As a business grows and expands into new countries and territories it can suddenly find itself operating within and marketing itself in very different scenarios and situations than it is used to. As a business owner you have to be aware of the significance of ensuring your brand is being marketed correctly in different areas of the world. The first port of call for the majority of consumers the globe over is a visit to a company website. Whether you are a small business or a multinational conglomerate, your website is the place where your ethos and ideals are put forward to the watching world. If there is a word out of place, or the wrong nuance captured to a particular audience, it can cause havoc to your plans for global domination, or just cause great confusion in a country you’ve just opened for business within.
In order to travel smoothly as a business through various countries and territories, and to get your message across clearly, confidently, and without causing any offence, the best practice is to work alongside a company that can localise your website.
If your website hasn’t been localised there is the potential for it to fall flat, confuse visitors and ensure that you don’t gain a foothold within the imagination of a brand new audience. A worst-case scenario is that it truly offends and leaves your brand damaged in such a way that it will take a long time to recover. This can cost a lot of time and money to rectify, so always make sure that you are covered from the very beginning of a venture into a new area of the world, localising your website for the following reasons.
Hit The Ground Running
All companies want a good start when opening their business out to a new audience. If your new audience can’t find information about you, or can’t understand you, you’ll be playing catch up to competitors in that area from the very beginning. Localising your website will help to increase sales in each specific area that you have catered for. New users will be able to quickly identify your service and/or products, and identify the steps you need them to take in order to purchase from you. One way in which you can be successful at localising your website is to simplify the sales process into the target language.
Be Aware of Dialect and Nuances in Language – Every country is different in how its language is constructed. There can even be massive differences in dialect within different areas of one country, and as a business venturing into new territory, it is your responsibility to be aware of this when localising your website. A funny line in one country might be ultra offensive in another, so work with a translation company that understands how to get the best out of the language on offer through your site.
The whole process of localising your website for a new audience demonstrates to that country that you care about them. The act of trying at least to speak in language that they understand will go some way to building trust and a relationship within that country.
Content written by Natasha Hilton