The following post is based on a recent article on the benefits of marketing to international clients online.
Adapting your marketing plan to include European customers can prove to be a trying exercise with so many cultural differences to take into account, but, with 731 million seachers located in Europe, it is a crucial element in developing successful online gains. We recently stumbled across an article that discusses the subtle nuances to consider when approaching your worldwide strategy, and how adjust to reap the rewards. The article refers to the intricacies of reaching your target international audience, reaching beyond basic language barriers. Below are five of the notable highlights found in this article:
- The “problem” of focusing exclusively on languages in Europe is that it’s not one country, one language. It’s one country, many languages. Take the Netherlands for example. With only 17 million people living on a little piece of ground which (41 thousand square kilometers, which is about 16 thousand square miles) the official language is Dutch, but Frisian is also accepted as an official language. Next to that there are about 8 or 9 dialects, but when optimizing for websites you don’t have to take those in account.
- In Belgium there are three official languages: Dutch, French and German. For the Belgians its therefore is very tempting to copy and paste the Dutch, French and German content and think you’re done. Think again. Dutch spoken in Belgium is a different kind of Dutch than that spoken in the Netherlands.
- In Spain Castillian Spanish is the official language, spoken by74% of the population but the Spanish also speak Catalan, Galician and Basque.
- The Europeans have different lifestyles, meaning they also have different online behavior. They are online at different hours and most probably also looking for different kind of topics, thus searching differently.
- When targeting Austria, which is located just below Germany, it’s tempting to set up a German site and use it to target the Austrians also. After all, the language is quite similar. However, chances are you will not get much traffic from Austrians. Why? Simply because the Austrians do not trust the German websites. If they see the shop is on a German .de domain they will be more reluctant to buy a product than when it is on an Austrian domain.
The bottom line; there are a tremendous amount of details to consider, but don’t be discouraged! To position your hotel or destination for International success, follow these few simple tips:
Research: Immerse yourself in the differences in languages and cultural perspectives to better understand the buying behavior within your target market.
Go to the Experts: Hiring a native speaker, or an experienced firm that specializes in advanced, translated content, will help to ensure that your message is conveyed in an appropriate and inviting tone in keeping with local culture and dialect.
Know Your History: Understanding the historical background of the region you are targeting will help you to connect to the interests, culture, and behavior of that particular region.
Secure Local URLs: It is important to use local domain extensions to target customers by their regional search habits. For example, a customer conducting a search in Germany will likely use, and trust, a .de extension before an American based .com extension. It is beneficial to create customized sites for all of the specific countries you wish to target.
Hit the Road: There is no substitute for exploring the region you are targeting, when possible, to talk to the natives, breathe in the culture, and better understand which approaches your international clients are drawn to, and will make them more likely to purchase. These experiences may also help to improve the tone and feel of your site, by empowering you with detailed imagery to call upon when working with a professional designer.
Take Time to Talk: If your resources are low and your budget won’t allow for traveling to your target markets in Europe, make an effort to reach out and talk to native Europeans at local events and through online venues to get a better idea of their culture and search habits.
Looking to improve your online marketing strategy abroad? TIG Global offers a full suite of marketing tools, including advanced translation services. Click here to learn more, or give us a call at 301-841-4700 –or –+1 44 (0)20 3004 9468.
