Why you need localization to enter a new market

One of the first steps for brands and businesses that want to penetrate into a new market is to offer their marketing and promotional materials in the language of that new market. It’s an investment in time and resources that will reap benefits almost immediately.

Sales will boost in the moment you offer your services and products in the language of the consumer. Bear in mind that 80% of your new market will only buy your products and services if they find information about them in their own language. It doesn’t make sense to reduce your potential clients to only 20 percent of the population right off the starting gate, right?

And what about engagement? It’s hard to engage with consumers if you have an English only communication approach. Chances are, they will move on quickly to a competitor who is appealing to them in words they can understand or they find themselves more comfortable. But it’s not only words and content that you need to adapt, there’s much more to localization than a simple translation. There are cultural differences that must be taken into account depending on the country you’re trying to penetrate. Localization takes into account many different things: from the information structure of your website, to the photographs you use to the metric units, styles, colors, currency, shipping methods or even phone numbers. All those little and not so little details create engagement and brand loyalty while avoiding serious PR issues that could mean a serious reputation blow.

Translation is making your content available to a wider audience but you need to go a little bit deeper to create a connection with your target market with an experience tailored to their expectations and their culture. You need to compete into that new market on equal terms as your competitors.

We’ve been working long enough in this industry to know that a good localization strategy pays off always and that taking shortcuts when reaching new markets is a waste of time and resources.