every time you scale. After expanding a business across 14 countries, I’ve identified a few key principles that apply consistently. Here are five lessons I’ve learned that I hope will guide you through your own expansion journey.
Lesson 1. Don’t Just Translate—Localize Your Content
Translating your content alone isn’t enough; you need to localize it. To succeed, your audience should see you not as an outsider but as a brand that feels local to them. Investing time in content research is key. For example, if you’re working with sports content, it’s important to understand which sports, athletes and leagues are most popular in each market.
Go a step further to learn how audiences consume their content. Some prefer live streams, others favor on-demand videos, while some lean more toward news articles. For some regions, international sports are a big draw, with fans following local athletes on global stages. In other markets, local leagues and teams might take center stage. What you showcase, and how you showcase it, directly impacts how your audience engages with your brand.
Lesson 2. Remember That Nothing Is Stagnant
Once you enter a new market and understand your audience’s content preferences—what they like to watch, which influencers they follow and what types of content they prefer—don’t assume it’s set in stone. Markets are always evolving, and so are the trends. What’s popular today might not be relevant tomorrow. New trends can emerge overnight, like viral content on TikTok, or a local athlete might suddenly rise to international prominence. Political shifts could lead to the shutdown of local channels or alter viewing habits in unexpected ways.
That’s why it’s important to stay on top of things. You can’t just rely on the research you did at launch. Keep doing your research regularly—for instance, once a quarter—and don’t hesitate to run surveys among your audience to see how their preferences are shifting. Staying proactive and in tune with changes will help you remain relevant and connected to your audience, even as trends change.
Lesson 3. Prioritize Legal Compliance To Minimize Risk
When your business has reached the point where you can scale internationally, it’s a sign that your brand and reputation are strong. With that growth comes a certain level of responsibility—especially when it comes to legal compliance. Even small missteps on the new legal landscape can put your business at risk. This is particularly important if you’re operating in highly regulated industries.
From the very beginning of your market research, work closely with your legal team. If necessary, hire a local legal consultant who can guide you through the nuances of local laws and regulations. They’ll help you figure out any restrictions that could impact your operations. For example, in the sports betting industry, advertising laws are frequently changing, and these changes can significantly affect the revenue. Being proactive in understanding these legal nuances can save you from costly mistakes down the road.
As you expand, also prepare to diversify your revenue streams. Regulatory changes can impact one source of income, so having alternatives in place will protect your business.
Lesson 4. Put Teams Only In Highly Prioritized Markets
When scaling your business internationally, it’s important to be strategic about where you place your teams. Not every market needs its own dedicated on-the-ground team. If you’re just starting to expand, focus on the markets with the highest B2C potential and prioritize those first. For these high-priority markets, it makes sense to set up teams with key roles like sales managers, content creators, advertisers and brand/PR managers who can build awareness and promote your platform effectively.
In smaller or less critical markets, you can often get by with external partners or manage operations remotely. For example, you could work with a local partner to handle sponsorship package sales or even oversee a market from the headquarters or a neighboring region where you already have a team in place.
In some cases, especially in regulated industries, you might need a legal consultant to advise on local legislation.
Lesson 5. Try To Establish Local Partnerships
As I’ve already mentioned, the key to entering a new market is ensuring your audience perceives you as a local brand. And nothing helps with that more than building strong, genuine relationships with local players.
When you’re expanding, especially in markets with high potential, partnering with well-established local organizations or influencers can make a huge difference. If possible, connect with local teams that already have an existing presence and trust in the community. And if your budget allows, working with nationally recognized influencers can give you an even stronger foothold.
At our business, we often team up with local companies in similar industries—TV channels, media agencies, advertising firms and influencers. These partnerships not only help build our local presence but also give us access to networks and audiences we wouldn’t reach otherwise. Even if we don’t have a full team set up in that market, these partnerships allow us to expand with a local touch.
To Sum Up
Scaling isn’t just about expanding your reach; it’s about evolving your brand identity in a way that resonates across cultures. The more you can immerse yourself in a market’s unique values, the more your brand will feel relevant and authentic, building a lasting connection with each new audience.
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