Ads and Marketing Localization Solutions: How to Conquer the New Marketing Lands

You have just spent a fortune on an advertising campaign in an African country, but it failed to generate the desired results. Your commercial’s success or failure depends on more than just the script’s contents or a catchy hook, no matter what language you’re advertising in. Even after being translated into a new language, global advertising campaigns must strike the appropriate chord with consumers. Using ads and marketing localization solutions is one essential technique for a successful marketing campaign.

We live in a global economy and boast about living in a global village. Thanks to rapid technological advances, businesses can now communicate with customers in virtually any part of the world. The truth is that consumers prefer to purchase items that sound local to them rather than international. The customers’ preference for one brand over another is influenced not just by the customers’ native language but also by their cultural norms and values.

In this post, we will first define ads and marketing localization. Then, we’ll discuss why tailoring your marketing materials to a specific region is vital. See if you fall into the category of people who could benefit from the localization of advertisements and marketing strategies in the next section. If you’ve come to this conclusion, read on to learn what to look for in a trustworthy advertisement and marketing localization service.

Some people classify anything as marketing content, from the text on a product’s box or website to the content you share on social media, the tutorials you give away for free, and even the conversations you have with customers after they purchase. Here, we zero down on localization services when the content’s sole purpose is advertising or marketing, such as TV commercials or printed copies. However, we provide localization services for all forms of content, whether educational, promotional, or both.

Table of Contents

• What is localization in advertising and marketing?
• Why is ads and marketing localization important?
• Do I need ads and marketing localization?
• What are the characteristics of a good localization agency?

What is localization in advertising and marketing?

It’s not always clear-cut whether translation, localization, or transcreation is the best option for firms looking to break into new markets by adapting their commercials from one language to another. Although the three choices may appear similar at first glance, they represent distinct processes with diverse outcomes.

The translation is the process of altering the language of a source text to another language as a one-size-fits-all product. The target audience’s interests and preferences cannot be considered throughout the translation process.

Every aspect of content is localized when its language and culture are adapted for a specific locale. A locale is a group of people with the same culture and language. For this reason, a text may have a single French translation but four localized French editions, one each for Quebec, New Brunswick, France, and Africa, for example. Localization is not intended to transform content fully into another.

Transcreation is the act of making something completely new while retaining the core ideas of the original. As a rule of thumb, it is preferable to use localization or transcreation for marketing efforts.

Read more about the differences between translation, localization, and transcreation.

Ads and marketing localization is the process of adjusting promotional materials (such as ads, brochures, landing pages, banners, TV commercials, etc.) for a new audience. In some cases, you may also need to adapt your marketing plan for the local market by learning which social networks and media platforms are most popular among your intended consumers. Writing and geotargeting social media postings for a particular market is also a part of advertising and marketing localization.

The ultimate goal of localization is to give readers (and potential buyers) the impression that the content was written with them in mind. By catering to the preferences of a new audience, localization ultimately aims to boost brand recognition, customer satisfaction, and revenue. A global consumer base can be successfully identified, attracted, and satisfied through localized advertising and marketing.

It is essential to localize your website in addition to your advertising and marketing for a profitable and fruitful campaign. Do not make the fatal error of building up your global audience with a regionally specific ad and sending the audience to a website that is not localized for their region, does not use their language, and ignores cultural nuances. If you do this, people will quickly leave your site and form an unfavorable impression of your company.

If you have a customer-facing app, you need to localize it, too. Inviting users from other countries to use an app that hasn’t been localized will lead to a higher churn rate (the percentage of users who have stopped using the app) and a lower retention rate (the percentage of users who are still using the app after a set period of time after installation).

Ad and marketing localization entails various approaches, from translating ads and marketing materials into foreign languages to modifying the ads’ visuals and designs to better appeal to local tastes and preferences. It takes into account regional norms as well. For instance, words or phrases deemed obscene cannot be used in advertisements in some areas. In extreme circumstances, businesses may even need to develop entirely new marketing plans or advertising campaigns for particular nations or regions (which usually involves transcreation).

When content is localized, it’s possible to change many distinct things about it. The direction of the target text is the first factor to consider while doing localization. Text, images, and videos all look very different when the target language is written from right to left, as opposed to left to right. The size of the page or paper and the page layout are the next two crucial aspects to consider in localization to avoid chaos after translating and localizing all other material components.

Images and other visuals play an essential role in the localization process. To win over the audience, tailor your response to their specific concerns, areas of expertise, and personal preferences. You don’t want them to dismiss your product immediately because of your chosen image. Symbols and hand gestures can have significantly different meanings in different cultures. For instance, the sign that means “come here” in the United States (wiggling your index finger while your palm is up) is considered disrespectful in the Philippines and is used to attract dogs.

The visual aspect of the text, including fonts and character sets, is also a fundamental consideration in localization. One must also take into account the spelling and capitalization patterns of words. For instance, localization is preferred in the United States, while localisation is more common in Britain. Even colors don’t have universally agreed-upon meanings. Red, for example, indicates an increase in stock prices in East Asian stock markets but a decrease in North American stock markets.

Localization consists of many steps, the translation being one of them. During the localization process, the translator will replace any myths, rituals, or cultural references from the source culture with equivalents from the target culture. Moreover, in marketing localization, which places a premium on generating emotions, idioms and proverbs are not translated or explained but instead replaced with correct target ones.

Geographical references may also need to be localized, especially in ad localization, where the target audience must rapidly absorb and relate to the material to be effectively influenced. Additionally, if the original text includes a reference to an address or phone number, it must be localized according to the system used in the intended community. Some nations use a system where the addressee comes first and eventually the country, but others reverse this convention. Furthermore, some nations favor writing phone numbers in a 2-digit-by-2-digit style, while others favor writing them in a 4-digit-by-4-digit format (or any other format).

Date and time formats are also critical to get right when going global. While most other countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, use the day/month/year format, the United States uses month/day/year. Some Asian countries, however, like Japan, China, and South Korea, have a different format: year/month/day. Regarding how people display the time, France uses a 24-hour clock, the UK uses both a 24- and 12-hour clock, while Malaysia sticks with the 12-hour model.

In addition, holidays and other events on the calendar demand your full attention. Despite being a single nation, India’s various regions have varying summer vacation times, illustrating the importance of adapting content to specific locales. In much of northern India, the holiday lasts from May to July; however, in the Kashmir valley, it lasts for a full 10 days. Also, the vacation starts in the middle of April and lasts until the middle of June in central India. In addition, March through June are summer vacation months in southern India.

The legal aspects of the content are another consideration during localization. Compliance with relevant laws and regulations is prioritized when adapting to a new locale. Data protection laws vary from country to country, with violations often carrying hefty fines or even jail time. Copyright issues can emerge if local regulations are violated.

When it comes to money, localization is just as important. Avoid losing potential customers at the final minute due to their inability to understand your pricing for the product. Improve the user experience further by supporting the preferred payment methods within the target demographic. Making a purchase easier for customers to complete increases their spending. Don’t ignore local tax regulations, or you could end up paying fines or even going to jail. The purchasing experience can be enhanced by using measurement units and sizing conventions that are more familiar to the target demographic.

For your advertisements, choose a native speaker who speaks your target market’s regional dialect and accent. This creates a sense of intimacy between the speaker and the audience as if a close friend were addressing them personally. You should also be aware of whether you use a formal or informal tone. In Australia, a more casual tone is chosen for commercials, while in Japan, more formal language is favored.

It is also necessary to adapt the rules for naming order to the local culture to prevent misunderstandings. In the West, people list their names first, then their middle, and finally their last name, but in China, the sequence is reversed: the family name comes first. On the other hand, Myanmar does not distinguish between first and last names; both are usually written out in full.

Your ad’s proposed prices must also be converted to the local currency. If marketing a special sales deal for a forthcoming event in the target community, remember to localize the date and time based on the viewers’ preferences. You can increase sales by appealing to the myths and traditions of the community you’re trying to attract. Your ad’s voiceover should also use the regional dialect of the target market. Localization also includes details like colors, shapes, fonts, and spellings. These adaptations are made so that audiences won’t be confused or offended.

Why is ads and marketing localization important?

One of the major advantages of localizing advertisements is that it may assist businesses in avoiding cultural blunders and ensuring that their marketing messages resonate with local viewers. A commercial that gets a lot of laughs in one country could be labeled offensive in another. Companies can avoid losing clients and hurting their reputation by making their marketing campaigns more culturally relevant.

With localization, businesses may better connect with customers across the globe and build trusting bonds with new clients. Using everyday language and idioms is one way to accomplish this. This boosts the likelihood of making sales and gaining income and helps establish trust and reputation with local audiences.

However, a thorough familiarity with local customs and buying habits is essential for successful marketing localization. To comply with the demands and preferences of their target markets, businesses need to do in-depth research and analysis into several elements such as language, culture, shopping habits, and communication channels.

One difficulty that can arise when localizing advertisements is preserving the brand’s integrity while catering to the target countries’ customs. Businesses have to strike a balance between staying consistent with their brand identity and changing to suit local tastes. Branding components, such as color schemes, logos, and slogans, might carry various connotations or meanings in different parts of the world; thus, they should be used cautiously.

Marketing campaigns need to be localized not only for language and culture but also for legal and regulatory considerations. Companies must ensure their campaigns adhere to local rules and regulations on advertising and marketing, which can vary widely from country to country or even region to region.

Consumers are more likely to remain faithful to a brand that tailors its marketing efforts to their specific region. Customers that have faith in your brand are more likely to buy from you again and to spread the news about your business, making word of mouth an effective marketing tool.

The importance of localization for multinational corporations has grown alongside the rise of digital marketing. Businesses can now reach customers all over the world thanks to social media and search engines, but to do so successfully, they need to be able to interact effectively in a variety of languages and cultural settings.

Businesses can improve their chances of breaking into new markets and strengthening their relationships with customers worldwide by adapting their messaging and communication to local cultures and consumer preferences. For example, geo-tagged social media posts according to the intended audience’s location are six times more successful than internationally targeted content.

Unbabel also found that 46% of businesses put their money into paid advertisements as top-of-the-funnel (ToFu) content and that 84% of respondents claimed that localizing content had a moderately positive or extremely positive influence on revenue growth.

Furthermore, 72.4% of customers surveyed by Common Sense Advisory indicated they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their native language. Moreover, 56.2% of consumers responded that getting information in their native language is more important than pricing.

The majority of online purchases are made in languages other than English; thus, adapting your content to appeal to those customers is essential. In addition, if you can establish a strong presence in multiple markets, your revenue won’t be tied to the health of any one region’s economy, making you more resilient to market fluctuations.

According to a Facebook IQ survey, 35% of cross-border buyers stated they made a purchase at least once a month on average. However, this figure jumps to 50% in India, 37% in Saudi Arabia, and 36% in Indonesia.

It is worth noting that the Facebook IQ survey showed that Saudi Arabian consumers spend a median of USD 152 in a single cross-border transaction. In contrast, shoppers in India spend a median of USD 99, and shoppers in Mexico and Brazil devote a median of USD 57 per cross-border transaction. On the other hand, consumers in the United Kingdom and the United States typically spend $26 on a single purchase.

As for marketing on social media, 59% of respondents to the Facebook IQ survey said they appreciated seeing content relevant to their country’s culture. These numbers highlight the significance of localization for languages outside of the Western canon, such as Arabic, Indian, and Indonesian.

Do I need ads and marketing localization?

You’ve been focusing your latest advertising campaigns on the Asian population of your country. But the outcome was completely unexpected and drove away even your most loyal consumers.

You are a sales manager and want to increase sales. You recognize that your potential international clients must be able to understand and relate to your brand and its services. Doing so will pave the way to gaining trust. Building customer trust is the key to a successful sales process. To boost trust and sales, you need to localize your marketing efforts.

You are a marketer who has used Facebook to entice Chinese consumers to your company’s products. You gave it your best shot but ultimately failed. Did you know that the country has had Facebook restricted since 2009? Instead, Chinese social media users choose WeChat, Weibo, and Douyin.

You are a social media content creator. Your constant client has requested that you create a social media presence primarily serving their clients in Africa. How do you make sure you’re not offending someone with your choice of slang, idioms, writing style, or sentence structure? (Clue: AI translators like Google Translate are not the answer).

Your product sales in the United States have been booming, but the local economy has lately collapsed. You realize that the only way to save your business is to expand into the vast untapped markets of Africa, where none of your domestic rivals have set foot yet.

You’re a business owner who wants to increase sales in the Middle East by tailoring your marketing efforts to the region’s Arabic-speaking population. You may know that highlighting the particular Eid al-Fitr holidays and festivals in your marketing plans is so helpful for your success.

You’ve learned that your rival has tried advertising in India but has had little success. You’ve figured out that linguistic subtleties between the various local tongues led to widespread miscommunication and the resulting issue. You want to win that lucrative market share from your opponent.

You are a marketing manager who wants to boost brand awareness, customer satisfaction, and income by adapting material to the preferences of a new target Russian audience. You must get your marketing content into popular social networks among Russians like VKontakte.

Online shop owners know that satisfied customers are more likely to shop with them again and spend more money. If your customers are happy, they will spread their excitement, and the word-of-mouth marketing strategy will grow your business and attract additional buyers. Did you know that more than half of customers will pay more if you speak to them in their native language?

You’re a social media marketing strategist working on expanding an existing brand into new territories. You are unfamiliar with the languages and online habits of the people you intend to reach through their local social media. If you want your message to get the right people, you must first determine which platforms are most commonly used in those places. With the help of localization specialists, it is much simpler to discover these elements.

You, the proud owner of a chain of Italian restaurants, have your sights set on expanding into South Asia. You shouldn’t only be concerned with how cultural differences affect your advertising campaign’s performance. Considering local taste preferences while building your new menu and cuisine would be best.

Ads and marketing campaigns can benefit greatly from localization in different settings, and we could provide only a handful of them here. Generally, you should think about localization if your consumers come from distinct cultural backgrounds, even though they all speak the same language.

What are the characteristics of a good localization agency?

One of the hallmarks of a professional localization services provider is an in-depth familiarity with the variations between translation, localization, and transcreation.

Your content may require translation, localization, or transcreation solutions; a professional localization agency may help you determine which approach would yield the best results. Further, it must offer you the highest quality of service for your chosen solution.

The best localization company offers a comprehensive range of localization services. As we’ve already mentioned, localizing your ads and marketing won’t do you much good if you haven’t also localized your website, apps, and software.

Any reliable localization firm worth its salt will use native translators from the target market. Natives have a deeper comprehension of cultural sensitivity and how it has developed over time. They better understand cultural differences and can avoid using offensive language.

The top localization firms will provide you with a professional project manager who will work strictly on your project. An expert project manager is essential if you want help for avoiding or fixing problems that may arise during the localization and delivery procedures.

A professional localization firm will undertake market research to better understand the potential for growth in your chosen market. Knowing how competitors in similar businesses deal with issues is also helpful. Doing some market research will help you better understand your ideal customers’ current desires and requirements.

A perfect localization solution takes into account the fact that audiences’ expectations can vary significantly from one country or region to another or even within a single country (Especially in countries like Zimbabwe with multiple official languages).

A reliable localization provider will be proficient with the rules and regulations in the target nation. Localizing advertisements and marketing strategies, as well as media, relies heavily on this.

Customers will give you a lower rating if they feel you prioritized other factors over them and offered low-quality information.

An accomplished professional in localization services is up-to-date with the norms and preferences of the target demographics in the target regions. For instance, which search engines do they use the most? What are their preferred search keywords? How active are they in which social networks? What are their favorite tones, colors, and kinds of pictures?

The finest localization service provider would have extensive experience with your intended target markets. They have expertise in the language and idioms of your target demographic and can tell you whether they prefer mobile or desktop platforms when interacting with brands like yours.

Your target audience cannot tell if the content they are reading was translated from another language or was authored just for them if you hire a reputable company to provide localization services. You should provide your readers with an authentic feel.

Find out about how SinceWordsMatter can assist you with localization solutions.

With new opportunities coming internationally constantly, keeping up demands quick, targeted promotions. Strategic localization promotes a worldwide brand as one that is sensitive to cultural differences wherever it does business. Working with a credible ad localization service, whether entering new markets or improving existing ones, eliminates the guesswork of how to connect worldwide.

Locally relevant messages, delivered accurately and on time, create the basis for long-term cross-border partnerships and returns. While it may require an initial expenditure, ads and marketing localization increases the impact of advertisements and ensures that all potential buyers completely grasp promotional messages. Brand voices can truly resonate wherever they expand by partnering with a company that has proven experience translating communications across cultures.