Getting greater access to international markets means the potential for greater profits for businesses, but typically getting this market isn’t that straightforward. To attract new customers means communicating the right message about your product so that it goes down well with your new customer base. 

New customers prefer not to be spoken to by robots but prefer that a more personal touch is used when they read about the product. This means you have to adapt your marketing material so it is not only translated into all the languages of your potential customers but it is also adapted to fit their different cultures.

Think Big, Think Global and Grow

Even if you only gain a few new customers in the early stages of your localisation campaign this is likely to change as a positive word about your product spreads throughout the internet. Statistics have revealed that more than 72 percent of consumers spend the majority of their internet time focusing on websites in their own language. The same number said they would consider a new, unknown product if the product was advertised in their own language. This message doesn’t just apply to the affluent European markets, but also to the millions of potential customers who live in China.

Many companies forget to consider millions of millions of potential Chinese consumers. There are some issues with localisation that can limit the effect of the efforts put into the localisation and that is some parts of countries suffer from very low internet speeds making communicating with images and video much more challenging.

Your final website will be able to communicate in French with your French-speaking customers and not only in the English cultural version of French but a French that uses local language which will resonate with this new customer. This means the translator will use everyday vocabulary that the targeted customer can understand and will identify with. This makes the customer feel that the product can be trusted.

Here is a useful set of steps that can be used which help to ensure your website is localized in the best way possible.

• Identify Your Targeted Markets;
• Assemble a team that knows one of your targeted languages and culture;
• Undertake keyword research before any translations are done;
• Use appropriate translation management software;
• Test each language on your website before launching it;
• Put your international website live for each language knowing that you have localised it well.

You don’t need to Localise to the World

You may think big but start with just a few key languages and not a thousand. This will bring more short term revenue as you can concentrate on those countries that have a population base that is likely to buy your product. For example, if you are marketing bikinis it might not increase your sales if you spend a lot of time localising the product to countries where the women are likely to cover their bodies and faces when they go to the beach. You would be better off concentrating on countries which have a more liberal attitude to beachwear.

You probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that many top sellers in western countries like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s may not go down so well in all countries. You have to study people’s buying patterns before choosing which countries and languages should be part of your localisation efforts. Don’t assume all European countries have the same buying interest and power, as they don’t. You can’t assume that one size fits all when it comes to marketing campaigns. The French have to be treated as French while the Spanish have to be treated as Spanish. They can’t be put in the same basket.

When you are trying to identify the best markets there are a number of factors you should consider such as:

• what competition there is;
• what the spending power of the population is; 
• whether it is easy to get the product to the customer.

Gathering together your Localisation Team

You have most likely created a brand identity for your product like a logo or a colour combination. You will need to hire translators who will be able to translate your brand swiftly and effectively into the targeted language. This means knowing how effective a logo might be and whether the colour of your logo or brand packaging could put off a potential customer.

The Translators will need Keywords

Before you get the translation and localisation in motion you will need to compile the best keywords that will get picked up on overseas search engines. Your translators will need to know what the keywords are and how frequently they need to be put into the translation.

The use of Translation Management Software

When a localisation team is collaborating it needs to be as automated as possible so that all the players can gain access to the localisation project without waiting for an email to give permission. This means using an API, which streamlines the workflow. Translation memory helps too, as it stores frequently used words in a translation so the translator can access them at any time.

Adapting your Business’s Website to your Targeted Countries

It is not just language that needs to be just right but to get the search engines moving a website needs to be adapted to include the correct weights, measurements, currency and world time that fits with its geographical position.

The key to successful localisation is planning it first, including researching your targeted market and getting together the right team to change the plans into reality.