Pamela Ghosal

Global Content Strategy: Making Global Content Work in Local Markets

Pamela Ghosal — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 08:34:00 +0000

In an ever-evolving global market, 65% of consumers prefer content in their own language. To connect effectively with as many as possible, growing businesses leverage global content marketing. Through customized content for the cultures and languages of audiences in diverse target markets, they’re able to expand their reach, drive engagement, and boost revenue across borders.

Building a comprehensive global content strategy is a detailed process that requires time and careful evaluation. However, by breaking it down into manageable stages from the start, you can effectively create, manage, and distribute multilingual content that truly resonates with local audiences. This guide will help you build your own strategy step by step.

What is global content marketing?

Global content marketing is the strategic approach of creating, managing, and distributing relevant and valuable content to a worldwide audience. It aims to attract, engage, and retain customers across different cultures and languages, ultimately driving international business growth.

More specifically, the core goal of global content marketing is to establish a strong global brand presence while acknowledging and adapting to the unique preferences and needs of people in diverse target markets. This involves crafting content that transcends language barriers, cultural differences, and local sensitivities to effectively resonate with audiences in each market.

By leveraging various channels and platforms, such as social media, websites, blogs, and multimedia content, global content marketing enables businesses to foster meaningful connections with consumers on a global scale, driving brand awareness, loyalty, and business growth.

The difference between global and multilingual content marketing

Global content marketing aims to create content that can be used across various markets and languages with as minimal modification as possible. In contrast, multilingual content marketing is focused on tailoring content to specific language-speaking segments within different markets.

Devising a global content strategy in 5 key steps

As more businesses than ever connect with international audiences, a well-crafted global content strategy becomes an essential source of competitive advantage and success in each target market.

Let’s walk through the 5 essential stages of an effective global content marketing strategy: From strategic planning and market research to implementation and measuring performance—each step plays a crucial role in ensuring your content resonates with audiences worldwide and drives business growth.

Defining clear global content marketing goals

Before you start developing your global content strategy, it’s crucial to establish clear goals that align with your business roadmap. This will shape the direction of your strategy. Be it increasing brand visibility, improving customer engagement, or boosting conversion rates from leads to customers—by clearly defining what you aim to achieve, you can effectively plan and execute your content marketing initiatives.

Consultation

The most important step at the beginning is consulting with the people who will implement your global content strategy. Be it marketing managers, designers, copywriters, content creators, or translators, you need to understand their goals and how they work. Additionally, they need to understand how the global content strategy will benefit them. Your teams will feel much more motivated to follow your strategy if they’re involved in its creation and goal setting.

Governance

Consulting with stakeholders will also help you decide how best to govern your global content. Will it be created, published, and maintained centrally in a content management system (CMS), or will you have a decentralized model with different business units or even local teams in each target market taking care of their own content? Another option would be to employ a hybrid model combining both approaches, but it all depends on your goals and possibilities.

Goal setting

Once you’re ready to start documenting your global content strategy, it’s crucial to keep a clear distinction between goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and metrics to ensure effective planning and measurement of your strategy’s success:

Goals set the direction for your overall global content strategy.
KPIs act as measurable indicators of progress towards achieving those goals.
Metrics offer insights at a granular level to facilitate the assessment of content performance.

Common goals, KPIs, and metrics in global content marketing
Goal (high-level)	KPI (measurable)	Metrics (specific)
Establish industry authority in the DACH region.	Increase website traffic by 20% in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.	Total page views, unique visitors, referral sources, bounce rate
Foster brand loyalty in the US market.	Boost engagement in social media channels in the US by 15%.	Time spent on page, social media interactions (likes, shares, comments), click-through rate (CTR) on social posts
Expand the customer base in Japan.	Achieve a 10% conversion rate on Japanese landing pages.	Conversion rate per landing page, total form submissions, download numbers for gated content

These tailored KPIs and metrics reflect specific markets, ensuring that your global content strategy aligns with regional objectives and audience preferences.

Regularly tracking and analyzing these indicators will provide valuable insights to optimize content performance and achieve successful outcomes in each target market.

Conducting market research and competitor analysis

At this stage, begin delving deep into your target markets and the activities of your competitors in those regions to gather the necessary insights for informing your global content strategy.

Audience needs and wants

Put your audience at the forefront of your market research efforts. Create detailed buyer personas for each target market to highlight their unique preferences, interests, and pain points. For example, fashion brands expanding overseas need a strong understanding of fashion trends, style preferences, and purchasing behaviors of customers in each target market.

Also, consider how your audience consumes content—whether they prefer video, written articles, or social media posts—and align your content goals to address their specific needs. This can help you deliver content that resonates with your audience, fostering stronger connections and loyalty.

Content inventory and audit

Conducting a thorough content inventory and audit of your own assets is equally important. Compile a comprehensive list of existing pieces across all languages and platforms. For example, an ecommerce company looking to expand globally should review its product descriptions, blog posts, and email marketing campaigns in each target market and evaluate the relevance, accuracy, and performance of each content item.

This audit process will help you understand your content’s strengths and weaknesses, identify high-performing content to repurposed for international markets, and recognize any content gaps that need to be addressed. By leveraging your existing content effectively, you can optimize your global content strategy and ensure a cohesive brand message across diverse markets.

Competitors and gaps

To gain a competitive edge, it’s best to analyze your competitors’ content. Identify gaps in your competitors’ content offerings compared to your own and leverage these insights to develop content that fills those voids, ultimately positioning your brand as a valuable resource in each target market.

For example, a travel agency aiming to increase organic website traffic through international SEO should analyze how competitors optimize their content for specific keywords in each target language or country. This analysis will provide valuable insights to refine your own content approach, optimize for local search intent, and enhance organic traffic growth across diverse international markets.

Mapping out your global content

By now, you will have a solid understanding of your existing content landscape. This includes greater clarity on your target audience and their wants and needs. You will also know the types of content you need to create. From here, you can start honing your strategy and working out how to impliment it.

User journeys

User journeys show how your target audience will interact with your content. Identify the different paths users may take, from initial discovery to conversion. Understand their preferences, pain points, and expectations at each stage to tailor your content effectively.

Content mapping

Next, you can take user journeys a step further by mapping out your content. Consider what types and formats of content you’d like to provide for readers at each point of the journey and where you will publish it.

As you work on your content map, make sure each piece advances your content goals. Know what job each piece of content needs to do—and think about which content pieces will be localized. Planning this before the actual creation simplifies the process by optimizing your content for localization.

Content planning

Finally, you’ll need to create a comprehensive plan for executing your global content strategy. Outline timelines, assign responsibilities, and set milestones. You can use a content strategy document to refine and update with your team’s progress, ensuring everyone involved is aligned with the strategy’s objectives.

Creating, publishing, and distributing global content

Once you’ve started your global content strategy, you can start breaking it down it manageable steps for the team that will be implementing it.

Clearly defining workflows and processes will reduce the likelihood of errors and delays, ensuring smooth delivery of content.

You can begin with a process for idea generation, collation, and evaluation, and then move on to content creation, translation, localization, editing, proofreading, publishing, and distribution.

Content creation

Content creation is the stage where content writers, copywriters, or local marketing specialists transform content briefs into high-quality, engaging content formats. This can be a costly endeavor, so prioritizing content assets for each target market based on their return on investment is advisable. While some content formats can be created from scratch, others may be translated using machine translation (MT) tools or fully localized with the help of professional linguists.

Translation and localization

When developing your global content strategy, think about how you will adapt content to meet the cultural, linguistic, and other requirements of each target market. This process is known as content localization and goes far beyond translation. By having it ingrained in your strategy from day one, you can ensure the highest possible relevance and quality of your content across various languages.

Tip: If you optimize blog posts for search engines, you need to ensure that you know the right keywords in each target language or country. In the UK, for example, “chips” refers to thick fried potato pieces, while in the US, “chips” are thin fried potato slices (potato chips)—so using the appropriate variants will adapt your content accurately.

To optimize localization costs, you can rely on MT to quickly translate less critical content, but for important or sensitive material that requires accuracy and creativity, human translation is still your best bet. Let’s take a look at 3 key content types and find the best translation method for each of them.

Raw machine translation

Suitable for low-impact, low-visibility, and unambiguous content:

Internal documentation
Website footers
Social media posts (for sentiment analysis)
Repetitive technical content (not requiring 100% accuracy)
User-generated content like product reviews
Chat or email support messages

Post-edited machine translation

For more sensitive content, but not critical enough for full human translation:

Product titles
Product descriptions
Knowledge bases
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Back-end SEO meta information (alt texts and captions)

Human translation/transcreation

For high-traffic, durable assets requiring transcreation and sensitive or confidential content:

Homepages or landing pages,
Blog posts
Customer-facing newsletters
Press releases
Paid advertising
SEO content
Legal or contractual documentation

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Global brand guidelines

Establish comprehensive brand guidelines that provide content creators and translators with clear direction on maintaining global brand consistency. Cover aspects such as voice and tone, imagery style, animation guidelines, iconography, etc. Ensuring alignment with your brand’s identity and goals across all content helps reinforce the brand’s presence and enhances recognition and trust across markets.

Distribution channels

Clearly outline which content formats are best suited for which channels and platforms for distribution in different target markets. This is a key aspect of marketing localization and will ensure that your content is optimized for each channel’s unique characteristics and audience preferences, maximizing its reach and impact.

Tip: In the US market, for example, you can reach a broad audience by sharing visually engaging content such as infographics and videos on channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In contrast, in the Chinese market, you can focus on more long-form articles, which align with audience preferences, on platforms like WeChat and Weibo.

Measuring effectiveness and optimizing your global content strategy

You will want to constantly evolve and improve your content. That’s why it’s vital to work out how you will measure and optimize its performance—and then include that in your strategy.

To ensure you measure the right things for the right reasons, always be guided by your content goals. This will help you set the most relevant and useful KPIs while keeping you focused on achieving your goals.

Empower data-driven decision-making by setting up conversion goals and track relevant metrics, such as pageviews, time on page, bounce rate, and conversion rates using Google Analytics to for data-driven decisions.
Track engagement metrics, including likes, shares, comments, and click-through rates using social media analytics tools, such as Hootsuite, and monitor audience sentiment and interactions to tailor your content strategy based on insights.
Implement A/B testing for key elements of your content, such as headlines, CTAs, and visuals, by leveraging the A/B testing capability of your CMS, to continuously test variations and identify the most effective elements for content refinement.
Share market and language-specific data with all teams involved. While content teams should have access to localization data, localization teams need to understand key marketing data. Shared insights can help inform content adaptation for each target market.
Collect customer feedback through feedback forms on your website or by conducting surveys to gain qualitative insights into the effectiveness of your content and quickly address any issues to enhance the content experience.

A powerful global content strategy calls for strong technology

Providing global content for a strong customer experience across markets is a bold endeavor, but one that can be made easier with a clear strategy and robust technology. By connecting your CMS and preferred marketing automation tools with a cloud-based translation management system (TMS), you can seamlessly integrate localization into your global content strategy.

More specifically, you need a translation management system that will:

Centralize your content localization efforts to increase productivity, quality, and revenue.
Foster real-time collaboration on a single platform to ensure a seamless, accurate, and on-time translation and localization workflow for both in-house and external stakeholders.
Allow you to submit content for translation in familiar file formats that you’ve been using in your global content marketing endeavors: IDML, PSD, SVG, HTML, etc.
Offer out-of-the-box integrations with your content management system (e.g., a WordPress translation plugin for your multilingual WordPress site) or marketing automation tools such as HubSpot and Adobe Experience Manager—or lets you build a custom integration via an API.
Combine well-established translation technology such as translation memory and term bases with AI-powered machine translation capabilities.
Provide a holistic approach to data security and encryption through an information security management system.

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Think Global, Speak Local: The Power of Personalized Localization in Building a Customer-Centric Brand

Pamela Ghosal — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 08:10:24 +0000

When launching a multinational campaign, is reach or relevance more of a priority?

How do brands ensure they are striking the right balance? Many companies have learned the hard way that a scattergun approach to internationalization not only delivers poor value for money but can also negatively impact customer loyalty and brand reputation.

If companies don’t prioritize relevance in different regional markets, their campaigns could be mistargeted and the meaning of brand messages lost.

At worst, they could even be offensive, inappropriate, or tone-deaf to the local audience. Beer brand Coors discovered this the hard way in the 80s when it launched its “Turn It Loose” campaign in Spain. Although successful in the US, the campaign’s strapline didn’t translate well internationally. For instance, when translated into Spanish, the phrase is commonly interpreted as “suffer from diarrhea.” While this campaign made an impact in the Spanish market, it’s for all the wrong reasons.

When launching global campaigns, companies must ensure that core messaging does not get lost in translation.

Many brands still struggle with localization as they prioritize simple language translation. They often fail to conduct the in-depth research needed to understand how their campaigns will resonate in different international markets.

When brands adopt a strategic approach, their marketing campaigns, content, and messaging resonate more effectively with local audiences. Companies reap the benefits of deeper engagement and improved brand positioning.

When brands prioritize local relevance, they gain a foothold in new markets, acquire new customers, build goodwill and loyalty, and benefit from a boost in sales.

An international, well-planned transnational strategy delivers substantial value for money without significant additional costs.

A Successful Global Strategy Begins with Extensive Research

The roadmap for an international marketing strategy begins with solid planning and analysis and includes comprehensive market research, gathering data on linguistic trends, cultural nuances, and customer demographics. Marketers must evaluate the needs of each global market and define their target audience for each local region.

In particular, it is mission-critical to understand the linguistic nuances of each market, including regional dialects, local phrases, and slang.

Then, there are phrases that defy translation completely. Beyond communication alone, language is a complex amalgamation of culture, emotion, and identity.

Duolingo celebrated the beauty of the untranslatable phrase with the launch of its #EnglishMeinNahinJamta campaign (which means “It doesn’t translate in English”), using phrases understood by locals across different regions in India that do not have a direct translation in English.

Research was essential for the success of this campaign, and Duolingo undertook a comprehensive survey to understand how people across India incorporated different phrases into their daily language.

Adapting Formats, Imagery and Communication Style

For markets where locals read from right to left, creating right-to-left (RTL) landing pages is one of the more technical aspects of localization.

BSC Education, an organization targeting international audiences for English language courses, found that its initial marketing campaign in English converted poorly. Native language users were not able to understand the marketing material.

The agency then shifted its approach by creating localized landing pages in Arabic. This required adapting email campaigns, landing pages, and ads to align with Arabic’s right-to-left formatting.

The results included a 2.5x increase in the conversion rate of Arabic landing pages and a 9.4% increase in email open rates, with clickthrough rates increasing by 10%.

Adapting the imagery by tailoring campaigns to reflect local tastes and preferences is also essential for executing successful multinational campaigns.

In the Middle East McDonald’s recreated its popular “Raise Your Arches” campaign but adapted the content to incorporate local insight and culture.

McDonald’s internationally recognized brand transcends culture or geography, and while the underlying message was the same globally, localizing the campaign details meant it resonated more deeply with regional audiences.

McDonald’s Popular ‘Raise Your Arches’ Ad Receives a Middle Eastern Twist

At the heart of McDonald’s success is the ability to identify universal values and formulate a core message that resonates globally.

The powerful combination of the globally recognized and iconic arches, layered with inclusive language, cultural insights, and localized images, resulted in a highly effective marketing success story.

Farfetch: Building the Business Case for Localization in the Luxury Fashion Market

Understanding the business case and rationale for investing in localization is paramount, particularly for brands starting their journey to international expansion.

According Alex Katsambas, Head of Linguistic Services at Farfetch, customers in key luxury fashion markets like China, Germany, and France expect communication in their local language. This expectation is backed by tangible improvements in financial performance.

However, when organizations step into unfamiliar territories, they need data, performance analysis, and metrics to build the business case for internationalization.

For Farfetch’s analysts, this entailed defining brand-specific metrics to measure success, including conversion rate, number of visitors, and number of converted visitors.

After launching the fashion brand in a new market with localized content, analysts measured carefully selected metrics against a control group as part of a long-term strategy.

It’s important to recognize that entering new markets may not lead to an immediate boost in performance or sales. Achieving success in a new market requires time, patience, and a strategic approach. Building brand awareness, understanding local consumer behavior, and gaining customer trust are gradual processes that unfold over time.

The brand undertook comprehensive analysis with metrics continuously monitored and data gathered over at least a year.

Part of the reason for the long-term strategy is building brand awareness from local consumers who previously may not expect tailored content in their home language.

From an SEO perspective, boosting search visibility through localized content takes time, especially considering that some markets may have their own preferred search engines.

As Katsambas notes, when Farfetch launched in Denmark, performance showed an uplift over the second half of the year post launch:

Performance marketing changes…it takes time, and from a brand perspective, the Danish consumer started seeing something in Danish…the local consumer is not used to it. They are not used to having big websites trying to break into the market, targeting in the local language…That is brand awareness, and that builds up, and the second half of the year after we launched, everything started going up, and I think it is just because everything was in place.”—Alex Katsambas, Head of Linguistic Services, Farfetch

The analysis must form part of a long-term strategy; success is often a part of the three-to-five-year plan. When Farfetch launched its website in Mexican Spanish, it was one of its smaller markets. Three years later, Mexico transformed into one of Farfetch’s more significant markets, projected to surpass the hundred million dollar mark.

AI Produces Effective, Seamless Localization at Scale

Adapting marketing content by incorporating local insights and cultural nuances for specific markets is vital for success and results in deeper engagement, higher conversion rates, and greater customer loyalty.

But how can marketers increase the efficiency and scalability of global campaigns?

When entering an international market, relying solely on human translation can lead to longer lead times, increased effort, and higher costs, making it difficult to scale up quickly and achieve a fast time-to-market.

Technology such as generative AI can enable global brands to produce multilingual, informative, and conversational content for international markets with a rapid turnaround.

Companies are already harnessing AI-powered solutions such as ChatGPT for basic content translation. However, human editing is often necessary to refine the content, ensuring it aligns with the subtleties of slang, regional dialects, and language nuances. Without this additional layer of oversight, brands risk generating low-quality output that may not reflect their authentic tone of voice.

When generative AI is combined with advanced localization technology, it has the potential to transform the speed and quality of translations, enabling marketers to localize content on a large scale more efficiently.

The Phrase Platform combines the power of generative AI with cutting-edge, cloud-based translation technology to fine-tune automated machine translations for maximum impact, efficiency and most importantly quality.

The focus is not just on translation but also on precision and accuracy so that translated content conveys the brand’s intended meaning.

The technology includes Auto LQA, a capability that equips marketing and localization teams with the ability to quickly analyze the quality of localized content and produce an in-depth and automated assessment to feed into continuous improvement.

The quality of translated content is often subjective, but Auto LQA takes away that uncertainty for an accurate evaluation. Auto LQA fine-tunes translated content while ensuring consistent messaging across different markets.

Automating difficult and complex processes enables global teams to minimize the reliance on manual editing, thus reducing the time-to-market of multinational campaign launches efficiently and at scale.

Personalization is No Longer a Nice-to-Have but a Consumer Expectation

Targeting and personalization are now the norm and tailored customer experiences are what today’s consumers expect.

A cookie-cutter approach simply won’t cut it, as highlighted by the Harvard Business Review as early as 2006; businesses that traditionally made their money by pursuing standardization are now relentlessly focused on adapting products for different markets.

Chart from Harvard Business Review illustrating key considerations for localization © Harvard Business Review.

While the advantages of diversifying for different audiences are widely recognized, finding the right balance is key. As the Harvard Business Review points out, too much customization can complicate brand messaging and drive up costs. However, with the right technology, achieving large-scale customization while preserving a consistent brand voice is now a practical and effective strategy.

Technology platforms, such as Phrase, enable businesses to leverage customization across different markets and adapt their strategies for diverse global audiences. This allows them to deliver tailored customer experiences at scale efficiently and cost-effectively, without compromising quality.

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The post Think Global, Speak Local: The Power of Personalized Localization in Building a Customer-Centric Brand appeared first on Phrase.

Brand Excellence: The Key to Global Success

Pamela Ghosal — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 08:13:58 +0000

If you do business internationally, you’ll be only too aware of the pitfalls of getting content wrong.

Bad translation is an embarrassment even for established brands – for challengers and newcomers it can be a disaster. But global success takes more than just accurately translated content. A streamlined localization workflow, supported by regional expertise, is essential for growth and success in new markets.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of accurate, expert localization.

We’ve all seen the translation horror stories, where factors like a lack of quality assurance or cultural insensitivity have undermined key product launches.

Mis-steps like Honda’s Fitta fubar leave brands scrabbling to limit the damage: rebranding, rewriting, and burning through limited budgets to fix mistakes that shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

Translation failures can do more than scupper new products.

Reveal that you don’t understand the language, politics or culture of a region, and consumers might begin to wonder who you are and what you’re doing there.

It’s hard to build customer trust or loyalty if your content doesn’t speak to its audience, whether that’s down to translation errors, or because what plays well in one territory sinks without trace in another.

Owning your brand

Recognisable branding is particularly important to global success, but that doesn’t mean that brand names, tag lines or even logos work across the world. HSBC’s ‘Assume nothing’ campaign was translated as ‘do nothing’ for many international markets, with predictably underwhelming results.

In these days of content marketing, the success of branding depends on more than just having polished top-level assets.

All content needs to convey the brand personality, and balance the brand tone of voice against the sensitivities of the region. Mis-translations or cultural errors can imply a lack of respect or quality, and they can be hard to recover from.

“The idea of owning our intellectual property and brand voice in all of these languages was something… I was truly passionate about.”

Discover how Phrase helped Snyk boost its global presence with a tailored localization strategy.

Getting content right, across all markets, helps position a brand as truly global. Speaking the language – and steering clear of cultural clangers – shows that the business is invested in a region, and has the local expertise to provide the products and services that its customers need.

With the right localization resources, a brand can nail tone-of-voice across territories, strengthening its identity and value further.

Regional awareness opens up further opportunities for success. Knowing the local calendar, for example, lets marketers tap into key events such as Black Friday where they’re significant, and avoid wasting energy on them where they’re not.

Understanding regional holidays and seasonal buying patterns also lets businesses plan a strategy to maximise trade opportunities, and work through traditional slack points.

Staying relevant

Organisations that speak to a worldwide population benefit from more than just simple economies of scale.

Understanding the cultural sensitivities of each territory helps brands remain relevant, engaging in the conversations and concerns that most resonate with that audience.

More than that, local knowledge helps businesses strike the right note when translating global brand qualities into pitch-perfect local behaviour. This might mean for example that an edgy, playful brand that works in the UK needs toning down for more conservative markets.

But great localization, coupled with an in-depth understanding of local demographics and sensibilities, can also allow businesses to advocate for their founding ideals, and even help to be a force for change.

In 2023, Pizza Hut’s Beverly D’Cruz explained how increasing numbers of women were now joining the chain’s Saudi Arabian workforce, as it thrived in the rapidly changing kingdom. Writing in Campaign Middle East, D’Cruz said that the path to success lay in celebrating and immersing yourself in local values.

“While respecting the traditional cultural heritage, you also tap into opportunities and challenges that come with modernisation.”

And great localization isn’t just one-way traffic. It’s well-established that a more diverse workforce fosters greater creativity and innovation, along with more strategic thinking. Having a real presence across the world lets businesses benefit from a far wider range of experience, backgrounds and skills.

Smart brands jump on this, driving diversity, equity and inclusion by recognising and nurturing talent wherever it exists in the organisation.

Building in efficiency

Localization isn’t just the end result. It’s a process, the quality of which has a big impact on the outcome.

While many businesses start with ad-hoc, spreadsheet-dependent processes, these soon become unwieldy, and are prone to manual errors.

Businesses with regional or global ambitions need to invest in a strong localization strategy, and a robust and dependable workflow.

Implementing a translation management system (TMS) transforms a business’ ability to deliver optimized and consistent localization across its operations, with numerous benefits.

Efficiency is increased through streamlined and simplified workflows – while the machine translation (MT) and AI features built into Phrase can reduce costs by as much as 55%.

A TMS guides translators, helping them stick to predefined terminology for their region, with every translation stored so that the same work doesn’t get repeated.

This last feature offers extra benefits – translations are available for re-use, meaning that commonly used terms and phrases are consistent across localized material. This is a key benefit for brand consistency, ensuring that translators’ expertise in translating the brand tone of voice is leveraged across all content.

“As the business was growing, we had more localization requests from many different teams, and it became unsustainable to work without a proper Translation Management System.”

Read how Phrase accelerated Deliveroo’s global expansion.

The increase in efficiency and quality makes a TMS indispensable for global success stories.

A streamlined and manageable localization workflow ensures faster turnaround on work, lowering the time to market for campaigns, products and services. That can translate to a competitive edge, and helps to free up investment that can consolidate the brand’s position in a new territory.

Slick localization can help reduce costs in other areas, too.

An automated workflow, enhanced with plugins for content and design platforms like Figma, ensures that translators get involved earlier in the design process, reducing friction, and helping spot potential regional issues before they become costly to fix.

Properly and consistently translated UX content means apps and websites are easier for customers to navigate, causing less confusion, and lowering support costs.

To come back to where we started, you can’t be competitive in a territory without showing you understand it.

A comprehensive localization strategy is just the starting point for a global business. Having the platform and talent to deliver your objectives is fundamental, allowing your brand to flex its messaging and IP to maximise success in every market.

Unlock global business with the Phrase Localization Platform

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The post Brand Excellence: The Key to Global Success appeared first on Phrase.

Technology Is Your Ally: Accelerating Manufacturing Growth with Effective Localization Management

Pamela Ghosal — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 13:56:12 +0000

The digital transformation in the manufacturing industry is steadily prompting companies to invest in new technology for greater efficiency and productivity. According to a Deloitte study, 86% of manufacturing executives foresee smart factory solutions as the key driver of competitiveness in the next 5 years.

Translation and localization are no exceptions. As more manufacturers seek to expand globally, automated, customized, and data-driven localization workflows become even more crucial in enabling brands to connect with international customers, drive engagement, and improve conversion rates.

Localization managers lead this charge, skillfully balancing speed, scope, costs, and quality to transform localization into a growth driver. Maximizing localization becomes particularly formidable when processes, data, and tools operate in silos.

The good news is that others have successfully overcome silos by adopting a purpose-driven, data-powered localization program with a technology suite capable of orchestrating every aspect of the multilingual content management cycle—and you can do the same. Keep reading to discover how.

Unlock global business with the Phrase Localization Platform

Expand into new markets with all the tools you need in one technology suite for high-quality, fast, and scalable localization.

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The impact of globalization on the manufacturing industry

Globalization has made a remarkable impact on the manufacturing scene, bringing about profound transformations in global operations. With a larger customer base within reach, manufacturers are now tailoring their products to the needs and preferences of a more diverse global audience.

Facilitating the exchange of ideas, technology, and best practices among manufacturers worldwide, globalization has led to advancements in:

Product design
Manufacturing processes
Safety standards
Sustainable technologies
Operational and supply-chain efficiency, etc.

The outcome is an ever-changing landscape, requiring manufacturers to maintain agility to sustain competitiveness. When you factor in the regulatory and trade complexities associated with a global presence, the manufacturing environment becomes exceptionally intricate.

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Operational complexities in localization management

While localization is one of the most powerful enablers for global growth, its execution requires taking into account various operational complexities.

Multiple workflows across disconnected tools

One significant challenge lies in maintaining multiple workflows for different products and content in siloed, disconnected tools both across and outside the enterprise. Ensuring consistency and streamlining processes can be a demanding endeavor when each type of content follows its workflow on a separate platform.

Some examples of disconnected content could include production schematics, operational manuals, service portfolios, safety documentation, or manufacturing software. Additionally, language service providers (LSPs) could also have distinct platforms and workflows. In contrast with this common reality, content and workflows benefit from a unified, collaborative approach.

The absence of a centralized platform for storing multilingual content with version control can lead to duplicated efforts, fragmented workflows, and inefficient use of resources. Additionally, ensuring the quality and consistency of localized products and tracking localization progress across diverse projects becomes challenging without an integrated view.

Without an integrated approach to localization, companies waste time and money, struggle with quality control and consistency, and risk compromising their global brand image.

Balancing speed, scope, costs, and quality

Another complexity arises from the triple constraint of localization management that encompasses speed, scope, and costs. Manufacturers must deliver high-quality localized content quickly and efficiently, ensuring the scope of localization remains manageable in terms of the volume of content and the number of languages involved.

Simultaneously, they must operate within budget constraints by optimizing costs without compromising quality or speed. These competing objectives can create a challenging balancing act for localization managers. Failure to maintain equilibrium among these elements can severely impact the bottom line, which doesn’t help the perception of localization as a cost center that localization managers fight so hard to change.

Lack of recognition and alignment

Finally, one major hurdle many manufacturing businesses deal with is the inadequate acknowledgment and integration of localization efforts with the overall goals of different teams, including product, engineering, support, and marketing—creating a lack of visibility that hinders potential synergy and collaboration opportunities.

Localization managers consistently grapple with the task of highlighting their contributions beyond perception as mere project managers focused on translations. Despite their efforts to shift this view of localization as a “necessary evil” to a growth catalyst, the undervaluation of their role often leads to the business overlooking the actual impact of localization, and localization teams struggle to secure a seat at the table.

When localization remains isolated within a silo, detached from the broader organization, and viewed solely as a cost center, the potential value for the entire business becomes limited.

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Building blocks of an effective localization plan

Addressing the challenges highlighted earlier requires taking a proactive approach—consistently exploring ways to enhance your localization program. A clearly outlined localization plan, taking into account goals, workflows, and technology, acts as a blueprint for success. Let’s delve deeper into the 3 essential components of a successful manufacturing localization roadmap.

Create a centralized localization ecosystem

Aligning stakeholders, reducing human error, and increasing efficiency require more than automating processes—it calls for a centralized localization ecosystem where any and all localization activity across the organization converges seamlessly.

In other words, automation must be accompanied by integration and ease of management. The more tightly integrated all localization efforts are, the easier it becomes to enhance efficiency, optimize costs, and ensure consistency.

With a fully integrated cloud-based platform designed to connect, automate, and manage complex localization workflows—such as the Phrase Localization Platform—localization managers can’t only revolutionize workflows but also embed value-adding processes throughout the business.

This integrated approach isn’t just about adapting to new software—it’s about optimizing the entire ecosystem where multilingual content flows, ensuring a streamlined, effective journey from creation to deployment.

Adapt team-specific playbooks and automated workflows

Establishing internal processes for each team engaged in the localization process is crucial for ensuring alignment, building trust, and fostering collaboration. A set of best practices, tailored to the unique needs of each team and communicated in a language that resonates with them, can greatly contribute to achieving these objectives.

A well-rounded localization playbook for each team should ideally feature:

Collaboration, communication, and process flow guidelines
Relevant resources including local market guides, style guides, and glossaries
Adopted best practices (e.g, how to write localization-friendly copy)
KPIs and metrics specific to each team (e.g., on-time delivery rates for the sales, website bounce rates for the marketing, and customer satisfaction rates for the support team)
Shared metrics for informed localization decisions (e.g., crafting engaging CTAs in each target language can help the marketing team achieve better newsletter click-through rates).

With these playbooks established, you have the foundation to construct automated end-to-end localization workflows that seamlessly integrate with every facet of your company’s unique needs. Phrase Orchestrator, a comprehensive and fully customizable solution, empowers you to build precise workflows tailored to your requirements, leveraging the full functionality of the Phrase Localization Platform.

Phrase Orchestrator is an all-around, flexible automation solution that connects the different parts of the localization chain. By allowing you to streamline complex localization workflows through a single user-friendly interface, it eliminates the need for workarounds and manual, time-consuming processes, leading to:

Improved operational efficiency and productivity with enhanced visibility throughout
Enhanced cross-functional alignment, eliminating potential bottlenecks early on
Breaking down data silos and making better-informed decisions
More effective resource allocation

Phrase Orchestrator

Cutting-edge workflow automation editor

Easily create automated workflows, connecting all products across the Phrase Suite, for unparalleled speed and control in your localization process.

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Establish a performance measurement system with advanced analytics

The insufficient recognition of localization’s strategic role often stems from the lack of visibility into the impact of localization efforts. To tie localization performance metrics to business outcomes—which helps in the quest for alignment with the rest of the organization—you need reliable data and insights.

With Advanced Analytics—part of Phrase Analytics—localization managers get a powerful set of data-driven insights into their localization program’s performance. Having data at their fingertips enables them to make informed decisions, optimize processes, and demonstrate the value of localization to stakeholders.

By unifying relevant KPIs and metrics in one place and leveraging self-service reporting, localization managers can easily uncover the patterns and correlations between localization performance and business results:

Optimize costs with insights into words processed per project or provider, and which language pairs have the highest word count.
Improve workflows by tracking the number of on-time deliveries, average job duration, and editing time per workflow step.

Take control of translation quality across their organization with reports on Language Quality Assessment, which evaluates scores by category, error severity, language pairs, and providers.

Phrase Analytics

Unleash the power of data-driven decision-making

Create custom reports from one simple and intuitive platform to optimize translation workflows and drive smart business decisions that enable growth.

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You can expand the boundaries of localization

The manufacturing industry is navigating a complex landscape shaped by globalization, the need to cater to local needs, and the convergence of technology. Localization complexities, including disconnected tools, balancing efficient management and quality, and a lack of recognition, can seriously impede growth.

Through centralized localization ecosystems, automated workflows, and data-driven analytics, localization can realize its full potential as a business-critical asset—and with a technology partner like Phrase, integrating all solutions needed to cover every aspect of the localization life cycle, localization managers can finally have the peace of mind that they are driving growth.

Speak with an expert

Want to learn how our solutions can help you unlock global opportunity? We’d be happy to show you around the Phrase Localization Platform and answer any questions you may have.

Book a call

The post Technology Is Your Ally: Accelerating Manufacturing Growth with Effective Localization Management appeared first on Phrase.

Global Opportunity Unleashed: Mastering Localization in Manufacturing Marketing

Pamela Ghosal — Mon, 08 Jan 2024 14:12:00 +0000

The evolving post-COVID manufacturing landscape prompts an increasing number of companies to adjust their business growth strategies. Confronted with supply chain challenges, demanding timelines, and rising costs, buyers are increasingly facing a decline in long-term relationships with their typical vendors. As a result, they are actively seeking new, reliable partners in new markets.

Within this shift, marketing teams are continually challenged to balance global standards and local preferences. On one hand, there’s a need to tailor content to specific industry nuances, business processes, and regional variations. On the other hand, maintaining global standardization is essential for a strong corporate identity that transcends geographical boundaries and preserves brand consistency.

To navigate this challenge, forward-thinking marketing teams have embraced a global marketing strategy centered around localization, balancing catering to local preferences and adhering to global standards. Follow this guide to learn more about how you too can build a localized marketing strategy that has the power to unlock new opportunities for your manufacturing business in new markets.

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Crafting a localization-friendly global marketing strategy

Robust global marketing strategies within the manufacturing sector prioritize localization from the outset, rather than treating it as an afterthought. Instead of relying on half-translated content, generic images lacking cultural resonance, and out-of-context approaches, marketing teams can enhance the customer journey by implementing tailor-made localized campaigns.

Achieving a seamless and glitch-free customer experience, from the initial contact to post-purchase interactions, requires the integration of localization throughout the entire marketing cycle, from analysis, design, and content creation to execution and performance tracking. Here are 5 essential steps for manufacturing marketing teams to craft a successful strategy that is both localization-friendly and highly effective across diverse markets.

Set up a cross-functional team with localization capabilities in key markets

To streamline and optimize localization efforts, it’s essential for marketing teams to build a well-coordinated team that brings together experts from diverse departments, including marketing strategists, localization managers, content creators, developers, designers, project managers, and more.

Additionally, appointing a dedicated localization manager who directly reports to the VP of marketing or CMO, while closely collaborating with local marketing teams in each region, can ensure seamless integration of localization into the company’s global marketing strategy.

Similarly, having local-market quality leads, whether in-house linguists, outsourced professionals, or in-country marketing teams, is crucial. They can play a vital role in identifying and addressing any issues or inconsistencies in the localized content before it goes live.

Finally, these teams serve as advocates for local activation efforts and facilitate communication with local press and influencers—building a bridge between global marketing strategies and the specific needs of local markets.

Share KPIs and metrics with other teams involved in localization

A cross-functional localization program in manufacturing marketing requires shared goals and data. By having a joint understanding of key marketing and localization-specific metrics, the team can make informed decisions to optimize localized content.

Just like the localization team should have access to key marketing metrics (e.g., web traffic, conversion rates, customer satisfaction scores) for each market and language they’re responsible for, localization-specific data should also be readily available to other teams within the organization.

For example, if the marketing team in Japan aims to enhance click-through rates (CTRs), the localization team can provide clear instructions to translators, emphasizing the importance of adapting CTAs to resonate with local users in the most compelling manner possible.

Create audience-specific content

If you have a lot of existing content in English, it might be tempting to just send it off for translation and call it a day. However, text that doesn’t consider cultural nuances, local preferences, and target audience habits won’t be immersive or effective. Audience-specific might mean rewriting some of the copy, creating video content, adapting email templates, etc.

Some assets, like SEO content, might need to be completely remade from scratch or highly localized to account for the absence of equivalent keywords, different search intents, varying format and content expectations even when the keyword does translate, unequal levels of buyer education across regions, local link-building requirements, and more.

Some other assets lend themselves better to regular translation—like product descriptions, to machine translation—like product reviews, or to an optimized combination of both—like whitepapers.

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Prioritize assets for localization based on their return on investment

You don’t always have to go all-in with localization right from the start. Take the time to analyze every asset and investigate how much return on investment (ROI) each one can bring.

In many cases, it makes sense to begin by localizing your most successful and prominent content pieces and then expand gradually. If you want to localize in full, it can be useful to identify the type of content that won’t harm user experience if run through machine translation (MT).

For content that doesn’t get much traffic or isn’t as crucial, for example, you can use MT, at least initially. You can also decide if you’ll have a linguist edit the output. Since users typically scan through website or app content, looking for specific keywords and important information, MT can deliver a satisfactory result in many cases.

For example, users don’t normally expect product reviews on the app store—highly dynamic and quickly perishable content—to have the same level of linguistic quality as a testimonial that you’re featuring front and center on your homepage. Similarly, a CTA below your homepage fold should always be manually translated for maximum impact, while the footer of your product page can be harmlessly machine translated with minor touch-ups.

Let localization technology do the heavy lifting

Regardless of the exact localization setup you go for, automation should be part of any localization workflow, and you need the right platform and tools to support it. However, the company size, the type of content involved, and the required languages will all affect the degree of automation needed and the features you can’t do without.

In general, any marketing localization process should include the following as a minimum:

A single point of truth for all your multilingual content: This is crucial to store all your localization assets, manage the content in multiple languages, reuse previously translated content, monitor progress and performance, share terminology and contextual data with translators, and generate reports for data-driven decisions.
A centralized wiki: Documentation is key to ensure your team is on the same page regarding processes, procedures, brand and style guidelines, how to write localization-friendly content, etc.
Integrations with third-party marketing software: Your chosen localization platform should offer native integrations—i.e., without any middleware—with the rest of your marketing tech stack. From your CRM and CMS to your ecommerce platform and marketing automation tools, system integration is what facilitates scalable marketing localization.
Open communication channels: When members of different teams with a stake in the localization process can communicate effectively and quickly, bottlenecks are cleared instantly, and issues can be addressed faster. For example, marketers can provide feedback or clarification directly to translators, translators can ask designers to add space for UI elements with longer translations, etc.

Take localization to new heights with Phrase

Relying on robust localization technology is key to maximizing the impact of your international marketing campaigns. Global enterprises worldwide trust Phrase—a fully integrated suite of translation automation technology—to reach more people, make deeper connections, and drive global growth.

The Phrase Localization Platform seamlessly connects with your digital ecosystem, catering to your current needs while scaling effortlessly as your requirements evolve. Add fully flexible pricing, and it’s easy to see why marketing teams around the world choose Phrase to launch multilingual marketing campaigns with the best possible quality and consistency:

Streamline manual or repetitive translation tasks with smart automation.
Centralize all files and orchestrate entire translation workflows in a unified, cloud-based localization suite designed for the unique needs of marketing teams.
Facilitate seamless collaboration among team members spanning different time zones.
Unlock the combined potential of established translation technology, incorporating CAT tools, along with the advanced capabilities of AI-powered machine translation.
Send your content for translation using familiar file formats such as DOCX, PSD, SVG, HTML, and more.
Offer valuable context for linguists by adding screenshots or comments to translation strings.
Allow linguists to review their work in its native format with real-time changes through an in-context preview.
Leverage out-of-the-box integrations with your preferred marketing automation platform, CMS, or CRM—HubSpot, Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress, Drupal, Contentful, Contentstack, Sitecore, Kontent, etc.

Speak with an expert

Want to learn how our solutions can help you unlock global opportunity? We’d be happy to show you around the Phrase Localization Platform and answer any questions you may have.

Book a call

The post Global Opportunity Unleashed: Mastering Localization in Manufacturing Marketing appeared first on Phrase.

Advancing Across Borders: A Strategic Roadmap for Manufacturing Businesses

Pamela Ghosal — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 15:02:00 +0000

The manufacturing sector has encountered a series of challenges in recent years—from geopolitical uncertainties and disruptions in supply chains to evolving consumer preferences and heightened regulatory scrutiny. At the same time, with global demand continually on the rise, along with rapid technological advancements, the need for a robust global footprint has never been more critical.

The differences in culture, language, and regulatory environments make global expansion a multifaceted puzzle. However, with the right strategies in place, manufacturing businesses can turn these challenges into growth opportunities. This guide provides a roadmap for navigating the complexities of expanding internationally, offering insights not only into mitigating risks but also capitalizing on diverse markets.

Key strategies for global manufacturing expansion

To thrive in the evolving global business landscape, manufacturing companies must deploy a comprehensive set of strategies that not only optimize operational efficiency but also enhance adaptability to changing market conditions:

Diversifying the supply chain
Adopting flexible pricing strategies
Developing business partnerships
Adapting offerings for new markets

Let’s examine each of these strategies for a more in-depth understanding.

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Diversifying the supply chain

Manufacturers face risks associated with relying on a single source for raw materials or components, particularly in a volatile economic landscape. Diversifying the supply chain is imperative in this scenario. This involves identifying and integrating alternative suppliers across different regions.

By doing so, manufacturers can reduce their dependence on a single source and mitigate risks related to geopolitical issues, natural disasters, or other disruptions in the supply chain.

Adopting flexible pricing strategies

Amid economic uncertainties and market fluctuations, manufacturing companies must be adaptable in their pricing strategies. Flexible pricing allows manufacturers to adjust prices based on changing market conditions, production costs, and competitive pressures.

Implementing dynamic pricing models enables companies to respond swiftly to fluctuations in input costs, currency exchange rates, and shifts in market demand. This flexibility is crucial for maintaining competitiveness and profitability in an unpredictable economic environment.

Developing business partnerships

Building strategic partnerships is a key aspect of risk management in manufacturing. These partnerships can be established with suppliers, distributors, or other manufacturers. Strong relationships with key suppliers contribute to a more stable supply chain.

Collaborating with distributors helps reach new markets and expand the customer base. Additionally, forming strategic alliances with complementary manufacturers can lead to shared resources, research and development efforts, cost-sharing, and enhanced innovation. These partnerships collectively provide a network of support and shared resources, enhancing the overall resilience of the manufacturing company.

Adapting offerings for new markets

Amid economic volatility in certain regions, opportunities may exist in emerging or stable markets. Exploring new markets involves identifying and entering regions that offer growth potential and stability. For manufacturers, this may entail exporting products to new countries, localizing products to suit different cultural preferences, and adapting marketing strategies for local markets.

By diversifying the customer base and spreading market exposure, manufacturing companies can reduce the impact of economic downturns in specific regions, ensuring sustained growth and adaptability in a dynamic global landscape. Let’s take a closer look at why localization can be a game-changer for manufacturers seeking to expand globally.

The power of strategic localization to drive global manufacturing growth

As more manufacturing businesses expand their operations across borders, the deliberate decision to establish a localized manufacturing presence proves to be a game-changer.

This approach involves tailoring production processes to suit the unique characteristics of specific regions, taking into account not only economic factors but also cultural nuances and regulatory environments.

The power of strategic localization lies not only in its ability to enhance operational efficiency but also in its capacity to foster sustainable relationships with local communities and consumers.

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Localization facilitates market entry

Launching your product or service in international markets brings its own set of challenges. On top of legal and logistical obstacles, cultural and communication issues may be serious roadblocks.

While localization can’t eliminate all of these speed bumps, it can help you avoid potential cultural faux pas through bad translations or inappropriate images that could damage your brand.

By addressing cultural nuances and language preferences from the start, you reduce the time it takes for potential customers to connect with your offering, ultimately helping your business gain traction more quickly.

Localization provides a competitive edge

When facing local competitors in a new target market, it can be challenging to compete against companies that are deeply ingrained in it. Local businesses often find it easier to establish trust with their audience compared to new players.

By localizing your product, you effectively level the playing field and create a more even competitive landscape.

Similarly, on the global stage, having competitors who aren’t engaged in localization also gives you a distinct edge. This advantage allows you to establish a strong foothold in new markets.

While your rivals may struggle to navigate the complexities of catering to local preferences, your commitment to localization positions you to capture a larger share of the market and solidify your presence in regions where others might falter.

Localization improves customer satisfaction

Localizing your content will show your commitment to your customers. If you’re addressing your customer’s needs in a way they understand and are comfortable with, they’re more likely to buy your product or service.

From user manuals and payment methods to multilingual customer support, localizing all parts of the customer journey will help your customers make a buying decision much more easily.

The ins and outs of multilingual customer support

Learn how to retain international customers by providing effective customer support that addresses their specific needs in their native languages.

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Localization fosters brand loyalty

Delivering a seamless user experience lays the foundation for fostering trust among your buyers—a crucial element for building brand loyalty. Establishing this trust entails communicating with your users in their native languages and customizing your product to their needs.

Satisfied customers tend to develop strong brand loyalty and are inclined to remain committed, ultimately evolving into authentic advocates for your product.

Localization boosts revenue

Reaching a broader audience means greater revenue potential—and when you localize your product well, you have a good chance to see a boost.

Localization is essential for keeping current customers and acquiring new ones—both of which can impact your bottom line.

At the same time, by automating translation processes using cloud localization technology, you will be sure to make the most of your resources and stay productive.

All of this can lead to a significant localization ROI (return on investment) that can impress everyone in your organization.

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Deploy localization as a lever for growth

Learn how to develop and implement a cost-effective localization strategy that ensures a strong return on investment.

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Unlock global potential with the Phrase Localization Platform

Localization and translation technology is a worthwhile investment to safeguard your business against volatile economic times. However, you can only ensure a strong return on investment by relying on a technology partner who can cover all localization needs across your organization.

Growing businesses around the world trust Phrase—a fully integrated suite of translation automation technology—to reach more people, make deeper connections, and drive global growth by connecting, automating, and managing all localization activity in one place.

The Phrase Localization Platform seamlessly connects with your digital ecosystem, catering to your current needs while scaling effortlessly as your requirements evolve. Add fully flexible pricing, and it’s easy to see why Phrase is the preferred choice for businesses looking to secure their profits and expand their global footprint more quickly and efficiently.

The time to act is now. By incorporating localization and translation technology into your risk mitigation strategy, you’re not only future-proofing your organization but also demonstrating your commitment to global growth and customer satisfaction. Rather than waiting for the ideal moment—seize the opportunity today with the Phrase Localization Platform and reap the rewards of a stronger, more resilient business.

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Want to learn how our solutions can help you unlock global opportunity? We’d be happy to show you around the Phrase Localization Platform and answer any questions you may have.

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The post Advancing Across Borders: A Strategic Roadmap for Manufacturing Businesses appeared first on Phrase.

Decoding the Art of Tech Marketing Localization in 5 Essential Steps

Pamela Ghosal — Sat, 30 Dec 2023 08:57:58 +0000

Remote learning, video streaming, and online transactions have become integral to modern life, seamlessly transitioning into the digital realm. Thanks to the widespread availability of the internet and smart devices, many people worldwide warmly embrace these changes. However, for tech companies to effectively cater to the diverse needs of their target markets, they must tailor their products to match the unique characteristics of consumers in each market they aim to serve.

This is where marketing teams act as a “come-hither” finger. Through targeted campaigns, marketing teams are tireless in beckoning potential customers to try out their products—and just like the innocent single-finger beckon in the US is demeaning in Japan, a one-size-fits-all marketing strategy can hardly cut it. Keep reading to uncover the 5 key steps to creating a localization-friendly marketing strategy to effectively market new technologies on the international stage.

The art of balancing standardization and local preferences

Consumers today have a wide array of choices in the evolving global tech market, with emerging market players vying for attention across different cultures and languages. To boost brand visibility, conversion rates, and growth in different target markets, global marketing teams consistently grapple with the challenge of harmonizing a global standard while catering to local tastes.

On the one hand, every marketer is well aware that making your target audience notice you requires crafting culturally relevant campaigns tailored to their culture, lifestyle, and expectations. On the other hand, global standardization and consistency have always been mission-critical for building and maintaining a strong corporate identity that can be recognized in any corner of the world.

For marketing teams in the tech industry, this can be a real conundrum: Blog posts, email templates, landing pages, and social media posts yield the best results when they appeal to the target audience on a local level, but the risk of losing brand identity is always there. That’s why marketers can only tackle this challenge by relying on a global marketing strategy centered around localization.

Building a localization-friendly global marketing strategy

Strong global marketing strategies in the tech industry consider localization from day one—instead of relegating it to an afterthought. By using adequately translated text and culturally relevant images that fit the local context, tech marketers can guarantee a seamless and hassle-free customer journey—from the initial contact to post-purchase interactions. This requires making localization an integral part of the entire marketing cycle—from analysis, design, and content creation to execution and performance tracking.

FREE DOWNLOAD

Make global marketing strategies work in local markets

Harness the power of localization to effectively connect with audiences worldwide and discover best practices for making your next global marketing endeavor a success.

Download playbook

Here are 5 crucial steps to creating a robust marketing strategy that’s both localization-friendly and highly effective for growing tech brand across various markets:

Set up a cross-functional team with localization capabilities in key markets

To streamline and optimize localization efforts, essential for tech industry marketers to build a well-coordinated team that brings together experts from diverse departments, including marketing strategists, localization managers, content creators, developers, designers, project managers, and more.

Share KPIs and metrics with other teams involved in localization

A cross-functional localization program in tech marketing requires shared goals and data. By having a joint understanding of key marketing and localization-specific metrics, the team can make informed decisions to optimize localized content.

Create audience-specific content

Some other assets lend themselves better to regular translation—like product descriptions, to machine translation—like product reviews, or to an optimized combination of both—like whitepapers.

On-demand webinar

How marketers can effectively leverage machine translation

Learn from our expert panel how to keep up with the ever-growing demand for translated content and to scale to new markets without compromising your brand.

Watch webinar

Prioritize assets for localization based on their return on investment

You don’t always have to go all-in with localization right from the start. Take the time to analyze every asset and investigate how much return on investment (ROI) each one can bring.

Let localization technology do the heavy lifting

In general, any marketing localization process should include the following as a minimum:

A single point of truth for all your multilingual content: This is crucial to store all your localization assets, manage the content in multiple languages, reuse previously translated content, monitor progress and performance, share terminology and contextual data with translators, and generate reports for data-driven decisions.
A centralized wiki: Documentation is key to ensure your team is on the same page regarding processes, procedures, brand and style guidelines, how to write localization-friendly content, etc.
Integrations with third-party marketing software: Your chosen localization platform should offer native integrations—i.e., without any middleware—with the rest of your marketing tech stack. From your CRM and CMS to your ecommerce platform and marketing automation tools, system integration is what facilitates scalable marketing localization.
Open communication channels: When members of different teams with a stake in the localization process can communicate effectively and quickly, bottlenecks are cleared instantly, and issues can be addressed faster. For example, marketers can provide feedback or clarification directly to translators, translators can ask designers to add space for UI elements with longer translations, etc.

Take localization to new heights with Phrase

Streamline manual or repetitive translation tasks with smart automation.
Centralize all files and orchestrate entire translation workflows in a unified, cloud-based localization suite designed for the unique needs of marketing teams.
Facilitate seamless collaboration among team members spanning different time zones.
Unlock the combined potential of established translation technology, incorporating CAT tools, along with the advanced capabilities of AI-powered machine translation.
Send your content for translation using familiar file formats such as DOCX, PSD, SVG, HTML, and more.
Offer valuable context for linguists by adding screenshots or comments to translation strings.
Allow linguists to review their work in its native format with real-time changes through an in-context preview.
Leverage out-of-the-box integrations with your preferred marketing automation platform, CMS, or CRM—HubSpot, Adobe Experience Manager, WordPress, Drupal, Contentful, Contentstack, Sitecore, Kontent, etc.

Speak with an expert

Want to learn how our solutions can help you unlock global opportunity? We’d be happy to show you around the Phrase Localization Platform and answer any questions you may have.

Book a call

The post Decoding the Art of Tech Marketing Localization in 5 Essential Steps appeared first on Phrase.

From Surviving to Thriving: How Localization Fortifies Resilience for Global Manufacturing Growth

Pamela Ghosal — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 15:42:01 +0000

In the post-Cold War era, global business thrived amid advancing globalization. However, today’s global market presents challenges that companies must increasingly confront to protect their bottom line. For manufacturing companies, in particular, reevaluating traditional methods and supply chains is imperative for survival. A proactive approach to enhancing agility and resilience is now more crucial than ever.

Leveraging localization to adapt offerings for new markets is a powerful strategy that’s often overlooked. Adopting localization has shifted from being a nice-to-have to a crucial necessity for safeguarding and expanding business. Keep reading to explore how manufacturing businesses can strengthen resilience and drive growth amid shifting global dynamics by investing in the right localization technology.

Why a proactive approach to devising risk mitigation strategies matters

The ever-changing global business environment presents numerous challenges for companies striving to adapt. Regardless of company size, a fundamental strategy involves staying informed about market shifts and proactively fortifying the business against market uncertainties.

Growing risks in today’s global economy	Key risk mitigation strategies
Disruptions in global supply chains caused by events with global reach (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) Fragmentation or regionalization of the global economy and more restrictive regulation Persisting talent shortage due to stiff competition from other industries (e.g., tech) Technology obsolescence, i.e., businesses in need of modernizing their operations to remain on the cutting edge Impact of climate change and pressures to build sustainable operations Rising costs and inflation coupled with a decrease in consumer spending	Diversifying the product and activity portfolio to offset reliance on just one business line Increasing operational efficiency: multiple sources of supply, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, etc. Exploring new regional markets and enhancing the localized experience on offer Investing in new technology (e.g., generative AI, metaverse, AR, or VR) and accelerating digital transformation Leveraging data to predict business outcomes and mitigate risk Enhancing end-to-end customer experience by offering new (often tech-enhanced) services

Growing risks in today’s global economy

Key risk mitigation strategies

Disruptions in global supply chains caused by events with global reach (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic)

Fragmentation or regionalization of the global economy and more restrictive regulation

Persisting talent shortage due to stiff competition from other industries (e.g., tech)

Technology obsolescence, i.e., businesses in need of modernizing their operations to remain on the cutting edge

Impact of climate change and pressures to build sustainable operations

Rising costs and inflation coupled with a decrease in consumer spending

Diversifying the product and activity portfolio to offset reliance on just one business line

Increasing operational efficiency: multiple sources of supply, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, etc.

Exploring new regional markets and enhancing the localized experience on offer

Investing in new technology (e.g., generative AI, metaverse, AR, or VR) and accelerating digital transformation

Leveraging data to predict business outcomes and mitigate risk

Enhancing end-to-end customer experience by offering new (often tech-enhanced) services

One relatively low-cost way of solidifying and expanding your market presence (at least when compared with the cost and far-reaching effects of others) is to adopt localization as a key part of your global expansion strategy. Let’s take a closer look at why localization underpins many of the strategies outlined above.

Investing in localization pays global growth dividends

Localization is the practice of adapting your existing offering to your target markets’ needs. It can help expand your activities in completely new regions. Investing in a full-fledged localization program supported by state-of-the-art localization technology enables long-term growth and opens new business opportunities regardless of the state of the world economy.

Localization is more than mere translation—it encompasses the cultural, linguistic, and functional adaptation of your content, products, or services to resonate with audiences in different target markets.

Here are 4 key reasons why localization is an integral part of the strategies currently being implemented by forward-thinking manufacturers.

Companies are massively betting on customer experience to solidify their client portfolio and attract new customers. However, you cannot provide a seamless customer experience without your customer’s native language. A CSA Research study shows that 65% of users globally prefer content in their native language—even if it’s poor quality. You cannot afford to alienate your customers by offering an English-only user experience, where your competition is pulling out all the stops with localization.
In the manufacturing industry, your customers will have a high degree of technical knowledge that often involves using very specialized vocabulary. Avoid assuming they can get by with English alone. For highly technical content such as product manuals, you will need localization. In some countries, such as Germany, you risk appearing not serious enough if you skimp on localization.
The technological platforms of the future companies are flocking to—whether it’s the metaverse or AR and VR (according to the 2023 Deloitte and MLC industrial metaverse study, an eye-popping 92% of manufacturers are experimenting with or implementing a metaverse-related use case)—will require language-based or language-enhanced functionality (speech, text, or video) to allow your salespeople or customer service agents to communicate with your customers. Language is the domain of localization. You will need specialists to help you craft content for your on-the-ground teams (or leverage generative AI, which is also language-based).
Localization is key to attracting and retaining a global workforce. Working for a global company may no longer be attractive enough to prospective employees. Offering localized onboarding and training programs in their native language that help them grow their skills can be a valuable incentive.

Unlock global opportunity by investing in localization technology

Offering a localized product to your international target audiences positions your company for resilience in the face of economic and geopolitical challenges. This requires a redesign of processes to make them future-proof. It’s a tall order to revamp processes for new markets.

The same goes for localization—a prerequisite for lasting success in any new market. It must be designed efficiently to yield maximum return on investment and not become a bottomless money pit.

Global companies rely on localization technology to power their language operations. Localization technology eliminates unnecessary work and automates tasks, freeing up precious resources for other areas.

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Unlock global opportunity by investing in localization technology

The same goes for localization—a prerequisite for lasting success in any new market. It must be designed efficiently to yield maximum return on investment and not become a bottomless money pit.

Benefits of leveraging localization and translation technology

Automation is the core benefit of localization and translation technology. Your organization can eliminate the need for manual or repetitive translation work of global content by relying on a translation management system (TMS). Whether you have a mobile app, a website, or product/help documentation, a TMS helps you launch your product in new markets more quickly and efficiently.

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This strategic shift can unlock resources for investment in product innovation or brand campaigns to create a more engaging and personalized customer experience for each of your target markets. As a result, your business can diversify revenue streams, enhance brand loyalty, gain a competitive edge, and improve talent acquisition and retention. Let’s explore each of these benefits in greater detail.

Diversified revenue streams	Stronger brand loyalty
A localized presence in multiple markets can protect your business from economic fluctuations in any region. If one market suffers a downturn, revenue streams from other regions can sustain your business, minimizing potential losses.	Customers who feel valued and understood tend to become repeat buyers and recommend your brand. By offering content that speaks to your audience’s needs and wants, you can foster trust, loyalty, and long-term relationships—supporting your business through economic ups and downs.
Sustained competitive edge	Improved talent acquisition and retention
Companies investing in localization and translation technology can swiftly adapt to market changes and capitalize on emerging opportunities. This agility enables you to stay ahead of competitors who may be slow to react—ultimately enhancing your market share and financial stability.	By adapting your talent acquisition approach to local market conditions and offering localized training and development resources, you can build a resilient workforce well-equipped to tackle challenges and drive your business forward.

Unlock global potential with the Phrase Localization Platform

Localization and translation technology is a worthwhile investment to safeguard your business during difficult economic times. However, you can only ensure a strong return on investment by relying on a technology partner who can cover all localization needs across your organization.

Growing businesses worldwide trust Phrase—a fully integrated suite of translation automation technology—to reach more people, make deeper connections, and drive global growth by connecting, automating, and managing all localization activity in one place.

The Phrase Localization Platform seamlessly connects with your digital ecosystem, catering to your current needs while scaling effortlessly as your requirements evolve. Add fully flexible pricing, and it’s easy to see why Phrase is the preferred choice for manufacturing businesses looking to secure their profits and expand their global footprint more quickly and efficiently.

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Want to learn how our solutions can help you unlock global opportunity? We’d be happy to show you around the Phrase Localization Platform and answer any questions you may have.

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The post From Surviving to Thriving: How Localization Fortifies Resilience for Global Manufacturing Growth appeared first on Phrase.

Speaking Your Customer’s Language: A Complete Guide to International Marketing

Pamela Ghosal — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 09:37:52 +0000

When brands aim to target multiple markets worldwide, effective international marketing allows them to seamlessly integrate with local cultures. Take, for example, Dunkin’ Donuts. In its 2013 Donut Day campaign, the company provided tailored widgets for 24 different markets, offering consumers a localized feel with unique menus and messaging adapted to each language and culture.

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The campaign became so popular that the company made Donut Day an annual event. Customers worldwide now celebrate National Donut Day in their local markets, eagerly anticipating Dunkin’ Donuts’ brand festivities and exciting offers. This is just one example of how powerful international marketing can be in promoting offers within a local context. Discover how to make it work for you in our complete guide.

What is international marketing?

International marketing promotes products or services in different target markets by adapting them to local needs, preferences, and expectations.

The key objective of international marketing is to create a global brand presence while tailoring marketing strategies to each specific region’s culture, demographics, and consumer behavior.

Unlike domestic marketing, where the focus is on a single local market, international marketing involves a broader scope, requiring businesses to adapt to the diverse needs, preferences, and regulations of multiple markets.

This adaptation process is known as marketing localization and stands as the core difference between international and global marketing. More on that later.

How international marketing works

The essence of international marketing lies in its adaptability. Companies must be agile enough to reimagine the entire marketing mix—product, price, place, and promotion—to align with local market dynamics.

To make the most of it, international marketing requires a deep understanding of local cultures and legal and regulatory frameworks in each target market—all while maintaining a cohesive brand identity on a global scale:

Cultural sensitivity: Understanding local customs and values is essential for crafting campaigns that connect with local audiences. This can help you in aligning product color schemes with cultural symbolism, transcreating slogans to prevent unintended meanings or connotations, etc.
Legal compliance: Each country has its unique rules governing product standards, advertising ethics, and consumer rights. Therefore, businesses must become well-versed in the laws of each market they enter, often requiring collaboration with local experts to avoid fines or legal actions.

What is transcreation?

The art of balancing creativity and cultural sensitivity is key to crafting marketing messages that resonate with audiences in diverse target markets.

Explore transcreation

For example, a fast-food chain may offer a vegetarian menu in India due to religious considerations, while in the United States, the focus might be on quick, meat-based meals. Similarly, a skincare brand may offer lighter formulations for humid climates and richer products for colder regions.

How is international marketing different from global marketing?

One common misconception is that international marketing and global marketing are interchangeable terms. While both involve marketing across borders, they differ fundamentally in their approach to market adaptation.

In international marketing, the focus is on customizing the entire marketing mix to suit the specific needs and preferences of each local market.

This could mean altering the product features, adapting the advertising language and visuals, or even changing the pricing strategy to match local economic conditions. The aim is to resonate with the local consumer base while maintaining the core brand identity.

Global marketing adopts a “one-size-fits-all” approach, where the same products and marketing strategies are applied uniformly across all markets with minimal intervention.

The idea is to create a consistent brand image worldwide—capitalizing on economies of scale and scope. While this approach may work for products with universal appeal, it often overlooks the nuances of local cultures, consumer behaviors, and market conditions.

Here’s a detailed overview of the differences between international and global marketing:

	International marketing	Global marketing
Approach	Adaptive and localized	Standardized and uniform
Target market	Multiple markets with local adaptations	One-size-fits-all strategy
Product	Adapted to local preferences and needs	Same product for all markets
Price	Varies based on local economy	Generally consistent across markets
Place	Tailored distribution channels	Uniform distribution strategy
Promotion	Marketing campaigns adapted to local cultures	Single marketing campaign for all markets
Cultural sensitivity	High, due to focus on local customs and behaviors	Low, as the focus is on a uniform brand image
Legal compliance	Must comply with local laws and regulations	Focus on international laws and standards
Risk	Lower, due to market diversification	Higher, due to uniform approach
Cost	Higher, due to localization efforts	Lower, due to economies of scale
Consumer engagement	Higher, due to localized approach	May vary, as the strategy may not resonate locally

For example, a global marketing strategy might involve launching a single advertising campaign worldwide, with minimal changes to the content. This could be effective for a software company selling a device with universal functionalities. However, for a food and beverage company, such a strategy could backfire if the product features flavors that aren’t universally accepted in every target market.

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Key international marketing types

Understanding the different types of international marketing is crucial for businesses looking to expand their reach beyond domestic borders.

Each type offers its own set of advantages and challenges, so the choice will often depend on the company’s resources and global expansion strategy.

Let’s take a look at some key types of international marketing.

Export marketing

The simplest form of international marketing involves exporting products to foreign markets.

This approach requires minimal investment and allows companies to test the waters before committing to more extensive strategies.

However, businesses must navigate trade regulations, tariffs, and local distribution networks.

Franchising

Franchising allows businesses to license their brand and business model to local operators in foreign countries.

This reduces the financial risk and operational burden on the parent company, but it also requires a strong, universally appealing brand that can be easily adapted to local markets.

Joint ventures and partnerships

In this model, a company collaborates with a local business to share the costs, risks, and profits of the international operation.

Joint ventures and partnerships offer the advantage of local market knowledge but may involve complex negotiations and shared decision-making.

Direct investment

Direct investment involves establishing a physical presence in the foreign market, such as opening a subsidiary, manufacturing facility, or retail store.

While this approach offers the most control, it also requires significant investment and exposes the company to higher risks, including political instability and currency fluctuations.

Licensing

Licensing involves granting permission to a foreign entity to use your intellectual property, such as trademarks, patents, or technology, in exchange for royalties or fees.

It allows companies to generate revenue from their intellectual assets without the need for significant investment or direct involvement in foreign operations. However, it requires careful monitoring to protect intellectual property rights.

As we can see, each type of international marketing comes with its own benefits and drawbacks, so it’s advisable to choose the right mix of these strategies—tailored to the company’s capabilities and the specific needs of each target market.

For example, a restaurant chain expanding into new markets may benefit from following a joint venture, partnership, or franchise model, allowing the company to decentralize its cost burden and incorporate local management and leadership into operations within each market.

Benefits of international marketing

Marketing products and services in international markets offers many advantages that can significantly impact a company’s bottom line. Let’s review some key benefits that can make a difference for your business:

Increased market share

One of the most obvious advantages of international marketing is the expansion of the customer base. By entering new markets, companies can tap into a larger pool of potential consumers, increasing their market share, and strengthening their resilience and stability.

Diversification

Relying solely on a domestic market can be risky, especially during economic downturns. International marketing allows for diversification, spreading the risk across multiple markets. If one market faces challenges, your business can still capitalize on opportunities in another market.

Competitive advantage

Companies that successfully market their products internationally often enjoy a stronger brand image and recognition—which can be leveraged to gain market share even in highly competitive environments.

Because competitive advantage can be multiplied through international marketing, your business gains enhanced standing across individual markets.

Your company is then in a position to leverage a strong global position as well as strengths in each market one-on-one.

Innovation and learning

The experience gained from international marketing can provide valuable insights into consumer behavior, market trends, and operational efficiencies. With a more robust knowledge foundation, your company is better equipped for future global expansion and operations.

Seasonal fluctuations

Seasonal fluctuations can pose challenges for businesses that rely on specific selling seasons. International marketing can help balance these fluctuations by selling products in markets with different seasonal cycles.

For example, a clothing company can sell summer wear in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, effectively doubling the selling season.

By mitigating the impact of seasonal fluctuations, international marketing enhances business resilience, ensuring a more consistent and predictable revenue flow.

Enhanced brand image

Successfully marketing products or services internationally can enhance a brand’s image, increasing its appeal even in the domestic market.

The perception of being an international brand adds prestige and attracts a wider customer base. A strong domestic brand reputation can extend internationally, fostering trust and reliability.

Regulatory benefits

In some cases, international markets may offer better regulatory conditions like tax breaks or reduced tariffs, which can boost profitability. Still, it’s crucial to do your homework and follow local laws to avoid legal trouble and damage to your brand.

Since differing regulations can make or break international marketing success, knowing how to handle them can give your company a competitive edge.

What makes an international marketing strategy

An international marketing strategy serves the same purpose for international expansion as a roadmap does for a journey. It’s a plan that outlines where you want to go, how you’re going to get there, what challenges you might experience along the way, and how you will address them.

And just like with journeys, it’s not impossible to get to your destination without a plan—but you’re much more likely to encounter issues along the way and arrive at your destination later than you had hoped—if you arrive there at all.

That’s why any international marketing endeavor should rest on a solid strategy from the very beginning. Creating an international marketing strategy will be different from one company to another, but it generally involves 3 stages:

Analysis (diagnosis)
Choice (guiding policy)
Execution (coherent action)

Let’s break down these three stages one by one.

Stage 1: Analysis

Result: In-depth understanding of the target market and the best entry strategy.

Goal setting

Establish specific objectives and targets that will guide the development of the international marketing strategy, ensuring alignment with the company’s expansion goals.

Market research

Begin by conducting thorough market research. Gather data on market size, growth potential, customer demographics, and trends. For each target market, understand the cultural nuances and legal requirements, including language, customs, regulations, and any potential barriers to entry.

Competitive analysis

Analyze competitors in the target market. Identify their strengths, weaknesses, market share, and strategies. This will help in positioning your company effectively.

SWOT analysis

Conduct a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to assess your company’s internal capabilities and external factors that may impact your international expansion.

Market entry assessment

Evaluate various market entry options such as exporting, licensing, joint ventures, or establishing a wholly-owned subsidiary. Select the most suitable entry strategy based on your analysis.

Stage 2: Choice

Result: Clear strategic direction, target audience, value proposition, positioning, pricing, and distribution strategy.

Target market segmentation

Define your target audience within the international market. Segment the market based on demographics, psychographics, and behavioral factors.

Value proposition

Develop a unique value proposition tailored to each target market. Highlight how your product or service meets the specific needs and preferences of the target audience.

Positioning strategy

Determine how you want your brand to be perceived in the international market. Create a market positioning strategy that sets you apart from competitors.

Pricing strategy

Establish a pricing strategy that factors in local market conditions, competitive pricing, and cost considerations. Ensure it aligns with your value proposition.

Distribution and promotion channels

Carefully select the channels for promoting your product to ensure effective reach to your target audience.This may involve partnerships with local distributors or the use of e-commerce platforms.

Stage 3: Execution

Result: Effective implementation of strategy, localization, marketing, sales, monitoring, and risk management for successful expansion.

Localization

Tailor your product, marketing materials, and communication to align seamlessly with the local culture and language. Localization is a nuanced process with many moving parts, including translating content and customizing product features if needed.

Marketing and promotion

Execute marketing campaigns tailored to the international market. This may involve digital marketing, advertising, social media, and other relevant channels.

Sales

Implement your chosen distribution strategy. Ensure your product is readily available to customers through your chosen channels.

Monitoring

Continuously monitor the performance of your international marketing efforts. Gather feedback, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and be prepared to make adjustments as needed.

Compliance and risk management

Stay compliant with local laws and regulations. Develop a risk management plan to address potential challenges such as currency fluctuations, political instability, or supply chain disruptions.

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International marketing examples to learn from

In the world of international marketing, real-life examples offer valuable lessons. By delving into both successful and unsuccessful international marketing campaigns, businesses can gain precious insights into handling the intricacies of various markets, cultures, and consumer behaviors, helping companies fine-tune their international marketing strategies and steer clear of typical pitfalls along the way.

BMW: Understanding local norms

On the flip side, BMW’s international marketing campaign in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) serves as a cautionary tale. The campaign used the market’s national anthem in a commercial, sparking local complaints and leading to the withdrawal of the campaign. The lesson here is the importance of cultural sensitivity and understanding local norms when crafting international marketing strategies.

Lay’s: Adapting to local tastes

Lay’s potato chips offer another example of successful international marketing. Known by different names like “Walkers,” “Smiths,” “Sabritas,” and “Margarita” in various parts of the world, Lay’s also adapts its flavors to local tastes. For instance, you’ll find ‘Masala’ flavored Lay’s in India and ‘Nori Seaweed’ in Japan. This adaptation to local preferences has helped Lay’s maintain a strong global presence while appealing to local tastes.

Dolce & Gabbana: Cultural sensitivity

Dolce & Gabbana faced significant backlash for a series of ads released in China that were considered culturally insensitive. The ads featured a Chinese model struggling to eat pizza and spaghetti with chopsticks, leading to public outrage and calls for a boycott of the brand. This example underscores the potential pitfalls of not adequately researching and understanding the cultural context of your target markets.

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