How Localization Can Help You Reach More Customers

Localization can help you build stronger connections with your target audience and expand your reach into new markets, ultimately driving growth and increasing revenue. But how do you get there? How does localization help exactly?

Not Everybody Knows English

Those of us living in the Western part of the world have subconsciously adopted an “Anglophone” worldview, the approach of people whose native language is English or who speak English because they live in a country where this is one of the official languages.

However, it’s estimated that there are only around 360 million people who speak English as their first language. Yet we often fall into the trap of considering it a global language or some form of modern Esperanto. English might be the most-spoken language of the world, but it’s not spoken everywhere, nor will it help you get closer to your customers (especially if you’re aiming to expand into the APAC region).

Additionally, when it comes to establishing your company in a new market and selling your product or services, it’s not just about being understood. It’s about speaking your customers’ language and adapting your brand because you want to build a rapport with them. It also goes well beyond just words and includes all sorts of communication – including audio and visual communication.

Here’s how localization can help, and why you should consider it.

 

Build Your International Presence the Right Way

By localizing your website and marketing materials into the language of your target audience, you can make it easier for them to understand your message and engage with your brand. The bare minimum is to have a multilingual website, but if you want to go the extra mile and fully localize your online presence, you should present your international audience with unique pages.

This can mean anything from optimizing the user experience to meet their expectations and online browsing habits, using photography or visuals that resonate with them, showcasing diversity, or introducing a color palette that will trigger positive emotions in your target audience.

The result? Better engagement, stronger brand trust, and more conversions.

Did you know? Making your voice heard globally is a serious task. Marketing is becoming more multifaceted by the day, and the result is that brands need a reliable partner with the required know-how. Ciklopea is your trusted localization partner, and you can reach out to us if you need help.

Taking Cultural Sensitivity Into Account

Cultural sensitivity must be taken into account when localizing content in order to make sure that it is respectful of the target audience and appropriate for their culture. The process of adjusting materials or products to satisfy the linguistic, cultural, and other unique requirements of a given region or country is known as localization.

Cultural sensitivity in localization refers to a process of translation and modification that takes into account the target audience’s cultural quirks, values, beliefs, and customs. This entails observing and respecting regional norms, traditions, and customs as well as staying away from objectionable or inappropriate material.

Ignoring cultural sensitivity when localizing a product can result in major cultural misconceptions that could have negative effects on the target population, cost a company money, or even result in legal problems.

For instance, a business can unintentionally use a symbol or image in an advertising campaign that is objectionable to the target culture, which would ruin the campaign and possibly harm the company’s reputation.

Working with localization specialists and cultural consultants who are familiar with the target culture and can offer advice on how to adapt content and goods successfully while maintaining cultural sensitivity is therefore essential. As a result, localization initiatives may be more successful and effective, enabling you to reach new customers and foster enduring relationships with existing ones.

Did you know? Ciklopea carried out research into localization challenges, costs, and working with language service providers. You can discover more here.

 

Let’s Not Forget Local SEO

Let’s face it: if we’re looking for a product or a service, we’ll all turn to Google. And if we need the solution now (e.g., “the best restaurants near me”), we’re likely to formulate queries in our native language.

Because it enables companies to tailor their online presence for particular geographic regions, local SEO is essential for localization. To rank higher in local search results, a website or piece of online content must be optimized.

Search engines like Google prioritize results for users searching for goods or services in a certain area based on their location. So, if a company wants to draw in local clients, it must tailor its web material to the particular geographic area where it conducts business. Local SEO is useful in this situation.

Building local backlinks, optimizing local business listings in directories like Google My Business, and optimizing the website’s content and structure are all examples of local SEO tactics. Businesses can use this to improve their exposure in local search results, which will eventually result in more local customers by bringing more targeted traffic to their website.

Localization Can Offer Your Company a Competitive Advantage

You can outperform rival companies that are not investing in localization by localizing your operations and marketing initiatives, especially in regions where localization is not yet widespread. Here are some of the ways you can beat your competition:

• Provide a better customer experience. Businesses can offer a better customer experience by providing goods and services that are tailored to the regional market. Increased client retention and loyalty may result from this, which may raise sales and profitability.
• Increase your market share. You can increase your market share by catering to the unique demands and preferences of a certain market. This may result in more sales and income as well as a more solid position on that market.
• Reduce your competition. You can limit competition and obtain a distinct advantage by providing goods and services that are not easily accessible to rivals. Profitability and market share may rise as a result.
• Enhance your brand reputation. You can enhance your brand reputation and boost brand loyalty when you show a dedication to understanding and satisfying local customers’ demands. Over time, this may result in increased revenue and sales.

Ultimately, localization can give your company a competitive edge by assisting you in better comprehending and satisfying the specific needs of your target markets, which in turn increases customer satisfaction, market share, and profitability.

Need Help with Localization?

Ciklopea is an award-winning LSP that provides language solutions by combining three key elements: technology, processes, and people. We are fast and professional, customer-centric, and most importantly, we continuously raise the quality bar for our clients.

If you’re at a crossroads and not sure how to handle your international expansion, fret not: we have cultural consultants and excellent localization experts that will ensure you enter new markets with great success.

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