Let's answer your first question, am I localizing my product or am I 'removing the personality' of my product?
Localize VS Gentrification
Localizing - adapt (something) to meet the requirements of a particular area.
Example - "they should be able to localize their business model overseas"
VERSUS
Gentrification - the process of making someone or something more refined, polite, or respectable.
Example - "soccer has undergone gentrification"
Why do you need to localize your messaging?
...because you do not want your product to feel like “extra steps” and with the average site visit lasting only 54 seconds, we do not want any speed bumps in that process.
To find your landing page analytics from your Google Analytics dashboard, navigate to Behavior → Site Content → Landing Pages. You will see “Average session duration” and that should give you an idea of where you stand. Personally, my site is 100% text based, so my sessions are very short, but taking into account that you sell a software solution, finding the solution to their problem should be a fairly easy task, and you can enhance details from there.
But you have to win someone over with understanding their problem right out of the gate.
Example - let's say you sell ketchup in the UK and your messaging on your site caters to putting ketchup on your chips at the burger stop. Without changing that messaging on your site, I might be looking for a wholesale ketchup provider for my American restaurant, and as I scan solutions your website does not say fries, I am going to immediately skip that solution.
I can not reiterate this enough, you NEED to localize, you do NOT need to gentrify your site. Continuing that example, if you are a UK based ketchup company selling to Americans, it is easy to change your messaging to “the best dang ketchup for your fries, or as they should be called - chips!” Which clarifies that you can be the solution to their problem, but continues to hold on to who you are as a company at the core.
That is a great example of a language barrier, but what do you mean about a cultural barrier Zach?
Americans love being champions, winners, super heroes, etc. Meaning your messaging for being the best damn ketchup in the world for Americans will need to create the illusion that your ketchup will make them the “super hero of their next party” or one that always makes me laugh, selling to parents “you will be the super mom!”
Versus Overseas the messaging will focus on creating the best environment for your guests, or that your family will grow up healthy. Overall the ‘champion messaging’ does not have the same appeal. I am not saying it never happens, but I can admit to seeing it less.
Generally speaking the internet is very "Americanized" so it will dominate the landscape and provide some visualization of what you are looking for, but since the internet is also ENORMOUS you are welcome to give me a shout and I am happy to help.
Cheers! - Zach
"Localizing for America"
Commenti