When entrepreneurs in France hear the word "scale", the image of the American market inevitably pops into their heads. The US... It's both intimidating and enticing. A massive market, high purchasing power, a real appetite for novelty and innovation, and yet fierce competition, significant cultural differences, and a market that can change as quickly as it grows.

For any ambitious startup, scaling often means making the leap into the US market...

Good news for French businesses:

• Consumer insights (BTOC or BTOB) and "value assessment" are generally similar between the two markets. If your product or solution works here, there's a good chance it will work there, taking local specifics into account.

• The digital communication platforms frequented by audiences are the same as here: Google, LinkedIn, Meta, Snap, Tiktok

• French innovations are quite well-received, especially in food, luxury, wine, beauty, and lifestyle sectors (and others...)

• ...

But be careful; you can't just dive in without a plan:

• The size of the market requires precise knowledge of the audiences. Which cities or states should you prioritize your media spend to maximize the impact of your campaigns by reaching the most relevant audience for your goals?

• Start “small” to pre-test your product or service's market fit and be ready to scale quickly if the momentum takes hold to match the size of the market.

• American culture is unique, so your brand's storytelling will need to be adapted (you don't convince an American the same way you do a European or a French person)

• Communities are also a key element to engage and reach your targets. The influencer or opinion leader ecosystem is extremely developed and requires local knowledge and outreach from the US.

Before launching, you'll likely need to go through the following steps: 

• Know your audiences and your trends. Have local knowledge of your industry, competitors, key opinion leaders, and relevant audiences for your brand or product.

• Relocate your brand. Fine-tune your US product market fit and potentially rework your storytelling and branding to maximize your impact on the American consumer.

• Pre-test. Test target engagement with "pilot" campaigns to refine your launch strategy.

• Then really go for it!

Ready, set, launch!

For more info on Insign's US team to help you with your expansion project in the US here.