Global Marketing Considerations

It is important to conduct sufficient local market research and break down target regions into individual countries. Business practices and cultural norms vary, so one must understand local laws, cultural influences and specific audience insights such as buying habits and marketing preferences. It is also helpful to understand whether there are strong local rivals or multinationals already established in the region. Once optimal strategic positioning is determined, companies are able to prioritize localized content for individual markets, avoiding content duplication or changes later in the translation process.

Determining how to build the brand across various channels in new markets can also make the translation process more efficient. Although platform and device specific content will likely be necessary according to customer preferences, content can be created to be repurposed. General templates can be used with adaptations for mobile and web. Similarly, product and pricing adaptions can be effective strategies for reaching audiences that are more or less sophisticated than companies’ current customers. Finally, companies need to ensure that customer support is adapted to local markets, available in local time zones and languages. Understanding these points in detail and fully adapting strategic positioning for new markets ahead of the translation process will ensure that it is as streamlined as possible.