This article comes from Emi Wayner’s insightful talk, ‘Connecting borders, cultures, and customers: Crafting and nurturing global customer initiatives for unparalleled success’, at our 2024 Customer Marketing Summit, check out her full presentation here.
As a creative growth marketer and go-to-market storyteller working at Google Cloud Marketing, I've had the privilege of spearheading winning global customer initiatives across diverse markets and cultures.
In today's deeply interconnected world, the ability to craft effective global strategies is more vital than ever for businesses to thrive.
In this article, I'm excited to share a powerful framework and some practical insights that have helped my teams drive unparalleled success in connecting borders, cultures, and customers.
From strategic planning to cross-cultural communication, leveraging AI-powered tools, and beyond, I'll equip you with all the tools you need to take your global marketing efforts to new heights.
Whether you're a seasoned marketing professional or just embarking on your global growth journey, the strategies outlined here will empower you to forge powerful connections, align distributed teams, and deliver remarkable customer results worldwide.
So let's dive in and unlock the secrets to crafting global customer initiatives that truly stand out!
The importance of strategic planning
Effective strategic planning lays the foundation for successful global collaboration. It's crucial to define shared OKRs and KPIs across all regions.
At Google, during our annual planning process, I draft the strategy, OKRs, and metrics in a document, ensuring alignment and buy-in from everyone involved.
However, simply having OKRs isn't enough, you need to align priorities to achieve those OKRs with other teams and regions.
Oftentimes, global teams and regional teams may have different priorities, which can hinder the achievement of shared goals. As a leader, it's your responsibility to ensure that these priorities are aligned across all teams.
Next, clarifying the execution plan, thinking about how and who will implement global campaigns or projects at the regional and local levels.
Smaller regions may rely on resources and playbooks from the global headquarters, while local teams bring invaluable expertise in messaging, visuals, and cultural nuances.
So clearly define who will execute which tasks at each level, and decide whether to adapt, modify, or create new campaigns for specific regions based on their unique needs.
