Are you actively pursuing international customers outside of Australia and New Zealand? If so, you may be eligible for funding from Austrade’s Export Marketing Development Grant (EMDG) program. EMDG funding can help companies offset the costs of developing and implementing marketing activities that promote their goods and services overseas. Keep reading to find out more about the program and how to apply.
Take a look our checklist to find out whether your company is eligible for EMDG funding.
The EMDG is a program where the Australian government provides funding to Australian companies to help assist with promoting their products and services into international markets.
It’s quite an unusual program and a very generous one. Ultimately, what it is trying to do is to encourage Australian companies to be more active in seeking out customers overseas. EMDG is a program that London Agency has successfully used for our international marketing activities to win customers overseas, particularly in Singapore, Europe, and the United States. It is a way for our clients to make their digital marketing activities go further, reach more prospects and close more deals.
Eligible companies can receive funding in a cash grant of up to $36,000 per year over a three-year period, totalling up to $108,000. This is to offset marketing expenses incurred by companies. The program reimburses up to 50% of total expenses.
For instance, if a company spends over $72,000 on marketing expenses to acquire new business overseas, half of that could be reimbursed by The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade).
Digital content marketing activities are a common EMDG-eligible expense.
Email campaigns to attract laboratory customers in the United States, videos and whitepapers for surgeons, or a website to sell tests and technology into a European market are all eligible activities. All the associated development costs, although they might have been incurred in Australia, are an eligible expense because they are targeting an international market.
The program is open to almost all Australian businesses which is fantastic. To be eligible, the business must aim to sell products or services in markets outside of Australia or New Zealand, and ideally is already generating international sales or export sales. The company must be registered as an Australian business and have a revenue of less than AU $20 million in the last 12 months.
As part of the program, Austrade will need more information such as the company’s roadmap, its ‘ideal fit’ customers, and plans to expand the international customer base. All of this is quite straightforward to map out. Take a look our checklist to help you with the first steps.
Get in touch with our team here.
