Localization for Marketing

Localization is a core component of entering new markets, but it's about more than just translating marketing content correctly. Instead, the best localization strategy begins long before the first words originating from your brand ever enter the international marketplace.

In a marketing context, localization must begin with a proper understanding of your audience. Market research, keyword research, and cultural validation efforts all play core roles in achieving that goal.

The right strategy and emphasis on each can ensure that by the time your brand 'officially' enters the market, its messaging is fine-tuned for local market needs and preferences.

The Power of Localized Market Research

Every great marketing strategy begins with market research. In the context of international market expansion, that means digging into audience and market preferences within the market you're looking to enter. The right research uncovers existing market preferences while allowing brands to avoid potential pitfalls and find unique niches that match audience needs.

Market research, of course, is a complex undertaking. When looking at international market expansion, it needs to cover five core areas:

The context of the industry you're about to enter, including market size and growth rates for both the overall industry and specific product categories
The competitive landscape, including both local and international direct and indirect competitors (Entry barriers also play into the equation here.)
The distribution landscape focuses on typical and expected supply chains and the channels in which users in this market typically purchase products.
The behavior of consumers, including their preferred brand interaction channels, communications preferences, and product as well as usage preferences
Product-related trends primarily focus on the types of ingredients, packaging, pricing, and other nuances relevant to the product category in the new market.

Not all of these insights, of course, are specifically related to marketing or communications. They all play a role in how a product is built and promoted to appeal to the audience and successfully enter the market. Market research focusing on these five areas thus creates the foundation of successful marketing strategies.

Conducting Effective Market Research for New Market Entry

The second step of researching the market is planning through and executing the data collection. Here, existing third-party research related to the market in question can be a great start, but it is only the beginning. First-party research, explicitly conducted with your brand and customer in mind, is the most powerful means of data collection.

Quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews each have their place in this data collection.

Consider the example of McDonald's, which has thrived on its reputation for cheap food made quickly in the United States for decades. But the same strategy led to revenue struggles in Germany, where consumers associate low prices with low quality. McDonald's adjusted, creating international menu options and a coffee-shop-style section of its restaurants, growing to Germany's second most popular coffee chain.

Building a Customer Experience Focused on Cross-Cultural Validation

Comprehensive market research and marketing preparation are only possible by considering a psychological concept called cross-cultural validation.

Put plainly, this concept explores how an entity, like a product or even a marketing message, can be perceived by audiences based on their cultural background and references. Audiences "validate" their experiences with the product or message against their culture and assign credence based on whether it confirms or validates their pre-existing beliefs and experiences.

In a marketing context, cross-cultural validation requires three core steps:

The initial translation into the new culture, including a verification process to ensure that the meaning of this translation is equivalent in both languages.
Verification, through market research, that the translation into the new culture is accepted as valid by the target audience.
A pull-back from an individual project to develop broader standards for future marketing and translations that can serve as a guide for future localization efforts

Cross-cultural validation shows that localization is always a collaborative effort. It requires a deep understanding of the target audience, the cultural context in which they experience a brand, and the development of standards that can build consistency over time. That consistency, in turn, can go a long way toward building credibility and establishing the brand in the new market.

Researchers use gender identity as a typical example of successful cross-cultural validation. In countries like the United States or Sweden, an empowered view toward gender fluidity tends to play well among younger, more progressive audiences. But while the technical meaning of the concept remains identical, the same concept can yield feelings of confusion or offensiveness among more conservative audiences in Eastern Europe, Asia, and even older populations in the U.S. or Sweden.

The takeaway is clear: marketing can only be successful when its message is validated not just against its true meaning but also in the cultural context within which it exists. This process of cross-cultural validation can be complex but nevertheless becomes an essential part of marketing localization.

Enhanced Audience Insights Through Localized Keyword Research

As localized marketing moves towards execution, market research becomes more practical. Enter keyword research, a long-established practice of digital marketing that, when leveraged correctly, not only enhances audience targeting but also yields crucial audience insights.

Experienced marketers know keyword research as the core concept behind optimizing your website or search engine ads toward the terms your audience uses when searching for brands or products like yours. However, it can also help to gain a deeper understanding of the types of words your audience uses in this audience, and how you can use those words in your own messaging.

Good keyword research can be complicated. The most-searched word in your product category is only sometimes the best option for your niche target audience. Consider the example of translating analytics into Japanese. At the same time, both "解析" and "アナレティックス" are correct translations; the latter is an industry-specific term with which small business owners may not be familiar. When marketing an analytics tool to small businesses in Japan, the first option will induce much less confusion.

Experienced keyword researchers know how to get to those insights. Limiting their results by demographic can help hone in on which words and phrases are most relevant to your brand, product, and target audience. Done right, this type of keyword research becomes a gateway to better digital targeting and a better understanding of your audience as a whole.

Creating a Better Marketing Strategy With Effective, Localized Market Research

Market research is the foundation of successful marketing and only takes on more importance when looking to unlock new markets and cultures. Through quantitative and qualitative measures, organizations can better understand their audience and the context in which they will operate as they build their brand, sell their products, and establish a strong foothold in the market.

That process can be complex. Localization always is. But the complexity pays off in the long run, with a marketing strategy designed to account for cultural nuances and a strong understanding of the industry. Working with the right partner can help to reduce some of these complexities and enhance the chances of long-term, sustainable success. Contact us to start talking about a potential localization partnership.