Digital Marketing, Tourism and Translation: A Funky Combo
Zana ČizminThe contemporary business climate encourages you to enrich your portfolio with a few extra services. But the question is what should these added services be? I guess it’s true for any business, but when we are talking about the language solutions and processes, listening closely to your customer’s need might show you the right direction and be mutually beneficial. Being able to offer the solutions that actually help your client grow and that were not available just a few months before is the recipe for success on both sides.
In the tourism and hospitality industry, a close cooperation with the client on the localization projects for new markets is simply inevitable. While understanding the industry trends and challenges will surely help, determining the right approach, tailoring the localized message for the target audience, as well as the style, the tone and the message the client wants communicated on a new market is crucial – and these can be only achieved through an honest and open communication with the client before the project even starts – but even before that, you need to know a few things:
In most cases, the person in charge of localization will be digital marketing managers with strong sales skills, specific marketing channel expertise and strong creative and analytical abilities. They are responsible for the digital content with the purpose of attracting the new customers and maintaining the relationships with the existing ones. Translation services that they might need will almost certainly include SEO keywords research, content production, development of meta descriptions and title tags, backlink building or the use of technology i.e. the adequate software. The final goal would be to perform the onsite content optimization. Services of a team with highly specialized positions such as a transcreator, an SEO specialist, an IT specialist, a Digital Marketing Specialist, a Content Producer and a WordPress Specialist might be required.
In addition, a step which is not to be forgotten is engaging an in-country reviewer of the localized and transcreated materials, i.e. the one who will check the content against the target market’s cultural, linguistic and legal environment. You do not want to accidently confuse or offend your foreign clients and in-country review by a third party native reviewer is the quality control step to prevent this.
With the increased content production, automation through a translation management system is a must. It optimizes the process and ensures that the newly produced content will be localized and published on time. When it comes to website localization, a CMS plugin is a next logical step forward which saves time and preserves the code and the design integrity.
Speed of delivery, adequate style and the regular use of SEO and digital marketing services might help you take your company straight to the digital throne.
Trends and challenges
Influx of international travellers will definitely make hoteliers provide services in a variety of languages with the emphasis on the unique needs of the international visitors. Real time damage control i.e. the constant feedback or translation evaluation might help maintain positive guest relations and drive the future bookings.Having a differentiation point will be more than necessary as the hotels are trying to offer unique services and to be tech savvy as we speak, i.e. offering of additional customized services and technologies is a must.
The tech explosion brings the modern travelers that are self-aware, tech-savvy and comfortable with using apps or mobile websites. Hotels need to make sure their services are up-to-date and user-friendly. At business meetings and conferences, travelers expect hotels and conference centers to have high quality tech equipment and a knowledgeable support staff.
Where do the language services fit in here?
The main goal of every localization effort is customization of the product/services, while keeping up with the trends and industrial developments is the main obligation of the language industry.
Therefore, in addition to providing fully customized experience to the foreign clients, the language services need to be adaptable and compliant with the latest technologies. For example, it might be necessary to localize chatbots, which might provide faster basic online booking services than an agent in certain cases, or provide a quick info on the sleeping arrangement or vacancies. In other words, digital transformation in visible everywhere and the language services providers need to stay on this road as well, from the way the projects are negotiated and executed, to the way the service and support are delivered to the client.
Translation industry has not been limited to the paperwork and mere communication from one language to another for decades – it is a heavily digitized industry with an important role in the contemporary globalized world and it is here to help the other industries grow on the multilingual markets through combination of professional human knowledge, technology and processes.
All of this makes an LSP an ideal partner in the global business operations who can help you adapt your message in accordance with the target market’s language, culture, and the target audience’s preferences – in any form and for all media.
Contact Us for customized language solutions for the travel & hospitality industry.