There are a ton of advantages to taking your business global, the main benefit being huge potential for expansion and growth.  Maybe you’ve exhausted the markets in the U.S. or you’re tired of the lack of stabilization in your target market; whatever the reason, there are too many international opportunities to pass up.  But how exactly do you go about taking your business international?  Revving up your content strategy is one solid way to get started.  Here are some tips on how you can develop a strong content strategy that will be guaranteed to impress consumer both in AND outside of the U.S.

Content Strategy vs. Content Experience

First, it’s imperative to know the difference between content strategy and content experience.  Content strategy is a business’s approach to managing content across all markets, whereas content experience is the way the customer engages with your company through your content.  We’re going to focus on strategy in this article, but know that experience is just as, if not more, important.  Both strategy and experience will differ depending on which country and language the content is presented in.

The first step in developing a global content strategy is to choose the country or countries you plan on targeting. There are 195 to choose from, which may seem a little daunting.  It doesn’t hurt to start with the ones that speak English, as that will ensure that your message doesn’t get lost in translation.  After all, 72.1% of consumers spend most or all of their time on websites in their own language and 72.4% of consumers said they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language.  Because of this, many entrepreneurs shoot for Canada and the U.K. during their first ventures into the global market, which is great as long as those places have a demand for your product.  If not, you’re better off figuring out which countries ARE (or might be) interested in your product and worrying about the language barrier later.  Consider your long term business goals and use that to inform your decisions.

Once you’ve determined who you’re going to sell to, you need to make sure you understand the culture of the international market you plan on targeting.  Do your homework and understand that people in the rest of the world probably don’t do business exactly the same way you do.  For example, in northern Europe it’s not customary for entrepreneurs to spend a lot of time making small talk- they tend to get right to the point, which may come off as rude to Americans who are used to getting to know someone before they start talking business.  This should be reflected in the content you’re producing if that’s the market you’re looking to reach. There are many other cultural nuances such as this that you need to be familiar with in order to make sure your venture isn’t a flop from the start.  Do your research into the history and customs of the target country and then make sure your content reflects their morals, values, and culture as a whole.

Source: www.slideshare.net

To translate or not to translate?  If you’ve chosen a market whose target language is NOT English (or not the same as your language, whatever that may be) you’ll need to determine what content, if any, to translate.  Translating content can be very expensive because you absolutely want to do it right, or don’t do it at all.  If you’re not fluent in the language yourself you’ll need to hire someone (or a team of people) to do your translating for you.  Thus it’s imperative that you evaluate your content and decide what is worth translating.  Consider your specific global goals and only translate the content that will best help you achieve them.  In some situations your current content may not translate well, and so it will need to be recreated with your target market in mind.  There’a also a fine line between translating too much content or not enough.  You need to choose the right amount so that your customers get the information they need but not so much that you end up with astronomical translation fees and an organizational nightmare.  Not sure how to get started auditing your content?  Check out this article from No Risk SEO.

Source: www.blog.marketo.com

Don’t Forget about SEO!

Just because you’re taking your product global doesn’t mean you should forget all the valuable rules of SEO you learned when you first started your business.  You’ll still need to include keywords in your content, even if it’s been translated.  BUT the keywords that rank well in the U.S. may differ in the global market, hence why it’s important to do your homework up front.  Research your competition and learn about important keywords in the target language and make sure they’re included in your revamped content.  Here are some important do’s and don’ts of keyword strategy.

In addition, make sure all your channels are optimized for global content; ie if a customer stumbles upon your website in Germany, they also need to be able to access your mobile app in German.  There’s no sense in having the first step be accessible in a foreign language but not the second, because research shows that consumers very rarely research AND buy within the same platform.  If the content on your desk top site is translated for global business but the content on your app is still in your native language, you’re probably going to lose a customer and a conversion.

Taking your website and your content global has the potential to unlock limitless opportunities for your business, as long as you do your research, set goals, and take the time to plan and create a solid global content strategy.  Even so, going international with a business is no small task.  What challenges do you anticipate facing when taking your content global?  Comment in the space below!