Marya Jabeen, Sales and Marketing Manager, speaking at ATC Language Summit
The annual summit brings together language professionals from around the world to exchange industry knowledge, learn about the latest technology trends and get involved in both professional and social networking.
There was a wide range of talks and masterclasses on offer, focusing on various aspects of marketing from the perspective of those in the translation industry as well as its customers. For those engaged in marketing on a global scale, we had some interesting conversations around international SEOs and things to consider when selling your products or services in the Asian market, particularly China.
Today, language service providers are increasingly using digital platforms to administer their services, so it makes sense to market these services via the same means, i.e. using digital content. While Marya’s presentation focused mainly on the translation industry, a lot of the action points and tips she mentioned are very much relevant for any company operating in the B2B sector.
You can have a look at her entire presentation here.
If you are thinking about or are already involved in marketing for your international audience, then using digital content gives you a wider reach, sometimes at a much lower cost than traditional media and with a more targeted approach. It is far more effective, however, if your campaigns are multilingual.
According to a poll conducted by Common Sense Advisory across 10 non-English speaking countries, 60 per cent mentioned they hardly ever buy products or services from English websites. For those with limited English skills, almost 80 percent said they would prefer content in their native language.
But language should not be the only ‘international’ facet of your marketing campaign. In her presentation, Marya also addressed some other key points:
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Knowing your target audience and creating your content specifically for them
This is relevant for any international marketing strategy. If you are trying to market to China for instance, you need to identify the region and also the cultural nuances associated with your chosen group. What appeals to your UK audience, might be completely irrelevant or even offensive to those in the Middle East. Without losing the key message, make sure your content works for them. Your translation agency might help you in this area, with services like localisation and transcreation.
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Think about SEOs at every step of the way
Your English content should be optimised with the keywords for a Google search in your country and other English-speaking ones. However, to optimise your German content, make sure you research and understand the popular search terms to integrate in your content for Germany.
Also, because many other search engines, including Baidu, Yandex and Naver, might be more popular than Google in your target country, you’ll need to have an understanding of their requirements.
Your SEO team can work with your translation suppliers to ensure your content is SEO-optimised across all languages you are using.
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Remember the technical side of things
Look at the trends in your target region. What devices do the people use the most to access content? Do they have widespread access to fast internet? Are there any websites, search engines or social media channels that are not prominently used? Once you have the answers, make sure you create your content and distribute it in a way that it can overcome all these challenges. For instance, if the internet speed is quite poor in the region, using large images will hamper the user experience as it will be difficult to view or download them.
Trying to coordinate a multilingual content strategy is certainly not easy but can be achieved as long as you remember some key considerations and stick to a plan. Having the right team to support you will help you have a much clearer overview, take effective steps and conveniently measure the success of those steps.
If you are looking for a translation partner for your international marketing activities or would just like to receive more information, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01252733999 or email hello@surreytranslation.co.uk.
Written by Marya Jabeen
