What is content localisation?
To understand what localisation is, let's start with what it is not. Localisation is not translation. It goes beyond that. Localisation is at the heart of adapting your offerings, messaging and content to local experiences and expectations.
Today, it's easier than ever for businesses to expand digitally into new foreign markets. But this also means having your content and products available in the local language.
Content localisation is your magic key to a new market. In this article, we'll look at what content localisation is, why it's important and how you can make it work for you.
What is content localisation?
Content localisation is the process of adapting or creating content for the language and culture of your target market. It takes any existing content, either in your native language or the language you use to communicate with your home market, and adapts it to the language of the market you want to enter.
Simply translating your content won't get you far. If you want your content to resonate with the audience in your new market, you need to localise it.
Your target audience should feel that you are speaking their language. They should have the same experience they would expect from a local business.
Make a connection with your new potential customers by taking the time and effort to understand their lives, culture, behaviours, motivations, etc. You can only solve their problems if you know what they are.
Content localisation involves aspects like:
Idioms and sayings
Culture and socio-political attitudes
Date and time formats
Currencies
Visuals, imagery, colours
Trends and politics
Payment methods
Laws and regulations
When localise your content?
Simply put, as soon as possible.
If you want to go global or are planning to enter a new market, start localising your content immediately. If you've already entered foreign markets but have only translated your content or haven't translated it at all, localise it as soon as possible.
Localised content engages customers more than non-localised content. Not localising your content could result in losing potential customers.
Build a solid localisation strategy that you can adapt to each new market you enter in the future. This will make your process more efficient and save you a lot of time and stress. Read our tips on how to create a localisation strategy.
Why localise your content?
Consumers prefer to buy from websites in their own language. It's a fact.
All marketing and communication is focused on your audience. Even if you are creating content for customers in your home market, you are localising it to meet their needs.
Think about your content marketing strategy:
Who is your target audience?
What are their needs, wants and pain points?
How can you solve their problems?
How will you engage with them?
What language will make your content accessible to them?
If you are entering a new market with a new target audience, the answers to these questions will change. This is where localisation comes in.
Simply translating your content won't meet the needs of your audience. As mentioned earlier, localisation is not translation. Localisation adapts to your target market.
A large-scale behavioural study in 2020 showed:
76 % of consumers prefer to buy from websites in their native language
40 % of internet users will only buy from websites in their native language
65 % of non-native English speakers prefer content in their native language
The research speaks for itself.
It also shows that nationality increases the demand for localised content in online transactions. Germany leads the study with the highest percentage of consumers who only buy from local language sites at 57%.
It's also worth remembering that only around 5% of the world's population are native English speakers. That's not much, is it? In 2022, around 1.5 billion people worldwide spoke English as a first or second language. That's about 20% of the world's population. If you're only offering your content in English, you're missing out on a huge group of potential customers.
Read more about the benefits of content localisation.
How to get started with content localisation
First, identify the target markets you want to test and conduct market and competitor research for those markets.
Then create a localised marketing strategy for those markets. This includes incorporating your localisation into the design, development and optimisation of your website for different countries. For tips on creating a localisation strategy, click here.
Approach one market at a time, especially if you have limited resources. And keep track of and analyse your findings so you can learn as you go.
It is also a good idea to get local experts and linguists on board and invest in translation tools to improve your workflow. Working with local experts or having an in-house localisation team will help you create native experiences for your target audience and grow in the new market. Öökull Creative is here to help.
Localising your content takes time and effort, but it can be your magic key to reaching a global audience and new markets.
If you need help localising your content, contact me, I'm here to help.
