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6 Reasons Your Global Marketing Needs to Be In Local Languages

June 20, 2018 – Rachel Wheeler
global marketing

6 Reasons Your Global Marketing Needs to Be In Local Languages


Data management in the business world has reached impressive heights. Automated systems can pull vast amounts of information together into a uniform structure. Doing so makes it easier for marketers to study customer data, allowing them to learn more about what clients do and do not want to see from companies.
The translation services market is no exception. With products on the market that can improve marketing and sales on a global scale, content translation services are more in demand than ever. As you develop a global strategy, you should pay attention to your online analytics program and use it to guide you to better results and higher returns.
Here are some ideas to consider when planning your strategy:

 

1. Analyze Your Website Visitor Data

If your business is working in the global market, you can monitor where people who visit and interact with your website are coming from. While many audiences, particularly those in Europe, know English as a second language, even a fluent speaker can have issues understanding content not in their first language. By presenting content in local languages, your visitors can focus on the information and not struggle to translate it in their head.
For example, both Facebook Ads Manager and Google AdWords allow you to segment your ad campaign based on geographic region. With Facebook, you can choose to share your campaign worldwide, in certain regions (e.g. Europe), or designated market areas. Ads Manager will also show you where people are clicking on your ads from, allowing you to see which regions your products seem to be popular in.
Google AdWords also provides location targeting as a segmentation option. Once you see which audiences are responding well to your content, you can adjust targeting efforts. Both tools will also offer suggestions for additional audiences to target while you’re building campaigns.

2. Personalize Through Translation

Studies have shown that personalization in marketing works. Individualized content increases response rates for campaigns and helps to build brand loyalty. When a customer feels as though they have a connection with a company, they are more likely to continue using that brand’s products.
It naturally follows that producing content in the local language is a fundamental first step in personalization. Speaking in someone’s first language immediately removes any potential communication barrier in your marketing efforts. People who visit sites in their first language are also much more likely to make a purchase. This can help to set you apart from competitors who are slower to translate their content, allowing you to build customer loyalty.

3. Practice Cultural Sensitivity

Understanding local culture and language improves sales conversions. A language service provider (LSP), for instance, is ideally positioned to understand what might work in some countries and fail in others. Racy ads are commonplace in Europe, for instance, but frowned upon in parts of Asia and the Middle East. Even design can factor into local issues. In China, for example, colors have deep cultural meanings attached to them.
In fact, one toothpaste company tried to market their product in Southeast Asia. Pepsodent promised that their product would give users whiter teeth, but overlooked one key factor. In this part of the world, people purposely chew on betel nuts to blacken their teeth. Doing so is seen as a sign of status, rendering Pepsodent’s promise irrelevant.
Another example comes from an American tie company that was sending product to Japan. The client asked what color the box was. When told that it was white, they asked that it be changed to red. White is associated with death and mourning in Japan, while red represents strength, sacrifice, and passion.

4. Re-use Translated Materials

As a global SaaS business, you likely have plenty of content-rich marketing materials on hand for reaching customers. Marketing campaigns have a return-on-investment (ROI) value, and you should not limit that ROI to one language. From a cost point of view, it is cheaper to created quality translations of existing material than it is to create unique material for each market from scratch.

5. Keep Up With Competitors

On average, global businesses are working in seven different language markets, and most are looking to double that in the next year. In other words, your competition is meeting market demand and looking to expand. If you want to keep a competitive edge, now is the time to consider localization.
Localization goes one step beyond simply changing the origin text into the target language. It carefully translates while keeping the audience in mind.
For example, while French is spoken in France, Canada, and parts of Africa, the French spoken in Morocco is completely different than that spoken in Paris.
Each area has their own idioms and slang terms, which can be incomprehensible to someone who speaks the same language but lives in a different area.
When you partner with an LSP, you gain access to an important resource that understands and is conscious of these differences. It’s also a good idea to see what languages your competitors offer content in. If you are offering similar products, this can often be a good indicator of areas that your company would be able to successfully expand into.

6. Make Informed Decisions Using Data

Today’s marketing is all about developing unique insights for your firm by using data-gathering techniques. As US marketing has moved across borders, what has proved valuable in US markets is also being used in foreign markets.
Data analysis works as means for competitive advantage, higher sales of products and services, and branding awareness. By integrating the same discipline in countries outside the US, companies are finding valuable new insights unique to local markets.
Marketing translation doesn’t need to be a difficult process. LSPs, for instance, have the depth of skill and experience to inform your strategy. Bringing them in as advisors and translators as early as possible in your campaign development can save time and money down the road. As you continue to expand your reach, your data insights will only offer benefits and provide unique advantages over your competition.

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SaaS Growth
Rachel Wheeler
Post by Rachel Wheeler
June 20, 2018
Experienced corporate social responsibility professional with over five years background in the third sector. Passionate about helping businesses combine profit with purpose and create social value. Highly skilled in assisting businesses donate their time, skills and expertise to bring about transformative change and legacy to not-for-profit organisations.

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