A fast progressing world requires quick and efficient strategies. Localization proves to be one of the most effective ways to convey a message to an international audience. At some point, a business will expand its roots offshore. For a global business to become a success you look forward to increasing your revenue, market share, and target audience as well. A localization business plays a vital role for companies seeking international growth. Sooner or later these companies require someone to remove the language barrier.
Hence, localization spurs into action, taking care of the business needs. For a startup, this idea may seem nonsense or a futile waste of expense. Truth be told, you couldn’t be more wrong. For effective marketing and growth, you need to overcome the great walls of language. Only then can you expect success in the future.
Are you still skeptical?
Let’s begin your journey into the world of languages, translation, and localization. This article will focus on the particular reasons that make localization a key strategy for business growth.
What is Meant by Localization?
When business owners want to think out of the box, they need to be creative. Your ideal target audience might be Chinese or European while your company is American.
The solution?
Localization:
The act of thinking globally and acting locally is the most precise definition for localization. In simpler words, localization means translating the content into the desired target language, designing the product/service for the international market.
To be able to reach the target audience, you must speak their language, understand their demands and wants.
Localization is an upgrade for a standard translation. It means you have to improvise your product according to the cultural and linguistic norms of the foreign market.
What is the Job of Localization Business Services?
Localization services cater to the needs of other businesses. They translate and localize the desired content from the source language to the target language.
Globalization made the world a global village, therefore geographical limitations do not matter anymore. The power of localization systems helps to overcome regional, cultural, and linguistic differences, making your business successful across borders.
To help businesses stay afloat at a global level, the localization business ensures communication in written form. You may see thousands of advertisements that are localized from one culture to another.
For instance, the TV commercials of Cadbury (chocolate) in India resonate with the emotional side of the target audience while the same brand targets its western audience in a funky manner.
The reason?
The cultural difference says it all. The job of the translator is to be creative in terms of content. They retain the original meaning of the context regardless of the creative translation in the target language.
What Makes Localization Important?
For a business to maintain a competitive edge in the global sphere, they must influence their audience breaking the language barrier. If you are to complete your company at a global level, localization plays a critical role.
Here’s how.
1. Enter New Markets
A small business faces challenges in its initial growth. Similarly, there are several types of barriers that a company faces when they want to expand overseas.
For instance, the legal issues, supply chain, cultural and linguistic gap, and so on. With the help of localization business, the cultural and linguistic gaps are removed which makes it easier for the companies to convey their message to the local partners and audience.
Once these cultural obstacles are removed, you can avoid any potential errors that otherwise could affect your brand image. A good localization strategy can help you gain a competitive edge in the new market quietly and efficiently.
2. Customer Satisfaction
Once upon a time, a popular brand like McDonald’s faced angry outbursts from the Indian audience.
Why?
The use of meat in their fast food menu created a conflict with the local norms.
Therefore, the brand introduced veggie burgers and other items. This resulted in customer satisfaction. Similarly, KFC changed its international slogan “FINGER LICKIN’ GOOD” when it entered the Chinese market. The jargon was not a match for the culture therefore to appeal to the local customer their marketing became more normal. They introduced the Chinese part of the meal in their food products as well.
This clearly states one thing: to help your brand grow, localization helps you to satisfy your customer. Sometimes to make your customers happy, you have to improvise with your global image and the type of content you use in an advertisement.
3. Revenue Generation
To increase the pool of your audience, the localization of products and services is vital. When you optimize your localization process with the help of TMS (Translation Management System) you guarantee that the translation will be error-free and accurate.
When your product is designed and sold according to the demands of the local culture and audience, it will sell fast. Result? More revenue for the firm.
This can be a long-term process, but it sure does have its advantage in terms of generating more profits.
A localization business helps nurture the language gap between two countries, companies, and audiences.
4. Cultural Respect and Appropriation
It is a worldwide fact that each country tends to its cultural values and norms. The patterns, religious norms, and local customer habits, etc., all play a vital role in forming the right localization strategy.
You might choose the wrong localization strategy and things will go downhill. Even popular brands like Pepsi and Nike etc are known to make silly blunders in their international commercials that led to a huge fuss. Later onwards, public statements of apology were released to clean the air. Before approaching the new or existing markets, you need to ensure your choice of localization strategy is not offensive in the eyes of the audience.
The use of specific symbols, colors, and jargon, etc., can work in the brand’s favor if they plan it the right way. Therefore, the localization business has an expert team of translators who are natives. They have the knowledge, experience, and desired expertise to ensure to create content that best meets the company’s needs.
5. Brand’s Goodwill
What does a local customer think of your brand?
Marketing a brand means giving it identity, shape, and personality. Marketing localization is one of the critical indicators to ensure that you hit the goals to achieve your target audience’s hearts.
Some brands are great in the storytelling process. This works in their favor when they have to introduce a new product or make some prominent changes related to the brand. The automobile industry is popular in this regard. At the time of festivities, the popular beverage brand Coca-Cola has been argued to create the modern 21st image of Santa Clause. They effectively change their slogans and packaging according to the local festivities.
This concludes in a brand’s goodwill. It helps customers to realize that the brand also cares for them instead of focusing only on sales.
Localization is A Powerful Play of Words and More!
A localization system like MarsCloud is one of the ideal choices to help your brand cater to the international audience. The perfect localization strategy does not exist. It’s a trial-and-error method. However, with a team of expert translators, and robust localization management system, you can start a new project for business expansion in an effective manner.
To learn more about the services and price rates, you can contact us now.
contact@marshub.com
