Bristol, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/03/2009 -- Moving into international markets has paid off for under-floor heating systems manufacturer and supplier Warmup plc, but taking time and effort to understand each market has been critical says international director Howard Flood, in a new case study on small business marketing website Marketing Donut.

Established in 1994, Warmup moved to exporting as a way to sustain the high-growth it enjoyed in the early years trading exclusively in the UK. Flood says UK Trade and Investment’s Passport to Export scheme was particularly useful in helping the company make significant inroads into the US, Spain and Portugal.

Flood says market research has been essential. “We found that regulations in the US can vary from state to state - in one state we found that only qualified electricians could install our product, while in others anyone with DIY skills could do it. It meant we had to have a different strategy for different states.”

Hiring staff with local knowledge has also been important. "If you are going to go international, then you need to have staff who can speak the language and people who the locals can relate to. We hire people in the UK and abroad who really understand the culture of the markets we are selling into.”

Marketing Donut has a special section dedicated to helping small business owners and managers with exporting. It covers planning and first steps, understanding legal issues, and much more.

Marketing Donut is a free small business marketing website that’s backed by Google and Royal Mail. Marketing Donut is packed with expert advice, tools and resources on every aspect of small business sales and marketing strategy.

Further information:
>> The Marketing Donut is at http://www.marketingdonut.co.uk
>> Contact Mick Dickinson, BHP Information Solutions, tel: 0117 904 2224 or info@marketingdonut.co.uk