Marketing your UK small business from overseas

Is marketing your UK small business while living outside the UK proving difficult? Maybe you find it frustrating not being able to attend events, collaborate in person, or immerse yourself in the UK’s business landscape. Living abroad shouldn’t be a barrier to your marketing efforts, and we’re here to show you that you can still do a lot with the right strategies.

Thanks to digital marketing tactics and platforms, you can establish a powerful brand presence in the UK without travelling here. The secret lies in understanding consumer behaviour, focusing on localisation, and using innovative techniques to be credible, visible, and engaging.

Let us guide you through actionable ways to market your UK small business without a physical presence in the UK.

Establish credibility

Customers may hesitate to buy from an overseas-run UK company. If one thing is clear, British customers value trust and credibility.

Research by the data platform Reputation reveals that 68% of UK consumers base their purchasing decisions on online reviews. Recommendations from family and friends take second place (28%), followed by brand claims (18%). This data shows just how significant trust is in the consumer journey.

Here’s how to build credibility from when you launch your business: 

• Have a UK registered office address: A registered office or virtual office address signals legitimacy and makes your company appear more locally established.
• Use a .co.uk domain and a UK phone number: A local domain reassures customers they’re dealing with a UK company. In contrast, a UK phone number helps make communication seamless and professional.
• Leverage company secretarial services: Company secretarial services, such as confirmation statements and other company structure changes, ensure you stay compliant with UK regulations while you are overseas.
• Maximise reviews: Collect Trustpilot and Google reviews to enhance visibility and credibility.
• Display recognisable trust icons: Instantly show online visitors that your business is trusted and secure with a simple trust badge.

Understand your audience

Developing a strong understanding of your target audience in the UK is crucial for successfully marketing your UK business from abroad. This means researching consumer trends, analysing competitors, and tailoring your messaging to align with local standards.

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Start by downloading industry reports from the likes of Kantar Marketplace, Mintel, and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to gather insights on British consumer behaviours and market trends. You can also use Google Trends to track search queries around your products or services and identify regional patterns or emerging interests.

Social media is another powerful tool for market research. Keep an eye on conversations on platforms such as LinkedIn, X, and Instagram to understand concerns and preferences among UK consumers.

Why not start by following your competitors and seeing what content resonates with their audience? What are they posting regularly, and what is driving engagement?

Localisation is the next step. Use British English across your website and marketing materials to create closer proximity with your audience and build trust. Emphasise your business’ UK-specific unique selling points (USPs) like fast shopping, local partnerships, and British craftsmanship. This will make your offering more compelling.

Finally, testimonials from UK customers will reinforce your company’s credibility and showcase positive experiences with your business, making it feel relevant.

Take your digital marketing to new heights

When living overseas, you need to think about search engine optimisation (SEO), social media, and community engagement strategically. Localising your online presence can attract more UK customers, improve search visibility, and build affinity with your brand.

Build a localised website and SEO strategy

First, optimise your website for location-based keywords to rank well in UK searches. Forget generic phrases. Instead, focus on search terms that have a UK-specific intent.  These should appear naturally in your site content, blog articles, and headers.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialist at 1st Formations, Hiten Solanki, says, “Undertaking these tasks will not only start growing your online visibility through rankings but start building brand awareness as you branch out into specific locations.”

Solanki recommends creating location-specific pages for your products or services. “For instance, instead of optimising a page for ‘florist in London’, you could create separate pages targeting more specific areas such as ‘florist in Camden’ and ‘florist in Hackney’. This approach can improve conversion rates and help you rank more easily in less competitive location-based search results.

“Secondly, even if you’re a company director based overseas, listing your business in UK-based online directories can help improve your local search visibility with potential customers. These directories are websites that catalogue businesses by location, industry or service, and often provide valuable backlinks to your website. Examples include Scoot, Thomson Local and Yell. 

“While not a traditional directory, setting up a Google Business Profile is also recommended, as it boosts your presence in local search results and on Google Maps.

“You can further strengthen your SEO footing by guest posting on related blogs hosted by UK content creators. These posts should offer valuable insights, and you’ll get a link back to your site. Alternatively, consider partnering with similar UK businesses to produce joint blog articles, case studies, or webinars and earn authoritative backlinks.

“Finally, engage with journalists and the UK press to enhance coverage, for example, when launching new products.”

Be active on social media

A strong social media presence will help bridge the gap between your location and your audience. The key is to make sure your content feels authentically British.

One-size-fits-all messaging won’t resonate with UK customers. Instead, lean into British holidays, events, trends, and humour. A nod to British culture can help engagement if it remains on-brand. Similarly, use UK-specific references to connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Don’t overlook TikTok when it comes to overseas marketing. Half of TikTok users in the UK say they frequently purchase products they discover on TikTok. The algorithm rewards engaging, authentic, relatable content – and you don’t need to be in the UK to create this.

Spend time on the platform to understand trending challenges and what customers in your industry engage with. Why not reach out to micro-influencers (10,000-100,000 followers) and ask them to endorse your brand? Send them free products or let them try your service in exchange for honest reviews, unboxings, or shout-outs.

Lastly, online communities can help you connect with potential customers, answer questions, and establish your brand’s authority. LinkedIn communities, Reddit UK threads, and Facebook Groups are all home to users discussing industry-specific topics.

Find out where your ideal customers are and position yourself as an expert to answer questions in these forums. However, avoid hard selling – instead, focus on offering genuinely helpful advice and relationship-building. Over time, this will position your business as a go-to solution.

Leverage paid advertising

Paid advertising is another way to reach your UK audience and market your business, even when you’re based overseas. Think about leveraging targeted pay-per-click (PPC) and social media ads to maximise ad spend and get brand exposure if you’re not already.

Google Ads and social media ads

Are you using Google Ads campaigns? If so, target local keywords to attract local traffic, reducing competition and cost-per-click.

Meanwhile, Meta Ads (formerly Facebook) lets you target specific regions, customer interests, and user behaviours. This allows you to focus on particular demographics and reach a relevant audience in the UK.

As one of the leading social media platforms for product discovery, Meta is a prime destination to focus your advertising efforts. According to a recent Sprout Social study of over 4,000 participants, 60% said they actively use Meta to explore new products and make purchases.

The platform particularly resonates with the Gen X audience (aged 45-60), 40% of which said Meta is their first choice for social media product discovery.

What’s more, retargeting ads let you re-engage UK users who previously landed on your site but didn’t make a purchase. Targeting someone who’s already shown interest can strengthen brand familiarity and increase conversion opportunities.

Influencer marketing

Have you considered partnering with UK-based influencers or bloggers? They’re a cost-effective way to promote your products and extend your reach. Most will be willing to give your business organic exposure for a small commission, depending on how well your brand aligns with their audience and values.

If your company partners with the right creator, trust and credibility can grow among your audience. In fact, 65% of TikTok users rely on creator recommendations and reviews when making purchase decisions.

Discover UGC campaigns

User-generated content (UGC) is a new source of influence. When customers create and share content about your business’s services or products, it’s essentially a digital version of word-of-mouth marketing, which we all know is powerful.

Small businesses should tap into this tactic but shouldn’t force it. UGC works better when customers post photos or reels naturally and easily. You can create branded hashtags or competitions to encourage participation, featuring these in any marketing collateral, such as emails or packaging. Don’t forget to repost your customers’ content on your website and social media to build authenticity.

Then, reward these customers with discounts or prizes to incentivise them to create more content about your business. GoPro, for example, encourages users to participate in its Awards Challenges. Customers can submit their photos and videos with the chance to earn a monetary reward and recognition.

 

UK fitness brand Gymshark has mastered UGC marketing, with users posting workouts and wearing their clothing. These videos then get featured on the brand’s social media and drive thousands (if not millions) of organic impressions.

Have UK-based representatives

Connecting your brand with its target audience may seem even more challenging when you’re living abroad. That’s why we recommend having someone in the UK (or an agency) represent your business. This means they can attend networking events, trade shows, pop-up stores, conferences or meetings on your behalf.

Despite not needing to be in the UK to market your business online, a physical presence can help you build credibility, develop business partnerships, and build relationships with others in the UK startup community. This is especially important if you are offering a high-value product or service and are working on establishing trust with customers or if you need to work with suppliers.

Another option is working with UK-based event organisers, who can help you host a stall at a conference, a pop-up shop, or an in-person event.

Host virtual events

If you’re not physically in the UK, hosting virtual events like webinars, product launches, or Q&A sessions can help build relationships with UK customers.

To host free webinars or online workshops, all you need is good lighting, a platform like Zoom or Instagram Live, and a strong internet connection. These can help educate your audience about a topic related to your business. At the end of the virtual event, you can reward attendees with a special offer or promotion.

If you decide to host a virtual event, don’t forget to promote it. Use your social media channels and email marketing to spread the word and build interest, then create a simple landing page to register sign-ups. If you want to go the extra mile, contact an influencer or industry expert to engage your audience further.

Partner with non-competing UK brands

Collaborations with non-competing brands can help you tap into a new audience. By cross-promoting each other, both businesses benefit from greater reach without spending money on advertising.

Once you’ve found a suitable partner, explore mutual promotions, such as joint giveaways, co-hosted events, or cross-marketing on social media. You may wish to create exclusive deals with these companies, offering a discount when customers buy from both of you.

For example, if you’re a director of a UK-registered startup that sells planet-friendly, organic skincare, you could partner with a UK-based brand that sells sustainable hair accessories and run a social media contest. The prize could be a bundle of organic products.

Implement referral programmes

Finally, think about creating a referral programme to better market your UK-registered company from abroad. Reward existing customers when they refer friends and family to your business with discounts (such as 10% off their next purchase), free products, or credit for your online store.

As with many of these techniques, you should promote the programme through your website, email marketing, and social media. Remember to make it easy for customers to share their referral links.

Examples of referral schemes include Virgin Active’s 1-month free membership when customers refer a friend. Similarly, Bolt gives out referral codes, so customers get a discount code when their friends request a ride via the app. While these examples are of large companies, there’s no reason smaller businesses can’t maximise their marketing potential via similar programmes.

Focus on customer service

Excellent customer service is paramount for UK consumers. It shapes the entire engagement cycle, from attracting new audiences to retaining and encouraging them to become loyal shoppers.

Zendesk research shows that 87% of people trust companies more if they have a positive experience. Additionally, 3 in 4 customers are willing to spend more with businesses that provide exceptional customer service.

However, consistency is key to maintaining trust and engagement. Most customers will give you no more than two chances to impress them before they switch to a competing brand.

The great news is you can prioritise customer service regardless of where you’re based. You don’t need to be in the UK, but keeping up with and adapting to UK customer service demands is essential. Here are a few top tips to do this from abroad:

• UK consumers expect prompt replies and high service levels. Partner with UK-based answering services to make a lasting first impression and keep your callers happy.
• If you run an e-commerce business, offer free or fast UK shipping options through UK warehouse fulfilment services.
• Personalise customer messaging. Address emails using customers’ first names and deliver tailored promotions that add genuine value.
• Integrate AI strategically. For instance, customers prefer chatbots to answer quick and simple questions. For more complex queries, you should offer human support.

Level up your marketing from abroad

You can build a strong brand that resonates with your audience and fosters a deep connection with customers, even if you’re directing a company from outside the UK. Start by leveraging SEO and content marketing, engaging with potential customers on social media, and exploring partnerships with other brands and influencers.

At 1st Formations, we’re passionate about helping international entrepreneurs establish and grow their UK-registered businesses. Whether you need help with legal compliance or customer service, we’ve got you covered.

If you have any questions, comment below or contact our friendly team. If you want to form a limited company, the best place to start is 1st Formations’ homepage. Good luck!