The selected representatives will relocate to South Australia for a 13 week intensive program working with CEOs, corporate executives and other mentors to discuss the expansion of their companies both locally and internationally.

High-profile program mentors include chief experience evangelist for Microsoft’s US developer and platform evangelism (DPE) team, Chris Bernard.

The ten chosen companies, nine of which are from Australia, were selected from 120 applicants based on the potential of their ideas.

Dr. Jana Matthews, managing director of ANZ Innovyz START said, “We were looking for break-through ideas that could be enabled by web 2.0, software and mobile. We have been very pleased with the breadth and depth of business ideas we’ve seen in the applications for the 2013 ANZ Innovyz START program. The vision, passion and ambition of our entrants is testament to Australia’s burgeoning start-up and small business eco-system.”

The program, modeled on the US program TechStars, is designed to accelerate start-up companies so they’re ready for international expansion.

Nick Reade, ANZ general manager for small business, said, “ANZ’s ongoing support for this program forms part of our commitment to the Australian small business sector and in particular start-up businesses. When you’re a start-up business, success requires more than a great innovative idea, it’s about having the right support, mentoring and access to knowledgeable investors to get off the ground.”

The NBN will allow exporters to compete at a much higher level and on a global scale. It will provide online exporters with a high speed internet that will increase productivity and at the same time save you money.

If you live within the 66 towns or localities within the current three year roll-out plan – due to be finished by 30 June 2015, then there are a couple of things you need to take into consideration in preparation for the new technology.

Here are some tips on what you can do to prepare for the NBN and ensure you take advantage of everything this technology has to offer:

• Faster speeds and quality of cable will mean your online time should be improved. Check with your internet provider to see what new offerings will be added to your contract and take the time to assess other options that may be cheaper and better suited to your export needs.

• As an online exporter – or if you are thinking of using online to export products, make sure you investigate how you can leverage the network to update your ordering or delivery options. Leveraging the speed and quality of your internet offering can improve your customer’s experience with your brand which can only be positive.

• Research marketing tactics used by similar export companies online and see what might work for you. Online marketing can often be cheaper than other traditional methods and it’s a great way to increase your market reach.

• Don’t just add technology layers to your internet site just for the sake of it. Treat the NBN for what it is, a technology improvement. It does not have to mean a change to the way you do business. Changing your business model just because the technology is available without fully understanding the impact can often do more damage than good. Take your time and make any changes based on sound business strategy.

• Remember to look at all aspects of your business model when considering how to improve your internet capabilities. Driving more customers to your site is not helpful for a business if other areas are not being supported. For example, ensure you look at investing in supporting infrastructure, like warehousing, product development and servicing, to deliver on your customer promise.

• Keep an eye on the new export industries, organisations or products that start up as a result of the NBN. Monitoring your potential competition will ensure that you can plan for the challenges that this can bring – this includes international competition.

Amazing opportunities will be available to those who are willing to take the time to investigate them, but make sure that you are implementing them for the right reasons. Ask questions and keep asking questions – being informed is the key to success.

Branding is especially important in export business as it is the one consistent message every potential customer sees and having strong company and product branding can make all the difference between failure and success.

Building the brand

Consider what direct competitors offer to their customers and then identify what sets your company and product apart. As a new product or service you need to ensure your target market will be able to differentiate between you and your competitors but also be able to instantly understand why your product is better or different.

The next step is to choose your brand message or messages and a ‘voice’; Do some research into your target market and the different ways they perceive brands. How do you want your company and product to be viewed by your target market? Are you affordable or high end? Family run or corporate? Practical or stylish? Conversational or formal?

Bringing the brand to life

One of the most crucial things to remember about branding is to always be consistent – especially when your brand is being marketed across multiple regions.

It is essential that the branding is kept consistent across all media, as well as leaflets, company websites and business cards. That way customers will always be able to easily identify your brand and are more likely to remember and recognise it in the future.

Online directories, such as Fatcow, can help you to build brand awareness. By listing on specialist, trusted directories it adds authority to your brand message and acts as a recommendation to potential customers in your targeted market, helping to widen your audience. Thousands of farming and agricultural professionals use the directory to source products and services every year.

Brand considerations

Before moving your brand overseas there are a few considerations you must make about your brand and its image:

• Determine whether your brand image is suitable for the country’s culture
• Determine whether your marketing strategies suit the country or culture you are expanding into – just because a marketing strategy works in Australia doesn’t mean it will work in Asia.
• Ensure your brand name translates correctly or does not translate into and offensive work or inappropriate meaning.
• Treat each country individually by creating marketing strategies that match their cultural preferences.
• Do some ground research before you launch your brand in another country to ensure that your marketing strategy will be met positively by your target audience.

Your brand image and perception is extremely important and when exporting into a new market you want to ensure you create a good first impression.

It’s no surprise then that Chinese is rapidly catching up to English to become the most prominent language on the web. English web pages account for 27.3 percent of the internet, and Chinese pages lag behind at 22.6 percent. But considering Chinese internet use is growing by 36 million new users each year, Chinese pages are expected overtake English pages in three-to-five years. The internet also has less penetration in China than it does in English-speaking countries, meaning its capacity to grow is greater.

These are impressive figures. China is well and truly online. But what are exporters with goods and services destined for China doing about it? Not a lot, by all indications. Technology is changing so quickly and in such a way that Australian brand owners are absolutely clueless when it comes to their China web strategy. It’s commonly thought that simply translating their existing web offerings into Chinese will suffice as an online presence suitable for the Chinese market. Think about that for a moment. That’s a market where the biggest and best brands in the world are competing to engage the elusive audience of potentially 1.3 billion people, of which just under half are online.

If you are exporting to China, it is time to start exploiting the web. Who can argue with these figures? A good export strategy should include a serious focus on developing a Chinese web presence. This includes setting up a culturally adapted site suitable for the China market that takes advantage of China search engine optimisation. It is equally important to have a web marketing plan and a social media strategy that has been specifically developed for China. At the present time, only big multinational companies seem to be playing in this space.

For an example of just how serious the big corporations are about interacting with an online Chinese audience, look at the Chinese Johnnie Walker web campaign called ‘Sentiment Road.” Johnnie Walker employed Han Han as a frontman for the campaign. Han is a famous Chinese racing car driver and a ‘welebrity’, probably better known for his own blog than his on-road victories. This campaign includes blogs, tweets, online polls, photo albums, discussion forums, media articles and news with online video style documentaries. This campaign is so elaborate it was created in collaboration with one of China’s most famous film directors Jia Zhangke. This branding strategy is a huge departure from more traditional marketing efforst such as print media or television airtime during sport. It also highlights the reality that Chinese consumers are sophisticated, engaged web users. Johnnie Walker gets this. (Check out johnniewalker.blog.sina.com.cn to look at the campaign.)

Social media can work alongside Chinese culture to huge success. Sister Feng (or Feng Jie) is a microblog that has become hugely popular. Ask anyone you know from China and they will all know the story. Feng Jie was an internet phenomena brought about with the advent of social media, tapping into the Chinese love of ‘critiqueing’. The theme was about an ordinary looking girl with ridiculously high expectations for finding a husband. While Feng Jie’s story was orchestrated, the blog’s popularity is testament to the power of social networking in China. An unknown ordinary girl now has a cult following of millions of online fans plus media and promotional opportunities that have been very financially rewarding.

So once you know this, how do you choose what to spend your marketing and social media dollars on? It is simple to start by looking at what others have done. Choose a brand operating in China that is in-line with your product or service category, find someone who speaks and reads Chinese and have them research what that brand has done in China in the online space. It is not an exact science, and naturally, the best advice would be to use a consultant specialised in this field. It’s important not to leave this until your product is already in stores.

The Chinese online road map looks very similar to the one you’re (hopefully) familiar with at home, despite a couple of obvious differences such as language, culture and preferred aesthetics. For example, while websites in the West are starting to strip back to the clean feel pioneered by internet search giants Google, flash, moving animation and anything ‘more’ is better in China. The big Chinese search engines can give you an idea of this (try Sohu and 163).

Social media is also a different game in China. While Facebook and Twitter are blocked, free social media channels can be found on Sina Weibo. Popular, but paid social media services include Kaixin001 and Renren. IT’s also worth looking at QQ (Chinese MSN), Baidu (a Chinese search engine), youku (Chinese YouTube) and Taobao (Chinese eBay).

Free social media channels can be found on Sina Weibo. Popular but paid social media includes Kaixin001 and Renren. It’s also worth looking at; QQ (Chinese MSN), Baidu (search engine), Youku (Chinese Youtube) and Taoboa (Chinese ebay). Like Australia, Groupon or ‘deal of the day’ promotions are also popular; in fact there are more than 300 sites to choose from offering group-buying discounts. An example is meintuan.com.

China are not behind when it comes to innovation and adoption of web technologies. The industry is alive and buzzing. If you are planning to take your products or services there, it is imperative you take a serious look at how you intend to gain brand recognition and conduct your marketing campaign. The internet needs to be a big part of a sales and marketing strategy. Don’t overlook it because it seems a little confusing. You’d be making 457 million mistakes.

• Export declaration number is required for goods with a value of $2,000 or more from Australian
• Customs before sending the goods
• Always use valid harmonised tariff codes
• Sale price—which currency?
• Sale price—does it include delivery charges?
• Packaging of goods—secure and solid
• Always enclose the commercial invoice as this is used by Customs to asses duties and taxes
• Include a disclaimer on the website
• Research respective country restrictions and prohibitions
• Always specify delivery time frames to your customers
• Specify your return policy

Dealbreakers for internet exporters

• Client support. The internet is a global marketplace and because of that you have to be available to your clients 24/7.
• Localisation. When you’re dealing with someone who is not Australian you have to use different terminology.
• Understanding that invariably if you are looking for an international audience you will be paying in US dollars to get international traffic. Don’t overspend.
• Tailoring your site to suit the audience you are looking to obtain. Putting a US flag on your site saying you welcome US customers goes towards creating the right look and feel.
• International visitors like to see pricing in their currency so you need to provide a conversion tool.

* Know your product, know your market, know your clients and know what your technology can do. You want to have a plan for being able to ramp up in response to demand. Your reputation goes very quickly online.

* Check that your technology works and that it can deal with the largest possible volume of demand. Continually check your system and make sure it is working, especially after hours.

* Do price comparisons to ensure your product isn’t available more cheaply in your target market. Tell your customers in advance how much it’s going to cost them to get their unit.

* You need to be able to accept foreign credit cards. Fraud checking is critical and there are companies that can provide that service on the credit cards. Also do your own basic checks on buyer credentials.

* Always have some kind of site seal or a secure certificate lock that shows your site is guaranteed secure and provides a verification link that allows them to look you up.

* It helps to have an international phone number and address for the target market country. You could also include a map showing where your fulfilment centre is.

* Monitor your brand. You need to be out there on forums or news groups and able to tackle any kind of questions people have in relation to the brand or service you are providing.