When I began my career in content marketing, I faced a problem. Businesses in my home country, South Africa, did not yet value content marketing at the same level as businesses around the world did. I was essentially trying to market my services at a fair rate to companies who did not really understand why they should pay me at all.
While increased globalisation has ensured that businesses everywhere are now seeking out good content marketing, I’m glad that I had those initial struggles. Because there were few jobs for content marketers at home, let alone full-time positions, I had to look elsewhere. It was the catalyst for my decision to become a digital nomad, working for myself with clients from around the world.
There are still tremendous benefits to working with clients internationally. It widens your potential client base exponentially, so that you are more easily able to look past jobs that just don’t pay what you deserve. It also means you are more likely to find clients in the niche that most interests you, rather than taking on projects that are not stimulating.
That said, there is a learning curve when beginning your international content marketing career. Here are some things you need to know when marketing for international clients.
Research the appropriate rates
Many digital nomads make the mistake of keeping their rates the same no matter where in the world their clients are. This is a mistake for a number of reasons.
On the one hand, it means you might try selling your services in a country where businesses will not pay what you are worth. They may have a lower cost of living or simply not value content marketing as much as other places. You end up frustrating yourself by having to reject one client after another for offering you peanuts.
On the other hand, you may end up underselling yourself. If you live in a country with a low cost of living and a weak currency, an hourly or per-project rate that suits you might be far less than what other content marketers are making. Even if this doesn’t bother you, you will most likely end up working with businesses that don’t really value your work.
It might feel strange to charge the same for an hour’s work that a medical specialist in your country would charge. But that is what your work is worth in this context. Take the win by setting your rates accordingly.
Open a multi-currency account
One of the big difficulties digital nomads face when working with international clients is getting paid. While our world has become increasingly global, currency has remained behind. Instead of moving towards a single currency like Europe has, most of the world is still stubbornly sticking with individual currencies.
As a digital nomad, this has multiple consequences. You may keep your rates the same, and still see them rising or falling on a regular basis. It is also still expensive to transfer money from one country to another through your bank.
The good news is that, because so many people are working internationally, there are modern solutions. When starting your career as an international content marketer, make sure to open a multi-currency account. Multi-currency bank account services give you a place to receive payments in various currencies. Instead of each transfer coming into your local bank account at wildly inconsistent exchange rates and with high fees, you get more control over how you are paid.
Multi-currency bank accounts charge significantly lower fees than banks do. They are also more transparent about whether they include fees in the exchange rate they give you. In addition, you have the option to wait until the exchange rate suits you before withdrawing your money.
Do some reading
Considering the fact that you are a content marketer, I’m going to assume that you can write well. However, when expanding to international markets, you need to do some extra learning. People in different countries have different ways of communicating, even when they are speaking the same language.
If you are American, you need to get a good grasp on how British marketers write when writing for British companies. Not only do they use different spelling conventions, but they also often use different terminology and speak to their readers differently.
While you can formally research the spelling variants, to get a better idea of how people in other countries write, you will need to do some reading. Once you’ve read a few articles on websites in your niche in that country, you should be able to replicate the style well enough.
Taking your content marketing business international comes with its challenges, but it is well worth it. You will greatly expand your potential client base, ensuring you get to choose jobs that interest you without having to compromise on your earnings.