Ecommerce Marketing and Translation – The Perfect Pairing for Global Conquest?

A rapid way to expand your company’s reach and increase the number of potential customers is to work on a global marketing strategy. However, the most daunting aspect of expanding internationally is often the language barrier.

After all, what happens if your market research shows that your product might really take off in an Asian region, but you only speak English? By using the right strategies, your global marketing efforts will run more smoothly.  

When targeting Australia for my print on demand businesses I use local Australian suppliers, but I would use suppliers closer to the UK if I was targeting a UK audience. I want the shipping times to be as reduced as possible. Customers do not like waiting in todays market.

We touched on cross-culture marketing but have you considered the type of business model you need for running a global ecomnmerce store? Heres a handy guide that outlines the different business models..

Building Global Marketing Strategies 

Let’s start with the basics. What exactly is ecommerce? Ecommerce lets people buy and sell over the internet. It’s a business model that operates mostly or entirely online.

That makes global marketing strategies all the more important when it comes to making people aware of your website and brand, particularly since ecommerce businesses usually don’t have a physical presence in the community.  

You’ll need to connect appropriately with audiences in multiple countries if you’re serious about the operation of your global ecommerce enterprise. Global marketing strategies focus on this need to handle all aspects of the marketing process in order to connect with audiences around the world.

That includes the translation of adverts, ecommerce websites, content marketing copy, brochures, catalogues, promotional social media posts, landing pages, sales letters or anything else needed in global marketing. 

Clearly, you’ll need a professional service with plenty of relevant experience to handle all of this. Opt for reliable and speedy service delivery rather than the cheapest option – and certainly don’t be tempted by automated services. 

Communication that happens as part of a global marketing strategy is often very creative and figurative. Any ecommerce website that has artistic and engaging video ads is an example. Or consider commercials that act as mini comedy skits.

But saying that not every country finds the same things engaging. Your global marketing strategy has to consider local trends, local interests and have some reliability to the local market its targeting.

Using these to connect with international audiences will play a key role in your global marketing efforts, so think carefully about the tone of your ads and the way that you use language, so that you can be sure your marketing materials land with the new culture and consumer habits

Why Converting Global Marketing Content Matters 

40% of consumers won’t buy from websites that are in other languages. That means that any global marketing strategy worth the paper it’s written on needs to include localization.

Localization is the process of updating all parts of the product or message so that they fit in with the local culture and make for an intuitive experience in the new consumer culture.  

For instance, the localization of an ecommerce website might handle many aspects of the site’s design. In addition to translating the text, localization makes sure the layout of a website looks good in the new language, ensuring that the text flows in the right direction and fills all of the spaces correctly.

Localization can also update small formatting details that are easy to miss, like currency symbols, address formats and phone numbers. It also addresses graphics, ensuring they fit the new language or culture, like finding photos featuring models that represent local demographics. 

Localization can also make sure the website fits with local regulations, like privacy or cookie notification policies. It also makes sure the product and message fit into the new culture overall, in a way where nothing is culturally insensitive or confusing.

To make sure a message is culturally sensitive, it might make sure certain references are avoided or adjust phrases that have no literal translation in the new language.

Focus on Ecommerce Experience 

To have the best experience possible when working with a professional service on your global marketing strategy, you have to make sure the service you work with is experienced in ecommerce. Ask to see samples of past work or client testimonials, if these are not listed on the company’s website.  

Those you hire should have a firm professional background in the countries that you’re targeting as part of your global marketing efforts. That can include extensive work experience in the countries in question, belonging to professional associations in those locations and range of other connections with them.  

To keep an even playing field you can look up independent reviews of the services before you work with them. 55% of consumers look up online reviews and recommendations first – this is a key part of the process of deciding which service to use. You can also ask around your professional network to see if anyone has had a good experience with a global marketing company that is knowledgeable of the ecommerce sphere. 

My e-commerce team eats, sleeps, breathes and dreams about e-commerce from sunrise to sunset.

The enthusiasm business owners feel when they open their first online store is something a lot of people never get to experience. I know it is a moment I’ll cherish forever, someone out there in the world bought something because I showed it to them. That never gets old for me and why I invest so heavily in the marketing of my e-commerce stores.

I have managed to meet a lot of other store owners from Perth to Toronto, Singapore,  Holland and regardless of where they are we have the same interests, we want to sell more products and make more revenue from sales. The business owners I speak with want their online store to be the most popular, most talked-about store of
the year. And that enthusiasm is something to be admired.

But, enthusiasm plus strategy is what makes you win the “race.” Although the way to success can’t quite be compared to a race, it’s probably more of a gruelling endurance marathon. Only the most patient, hard-working, agile, and enthusiastic business owners last. And that’s a good thing because it shows dedication not many people have.
But there are a few strategies that can help your eCommerce shop get the recognition it deserves.

All you need is a little planning and a little patience.

So, here are five proven strategies that will help boost the visibility of your eCommerce store.

Upgrade Your Website to the Max

You probably already know that in order to expand your business you need to have a good looking, reliable and fast website. This is perhaps one of the quickest ways to gain the trust of your potential customers. They’ll intuitively and immediately know that this is a brand that can be trusted. Learn how to build a website here.

An ecommerce solution provider can play a huge role in helping you create a website that will first and foremost be suited to your type of business.

Depending on your store’s size, e-commerce providers will choose a specific platform from which they can easily customize your site to meet your particular needs.

For example, platforms such as Magento and Shopify are suited for large scale online stores, while WordPress and WooCommerce are suited for medium to small size online stores.

Professional e-commerce providers can also provide you with:

• Database.
  • A secure website.
  • Maintenance of your website.
  • Install shopping carts.
  • Install integrated payment getaways.
  • And more.

Apart from having customer data insights that can hugely benefit your business’s expansion by collecting their contact information, you’ll also get a deep insight into your customer’s behavior.

This means that according to your average customer, you can set prices, discounts and optimize products. Furthermore, your customers will have an amazing user experience by creating personalized recommendations, messages, promotions, etc.

Start Blogging

Blogs are a vital part of every successful business. Through your blog, you can provide your customers with valuable information and promote your eCommerce store.

If done right, blogging can help you reach out to new potential customers and in return increase your annual revenue.

There are a few easy ways you can strategically start blogging:

• Identify your target audience
  By identifying your target audience, you’ll know who you’re speaking to, and you’ll know who to reach out to. I would spend hours doing deep dives on my competitors, understanding what they are saying, how they go to market and what they are offering.

Let’s look at a great example that will help to paint a picture. Nike is a world-known sports brand, but you don’t see only sporty people wearing their clothes or footwear.

Why is that? It’s because their target audience is people who can do it. Do what? Whatever they set their minds on. They are speaking to people who want to feel like winners, like achievers.

So ask yourself who the people that are your target audience are and what they want to feel like.

• Create amusing content
  Amusing doesn’t always have to be funny, but it can if your business allows it. Create content that your potential customers will want to share and talk about with other people.

Provide them with precious information, and don’t forget to entertain them along the way.

Also, try to communicate through your blogs about why your product is functional, what kind of social impact it has, and why it is even life-changing. Remember that your blogs should be approachable, refreshing, and inviting to your readers/customers.

You can also push your content to more blogging platforms for more reach.

• Use SEO strategies
  SEO can be of great help in figuring out which keywords to use, how the structure of your blog should look etc. But don’t go as far as to let SEO determine your eCommerce blog content.

SEO should serve you. Not the other way around. It can help you determine what your customers are searching for, and that’s beneficial, but keep in mind to always use SEO moderately.

Engage Your Audience Through Social Media

There’s a great difference between using social media and using social media platforms well, to your advantage. The greatest thing about social media platforms is that they can provide your potential customers with a feeling of approachability.

For instance, people can DM you on Instagram, where you can easily provide them with more information about your product. Furthermore, Instagram has a shop feature that basically calls itself to be used. With just one click, any potential customer can visit your website and check out your products.

This is a great way to reengage the audience and bring repeat business by keeping in front of them.

Other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok can also be used with great effects. Develop a social media strategy that gives you an advantage over competitors.

Depending on your eCommerce business, you can promote your products in an inviting and engaging way. Not to mention that reaching out to influencers that suit your particular business is always a fantastic idea.

Try Pinterest Advertising for e-commerce, there’s only a handful of people actively using it in their strategy.

Alternatively you could look at Twitter (X) ads with the cost per click being so cheap right now it might be worth the time investment.

Diversify With Offline Promotions

Although we live in a digital age, we should never underestimate the power of word of mouth. If you have people talking, you know you are doing something right. And that is the ultimate goal of every successful
business — to get people to recognize their products.

One of the probably most old-school ways of spreading the word out there is by creating pamphlets and flyers. Billboards probably come second, but if they didn’t get the job done, people probably wouldn’t still
be using these tactics.

Sending seasonal cards and small gifts is also a wonderful idea, and you’ll be able to stay in touch with your current customers. Offering coupons is a great way to attract new customers, and loyalty cards will
most certainly make your customers feel like a part of something and they’ll enjoy benefits other customers don’t have.

Google’s Local Search Applications Are Powerful

Anywhere you go, you’ll hear that getting your shop set up with Google My Business is a fantastic idea if you have a store with a physical location as well.

With Google My Business, people can easily check everything they’ll want to know about your shop. Where to find it on Google Maps, working hours, and they can even get feedback from other customers.

Having a 5-star review is great, having 300 glowing detailed and really relevant 5-star reviews is what helps someone go from a maybe to a yes.

With Google My Business you’ll also be able to promote events, respond to your customers’ feedback,
and collect precious data. Google My Business has a great dashboard that will show you how people found you online and where your customers are from.

This is a fantastic tool you can use. The only question is whether you have a physical shop or not.

Bonus

Google Shopping is also a great way to promote your eCommerce as well. But if you want to use this feature, you’ll need to optimise your Google ad campaigns for engagement and conversions, and then customers will be able to click directly to your eCommerce shop.

I highly recommend any website that sells products on the website to make use of Google shopping advertising. This is a no-brainer and one of the fastest ways to get sales.

Key Takeaway

The goal is the same, sell more products while increasing revenue from sales. That’s the target. Getting to the target can be more of a winding road and have plenty of curves than you first planned on taking.

If I were to give you some more linear ways to get to your target Id suggest Google shopping ads and bing shopping ads. Go direct to the customer where they are when they need you.