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Marketing To Expats on Digital Platforms: Why It's Logical?


Germany becomes home to many expats for many reasons, and these expats are usually accustomed to the Internet. They use digital platforms a lot as they probably have fewer friends and neighbours to ask about staff in the city. That is why marketing expats is a logical sales plan for companies. But there is more!

Top 4 reasons for marketing to expats in Germany

Companies and ecommerce communities are slow to take part in marketing expats despite the high potential. There are many reasons to target expats for marketing efforts.

1. They are easy to convert

Expats are mostly open to know and use new brands, as they are not loyal to any brand in this new country. They seem to be a great target, but it requires some effort. There is no doubt that you need to stand out to reach these people, who are highly possible to convert into a customer.

2. Their number and income are growing

The number of expats across the world is continuously growing. By 2021, it is estimated that the number of expats globally will reach about 87.5 million. 

But that is not the only reason that makes expats an attractive audience: Also, 74% says that their income has increased after moving abroad, according to the statistics of HSBC. From a marketer's perspective, growing numbers of this group of people with increasing revenue mean a great target - again!

3. Germany is safe for online shopping

Germany is one of three countries that host the highest numbers of expats along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These people, with some money to spend online, feel safe in Germany, which makes ecommerce much more practical in the country.

The policies are keeping them safe, and the stability of economic conditions in the country makes it much safer. Obviously, marketing to expats in Germany is worth to spend effort on.

4. They are actively in need

Being in a new country means starting a new life. So expats need to buy staff to settle down even for a while and find out new channels to purchase things for daily necessities. You can be the channel for a long-term relationship if you achieve attracting their attention and gaining their trust. 

So what is next?


For the brands that are new in ecommerce marketing to expats can consult experienced digital marketing agencies. However, you should go to a digital agency prepared in terms of your targets and capabilities. So you will know what to expect from them.

Marketing to expats in Germany is a big deal and deserved to pay a lot of attention. In this article, we will try to give you first insight on how to market your brand to expats.

The best channels for expat marketing

Before you start marketing to expats in Germany, discover the channels they use. These channels will be your meeting point with your target audience. The marketing channel can turn all the effort into a success (or vice versa). 

On the other hand, playing in all of the channels available, without reliable data showing that they are effective, you might get lost and tired for nothing.

It is best to start with creating a persona to define your channels in an ideal way. Which kind of expats is your target audience? A persona should reveal the age group, gender (if necessary), hobbies, daily habits, relationships, and lifestyle. Find out who will buy your product accurately. Then you will suddenly realize which platforms are the best to contact them. 

Now you are ready to design a perfect campaign for these channels!

How can you maximize your expat marketing efforts?

Expat marketing is an evergreen field. People may be short-term expats, or they can decide to live in another country for long years as expats. You are supposed to consider all cases and design your campaign (or maybe campaigns) in a detailed and purposeful way. 

You can’t just say “Hey, expat! Come and buy my product”, can you?

First of all, your expat marketing efforts should give a sense of safety. Let them know you are a safe brand to start a relationship, and your products are of high quality and deserve trying. But how?

Let’s name a few steps that deliver your brand’s name to the expats.

1. Realize the changing behaviour of your audience

Understanding expat lifestyles will help you find out where to focus. It is great if you created your user persona at the beginning of your expat marketing efforts. But your persona is living, and so, changing every other day. Make sure that you update your knowledge about them and accompany their changing lifestyle.

Even if nothing changes, the social media accounts they actively use will change. There was nothing called TikTok before 2016, and the platform has 500 million active users worldwide now. Stay updated! And see the trends they follow, as you might need to amend your strategies in time.

2. Optimize your content regularly

Your targeted expats are probably searching for you online. Can they find you out without advertising or promoted content? They should.

You can search for the queries they use while doing online research. These queries will give you a lot of insight to optimize your content. Also, Google is always evolving and changing its algorithms for search results.

It would be great if you optimize your online marketplace, website, and blog by combining the data you find out. There are several ways for SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and you need a plan covering various ways to be seen in organic search results.


3. Choose the most relevant products

It is a skill to choose the most relevant products for a targeted audience. As online marketers, you need to develop this kind of power. It great to be available to help out with the issues expats may face.

At this stage of expat marketing, an accurate assessment of your audience’s needs and expectations is the key. Your offer is supposed to solve a problem in their life. 

They will furnish their house, buy new clothes to keep them warm in this new country, read books to know more about the culture, feed their dog friend. They have many needs, and it is a great effort to work for choosing products for ecommerce addressing expats. 

4. Combine different channels

It is highly possible that your targeted audience is active on different channels: mostly Google searches and social media. So start a blog to help them find you on Google search, and share your useful blog articles on social media. Interaction in multiple ways is an effective way to be realized by people.

Here is another tip you can use during such a combination: do not oversell your products. Also, help people how to make life easier and more fun in this new city and relate your brand with your content organically.

Work with a professional digital agency

Marketing is a work by itself. It will be challenging to promote and introduce your products to a whole new group of people while maintaining your own job. I definitely recommend you to work with professional digital marketing agencies that already know how to deal with ecommerce marketing to expats.

These companies help you develop a strategy to attract and convert expats, and include a well-considered purpose in your digital efforts. In this way, you will increase your conversion rates and have time to improve your products and services. 

Because you will get better both in digital platforms and products, you will set your long-term success bar higher than ever. Digital Agency Network can help you find your best agency partner for these purposes.

Author: Gizem Tas

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