GLOBAL DIGITAL LOCALIZATION Expanding Business to International Waters
BILL GATES "The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow"orrow.
WHAT IS LOCALIZATION? WHAT IS DIGITAL LOCALIZATION? Localization is the process of changing products and content to fit the needs of different cultures or regions Digital Localization is the overall strategy and execution of localization across the consumer-facing digital landscape.
DON'T LET LANGUAGES AND LOCALITIES BE ONE OF THE OBSTACLES TO WORLD DOMINATION Marketing in multiple languages is imperative for companies looking to build their brand around the world.
COMMUNICATING WITH 80% OF THE TOTAL ONLINE POPULATION REQUIRES A CAMPAIGN TO APPEAR IN 14 LANGUAGES, INCLUDING UNEXPECTED ONES LIKE INDONESIAN AND TURKISH.
A STRATEGY THAT ADDRESSES 95% OF THE WORLD'S ONLINE WALLET REQUIRES COMMUNICATIONS IN 20 LANGUAGES.
TO REACH 95% OF BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS, YOUR BRAND MUST SPEAK TEN LANGUAGES: FRENCH, ITALIAN, GERMAN, SPANISH, PORTUGUESE, CHINESE (X 2), JAPANESE, KOREAN AND ENGLISH
TIPS TO HELP ENSURE GLOBAL CAMPAIGNS GO LOCAL
TRANSLATE SENTIMENTS, NOT JUST WORDS As any good interpreter will tell you, translation is more about just words, it's about meaning. Idioms and tone differ by region (even here in the U.S.), So have a local review your copy before you go "live".
START WITH THE CORE MARKET Many companies gearing up for global launches, in an effort to be inclusive, will invite all regions to be part of developing the company's core message. Most experts say that is a mistake and leads to watered-down messaging that fails to resonate with any audience. Start with the core region and nail your approach there. Then build in time to let other regions "make it their own" - the result will be a smoother, more effective launch.
BE MINDFUL OF COLORS Designers will have double duty for global campaigns. After all, in the U.S., RED signifies PASSION, LOVE, DANGER and ANGER. But in China, RED signifies GOOD LUCK. Here in the U.S., BLUE is a trusted, masculine color, while abroad it is considered feminine. ORANGE and YELLOW are sacred color in some cultures. Pick the tone you are trying to achieve and check to make sure your colors back it up.
Euros, dollar signs, yen... While or whilst Color or colour. DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR SYMBOLS, SPELLING AND SYNTAX There's nothing worse that reading copy that was clearly written for a different geography.
SOUND IT OUT Be careful to ensure the names of your products can be announced in the markets you service. In Some Cases, you may need to revise spelling or secure additional trademarks
FIND OUT WHAT DRIVES THEM Conduct studies to see how your products and services are used in other parts of the world Discover cultural idiosyncrasies and pain points that can lead to future innovation For brands with small budgets, focus groups and surveys are the next best thing No Budget at all? Start by reading the local news, as headlines will give you a sense of a region's mood. Follow the Twitter accounts of top cultural icons in a region and read travel blogs or host Skype calls with locals to gain cultural context
PICK YOUR PLATFORMS Time to choose which media channels to use to deliver your message Find out where your audience spends its time: Watching TV? Listening to radio? Online via a shared desktop or individual laptop? On mobile devices? If so, are they smartphones (which would make mobile display or rich media a good bet), or are they mostly using SMS? Social networks vary greatly in popularity abroad, so you'll need to build pages for the relevant platforms in each region.
READY YOUR WEBSITE You will need to decide whether you will link all regional sites to your global site, or host separately, and determine which pages need to be localized While of course you can set pages and sites to default to the country of the user's IP address, give users the ability to self-select how they'd like to encounter your message
THINK THROUGH CUSTOMER SERVICE As you launch in new regions, questions and concerns are bound to arise Get ahead of know issues with localized FAQs (include questions that are region-specific, like pricing, legal issues etc) and create distinct process flows for inquiries hat come from each region A simple drop-down tab on your "Contact Us" form can do the trick - but you will need people in house to help resolve these issues QUICKLY once they come in.
TRACK EVERYTHING You'll need to track results so you can measure your campaign's success and optimize for the future. Set clear adoption, revenue and engagement goals for each region Ensure that your analytics are set up on a way that will help you know if your messages resonated or fell flat, so you can tweak them next time
TWO FINAL THINGS REGIONAL LAWS SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING
REGIONAL LAWS As you are well aware, when marketing to a global audience, your business should be well versed about regional regulations on advertising and sales tactics In some regions of the world, advertising related to certain types of products are subject to approval by various governing bodies. For example, in many countries, advertisements for pharmaceuticals must be approved by local health ministries Furthermore, comparative advertising is treated with varying degrees of hostility across the world. While America may be relatively relaxed about using phrases like "best" and "better" to describe products and services, Germany, France and Belgium are all known for having very strict principles when it comes to competitive messaging
CUSTOMIZE SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING BASED ON LOCAL USAGE International search engine marketing is a mixture of choosing the right search engines, localizing content and understanding keywords English-language search engines don't always suffice for niche, local content Don't serve second-rate content to international clients - when possible, localize Choose native keywords - don't focus on translating keywords into foreign languages Remember, keywords aren't words, but instead shortened thoughts used by internet browsers to find particular content. Keywords are often influenced by culture, which is best navigated by locals