Best Practices For Content Localization To International Markets
Expanding to foreign markets offers significant potential for companies whose domestic markets may no longer provide growth opportunities. However, product adaptation for marketing beyond national borders remains a daunting challenge for many. Explore recommendations on how to effectively reshape content while ensuring consistency in brand voice and message.
Adapt Your Brand Name And Slogan
Once Mazda marketed a car named "La Puta" ("prostitute" in Spanish). There is no need to explain the issues this caused.
Pay special attention to localize your brand offerings into the target language to avoid ending up in embarrassing situations. Ensure that your brand and product names are easily pronounceable and resonate with your target country. For example, the French brand Auchan is known as Alcampo in Spain, and Carrefour adopted the name “Jia Le Fu” for China. This approach also applies to brand slogans.
Localize Your Content
Although it may seem simple to translate a text, a word-for-word translation cannot ensure message consistency nor fluid communication. Businesses often need to rewrite texts in the target language to properly express their ideas and emotions.
Do not forget about your website, the key element of your international communication. People interested in your products will naturally look for your website to learn more about you and your offer. Try to provide them with high-quality content in their language to maintain your brand image.
Do not forget about your website, the key element of your international communication. People interested in your products will naturally look for your website to learn more about you and your offer. Try to provide them with high-quality content in their language to maintain your brand image.
In 2003, Sharwood launched a large-scale campaign in the UK to promote its Indian sauces called "Bundh". However, Punjabi speakers (language widely spoken by Indian communities in the UK) have informed the brand that "Bundh" actually means "buttocks".
Check Terminology
Since industry-specific terminology may not even exist in some languages, or have distinct meanings, the terminology check is a crucial step of localizing and adapting content.
Revise Your SEO Strategy
Search Terms
The way people search for goods or services on the internet can vary depending on language, culture, and local preferences. Therefore, your materials should be optimized for the target market, rather than just translated.Search Engines
While Google dominates much of the world, Baidu is preferred in China and Yandex is popular in Russia. Each search engine has its own algorithms and requires a different set of optimization techniques.Local Keywords
To be high-ranked among search results within a specific country, localized texts should incorporate dialectic or local words.
Bear In Mind Cultural Nuances
What is admired in one culture may be considered insulting or taboo in another. Thus, brands should be mindful of cultural differences to avoid making mistakes that could damage their reputation. Additionally, ignoring local holidays or important dates can result in disengagement or missed marketing opportunities.