Marketing and Localization Part II: New Customer Journey, Same Destination

This is a direct continuation of our first article on the importance of localized content. It’s a marketer’s job to build content that delivers to customers exactly what they need to make that all-important choice to purchase your company’s product/service. 

With a little (or more likely, a lot of) attention to the new culture you’re targeting, it’s possible to redefine your brand for use in a region where it will build memorable experiences and brand loyalty with your new customers.

Localizing the Customer’s Journey

To create and solidify brand loyalty, it takes a lot of content to localize for markets and customers in different unique regions. It depends, of course, on how much content you require, the sheer amount of localization work can quickly spiral to dizzying volumes. For example, if you plan on targeting 2 different buyer personas, but you’re going to be localizing your content for multiple different regional dialects/languages, it takes a lot of time to prep that content for each unique avenue.

As you begin to localize content, it’s advantageous to select and focus on just a few types of content to localize before the rest.

Some content is simply better performing regardless of cultural context, which means you ought to prioritize the localization of that media first and foremost. As you take your first steps into a new market with a different culture, realize that customers will still run through the model of the customer’s journey in a way that is very similar—if not identical—to the one you know in your native culture. This generally goes something like “discovery, education, purchase, post-purchase engagement, and advocacy.”

Just as you’d guide customers through that journey in your own culture & language, the customers from the new culture expect to follow a similar process.

(Whether they know about the concept of the customer’s journey or not, they for-sure still follow it!) And because you’re already making content for every stage of the customer’s journey, that content is probably high-value stuff that’s ready to be localized and start bringing you revenue. 

Here’s a review of what needs to be localized for every stage of the customer’s journey.

Becoming Aware of the Problem

Awareness begins when the customer has an epiphany – they know they have some problem that needs solving. They want to understand fully how the problem affects their life and whether other people have this issue.

In this phase, your search and display ads are at the frontlines.

Potential customers are using search engines to learn about whatever problem they have. These circumstances can pull your ads into the customer’s frame of view. Customer research can take days or more, depending on how dedicated they are to solving the problem, how much time they have, and how serious the problem.

The discovery/awareness phase is all about showing customers the kind of ad that connects them to a post-click landing page. That page should offer them info that gives them a complete grip on the problem and how to solve it (ie, how your company will solve it).

Considering You vs. Your Competitors

In the consideration stage, the customer compares your solution to your competitors. They want to find out which works best for them. Your ads for this stage should evolve into content that promotes your own business and its solutions specifically. What to do? 

Advertise, advertise, advertise.

You need to separate yourself from the competition. Make it clear to customers why you have the winning edge over the competition and why they should make a decision in your favor. For content in your native language, you probably already have articles discussing what it is your company offers. FAQs can largely be machine-translated, although human translators will be a nice touch for that final overview. 

Making the Call (and Staying Loyal to Your Brand)

At last, the customer is just about ready to buy. Nudge them! Free product demos and private consultations are great ideas. When the customer is ready to buy, you must provide them with a painless, in-language process that makes it simple for them. Little things like using that culture’s favorite payment platform can make a very, very big difference. And after the customer converts, they will enter into the retention sub-phase. Once the customer passes through the conversion stage, the retention phase begins.

The final retention segment doesn’t have a clearly defined end.

It basically just goes on until they no longer want or need your service/product. To retain customers, you’ll be relying largely on your customer support page, email newsletters/offers, and a consistent blog. Your service really needs to shine at this point. Respond quickly and effectively to customer questions and requests for troubleshooting help.

Keep them informed about your latest offers and promotions to maximize the positivity of their experience with your business. It may go without saying, but for both support staff interactions and self-service content in the ost-purchase phase, you absolutely must aim at meeting the needs of the culture in question.