Marketing is one of the key components of a business’ success. The increasing permeation of the internet has led this sector to build new profiles and strategies to reach more people in a variety of ways.

Furthermore, globalization has pushed businesses to consider opportunities in overseas markets. This makes it necessary for companies to look for localization and marketing translation solutions.

Marketing on a Global Scale

As the world gets smaller and consumers become more accustomed to purchasing products from every corner of the world, businesses are increasingly moving toward international markets. In doing so, they need to consider adapting their current marketing strategies for international audiences. This includes localizing content to connect with them.

While your marketing efforts may win awards at home, abroad may be a different story. Properly localizing your marketing strategy to help you enter global markets is paramount to success.

What Does Localization of a Marketing Strategy Entail?

Localization involves far more thought than simply translating words. Just as your marketing strategy considers each nuance of your customer profiles, localization must take into account the different values, behaviors, and diversity of the cultures for each international market you intend to enter.

Localization means adapting all aspects of your brand message for local preferences and expectations. It’s a complex process that requires in-depth cultural study. Buyer preferences, idioms, and local practices must all be addressed when approaching a new audience across borders.

Effectively localizing your marketing strategy will include the following:

  • Localizing your brand name to adjust to your target market’s language or cultural preferences
  • Adjusting your marketing message to help target consumers identify with it.
  • Updating SEO to fit local search behaviors
  • Changing colors to fit with your target markets expectations
  • Using different social networks to reach customers
  • Re-designing your website, app, or other marketing materials to accommodate different text sizes

Although localization will adjust your message somewhat, the best efforts will remain true to your core marketing messages and reflect your company’s values. The goal is to create an overall brand image that people from all countries you operate in identify with, making them feel that your product or service was made specifically with them in mind.

Consulting a professional localization company or language service provider can help you plan the necessary steps to localizing your marketing strategy.

What Should a Localization Company Do?

Beyond simple translation, a localization service should review the entire brand image. Throughout the process of localizing marketing content, a language service provider or translation/localization company should always:

  • Consult with you on your marketing goals and buyer personas
  • Consider and adapt cultural aspects such as date formats, measurements, and phone numbers
  • Localize all content (including images, URLs and keywords) for the language of your target audience
  • Adapt layouts and design them to fit different language lengths
  • Modify content so it meets the consumer expectations and behaviors of your target audience
  • Provide consistent and clear communication so you can give guidance and stay in control of your brand image and messages

Translation is certainly a part of localizing your marketing strategy, but by no means is it everything.

To ensure you engage with the right localization service, you should confirm the company has professional translators with experience in your vertical and are familiar with accepted marketing practices. Doing so should guarantee that your translated marketing content is in line with industry best practices, and that all cultural differences are taken into account throughout the process.