3 Tips for a Successful Content Localisation Marketing Strategy

Let’s be blunt: It takes more than simple translation to optimise a local user’s experience of a global website. Content localisation in business means the process of adapting a website’s content to the needs of a targeted locale. This entails a combination of geography, language, and culture. Since what defines a locale goes beyond language, simply focusing on the linguistic aspects won’t be enough to truly engage your audience. 

An effective localisation strategy is a unique market approach a company takes to adapt to the new market they’re trying to target. To achieve this, strategies must address purchasing habits, customer behaviours, and overall cultural differences for every locale they intend to tap into. Therefore, to truly engage your audience, you should aim to localise your content as soon as possible.

3 Tips for a Global Content Strategy With a Local Flavour

Let’s cut to the chase: The following recommendations are the steps we consider the most critical for the success of your localisation plan.

1. Develop a Content Localisation Strategy Plan

Before jumping to translation, you need to truly develop the strategy, steps, goals, and stakeholders your team will follow. In other words, develop an organised plan beforehand. This will ensure you have something to guide you when the workflow starts moving quickly and tasks start piling up. 

To provide the right level of direction and consistency, your global content strategy should address these questions:

• How will you manage the brand? Simply put: What’s the balance between corporate control and regional flexibility?
• Which business processes will you localise? Meaning sales, technical support, service, etc.
• Which content will you have localised? We’re referring to website content, email campaigns, pictures, product names, manuals, labels, etc.
• At what level will you have content localised? That is, to regions, countries, or even more micro-focused?
• How many languages will you support? Will you support multiple versions of the same language? For example, UK vs. US English, European vs. Latin American Spanish, and other variants.

Next, once you and your team have agreed to the answers to these questions—you are ready to move forward to the next step.

#OptimationalTip: Download our global marketing strategy template and make it yours by personalising it with your company’s details and information.

2. Define the Stakeholders in Your Localisation Marketing Strategy

Defining business processes and workflows early sets expectations of how things will happen in this new way of doing business. Think about WHO:

• Does what,
• Is the decision-maker,
• Has budget control, and
• Has veto power.

Make sure all stakeholders are aware of the role they play. In addition, make sure they’re on board with the advantages of a localisation strategy.

Next, it’s time to empower regional teams to develop effective localisation marketing strategies. To do this, engage with local specialists, translators, or translation agencies. They’ll ensure your content is truly tailored to this new locale and that language is appropriate.

Also, they’ll appeal to how people interact and can guide you through the cultural nuances of this new market. This, paired with the knowledge and insights from your company’s local representatives, will give you the best possible chance of success.

#OptimationalTip: Finding a partner who fully understands your localisation needs and can provide you with a tailor-made solution can be quite tricky. But definitely, it’s worth the hunt. Learn about the rewards you can gain for your international expansion plan.

3. Localise Your Content and Conduct Usability Testing

Once you have the right infrastructure in place to support your localisation strategy, the time has come to make your plan a reality. As previously said, this step will make sure all your content is thoroughly adapted to your new market.

Remember that, in this case, details are what differentiate you from your competitors. For instance, take a website that requires its users to input any sort of information—names, dates, payment information, measurements, etc. Entering sensible data into a website is one of the steps in a user’s journey with the highest drop-off rates.

To avoid this, you’d better make sure that your users are finding an experience that suits their expectations. The only way to do this is by testing the content you have localised and ensuring that your processes are adjusted and improved as you go. 

By testing the content you’ve already localised, with any well-proven technique—from content reviews, A/B testing, and task-based usability tests—you’ll guarantee that your website’s structure fits the desires and needs of your audience. As a result, clearly understanding what works and what doesn’t will allow you to make your case for your team. It’s simple: You can’t argue with numbers!

#OptimationalTip: When expanding into new markets, be mindful of the diverse cultural landscape within each country. I.e., while the United States is often considered a single market, it comprises a multitude of cultural subgroups, all of them with different preferences, habits, and backgrounds.

Real-World Content Localisation Case Studies

Moving forward, let’s have a look at some concrete examples that can shed some light on what a content localisation strategy looks like when appropriately done.

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign

Coca-Cola launched its “Share a Coke” campaign in dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Israel, the United States, and more. The campaign involved replacing the Coca-Cola logo on bottles with popular first names and nicknames. This simple adaptation resonated with local consumers by creating a personal connection and encouraging social sharing. By considering the cultural significance of personalisation and leveraging local naming preferences, Coca-Cola successfully localised its content and experienced a significant boost in sales and brand engagement.

Airbnb and Their Efforts to Craft Meaningful Experiences

Airbnb, the popular online marketplace for accommodation, recognises the importance of knowing local preferences and tailoring content accordingly. When they decided to expand into the Chinese market, Airbnb introduced a specialised service called “Trips.” This feature offers selected experiences that match the preferences of Chinese travellers, such as tea ceremonies, calligraphy classes, and traditional activities. By catering to the unique cultural interests and experiences of the target audience, Airbnb not only translated its content but also localised the whole proposal (texts included) effectively and gained a competitive edge in that new market.

#OptimationalTip: Keep in mind that the successful localisation for marketing goes beyond the copy: It’s the mix of everything that makes for a positive experience, such as images, colours, layout, and more.

Final Thoughts: Content Localisation for Business Success

In conclusion, one of the immediate benefits of a localisation strategy is to increase the conversion rate within a global website. Thus, when it comes to effective localisation marketing planning, think individually about each locale. Why? Because thinking of this as another item on your checklist can lead to unforeseen results, rushed times, and a poorly executed marketing strategy.

The impact that a poorly localised campaign can have is too great to be overlooked. And those results can drag down the reputation of any business for months (if not more.) Luckily, there are tips for avoiding mistakes in marketing translation and best practices to follow, like a roadmap of sorts. However, it’s always best to rely on the right professionals to execute each step to ensure the so much desired success.

Is localisation the right path for your brand? Do you want to find out if content localisation can help your business grow? Then, contact us today.