As the biggest internet market in Europe and an ever-growing online population, Russia offers vast opportunities for international businesses looking to grow sales and reach new audiences. Yet only those who understand the unique digital landscape and the expectations of a Russian audience will succeed. This session will offer an introduction to the market and the insights you need in order to build a successful online presence there.
7. | 7
Not one, not two…. but eleven time zones
10am in Moscow
7pm in Kamchatka
8. |
Key takeaway
8
Size
There is a big audience to reach
when targeting Russia
There is still room for growth,
especially compared to more mature
markets like Germany and the UK
You need to think differently than
many other countries – for example,
setting time targeting for paid search
or scheduling social posts
12. |
Key takeaway
12
Differences
Very different experiences in big
metropolitan areas vs in the
countryside
75% users in urban areas – so rural
areas have greatest room for growth
Depending on your product /
service, will determine if you should
target specific cities vs whole
country
14. |
Internet usage stats
• 85% of Russian internet users
access internet everyday (vs 86%
in the US)
• Average daily time online is
almost 6.5 hours
• 90% of internet users stream
video content – Youtube leads
the way
• 21% of internet users search with
voice commands
• Wifi is free in major cities in public
areas, including the Moscow
underground
14
15. |
Key takeaway
15
Time spent online
Don’t assume that Russia lags the
West – they are avid, experienced
internet users
Ensure you’re optimised for mobile –
and consider specific mobile ads to
target users
Consider how video can be
incorporated into your strategy
18. |
Key takeaway
18
It’s dominated by local
platforms
Don’t ignore the local players
But don’t forget about international
players either
Understand where your audience
spends time online and spread your
budget and efforts to incorporate
them
20. |
Key dates = more searchers
• 14th February – Valentine’s Day
• 23rd February - Men’s Day
• 8th March – Women’s Day
• 12th June – Russia Day
• 5th October – Teacher’s Day
• Christmas is celebrated on 7th
January, with a week-long holiday
20
21. |
Key takeaway
21
Different seasonality
Take this seasonality into account
when planning campaigns
Understand what these celebrations
are about and how you can harness
them to drive sales
26. |
Understand how the
language works
• Cyrillic alphabet is unique
• Invest in high-quality translation
• Invest in keyword research and
content creation
26
27. |
CTAs
27
Direct CTAs like ‘Buy Today’, ‘Don’t
Miss Out’ etc… can have a negative
impact
Focusing more on the benefits and
features can be more successful or
less hard to sell, such as ‘Contact us’
or ‘Learn more’.
31. |
Key takeaway
31
Transliteration will happen
Take transliteration into account
when setting campaigns or landing
pages
Or you could miss a lot of traffic!
35. |
Why is it so big?
• Lower prices
• More choice
• Access to products not sold in
Russia
• Status / reputation
35
36. |
Key takeaway
36
Cross border shopping is big
There is a big opportunity for
international brands to grow
Make sure you offer what Russian
consumers are looking for
Provide clear information, especially
on delivery and customer services
on your website
38. |
Price and deals are key
• Price is the most important factor
for Russians buying online – 38%
• Russian consumers will use search
to find deals before making a
purchase
• Russian retailers often offer
discounts, deals and loyalty
schemes to attract customers
away from foreign stores
38
39. |
Key takeaway
39
Price and deals are key
Another way to tap into the
opportunity
Research which deals would appeal
to your audience and use them to
attract new customers
Include offers / promotions in your
marketing
40. |
10 need-to-know facts
about Russia
40
1. Size
2. It varies
3. Time spent online
4. Dominated by local platforms
5. Different seasonality
6. Russians speak Russian
7. Quality matters
8. Transliteration will happen
9. Cross border shopping is big
10. Price and deals are key
42. |
Here is your plan of
action!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
Set up retargeting campaigns
42|
57. |
It will help you:
Check the performance of
your landing pages
Help you understand your
audience
Make decisions on which
content brings results
Make decisions on which
design brings results
Configure your site goals
accordingly
57
58. |
Here is your plan of
action!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
58|
59. | 59
Your choice of advertising efforts will depend on which stage
you are targeting:
Brand / product awareness
Interest
Purchase
Loyalty
60. |
Build trust!
The more Russians see
branded visual ads, the
more it builds trust
which is key for new
brand entering the
market.
60
61. | 61
Are people searching
for your product /
service?
No
Advertising
network campaigns
Yes
Search campaigns
• Yandex responsive ads
• Google responsive ads
• Banner / video ads
• Yandex text ads
• Yandex search banner
• Google text ads
62. | 62
Types of targeting
Advertising network
campaigns
Search campaigns
• geolocation
• advanced geolocation
• behavior
• age, gender, income
• interest
• keywords plus…
• geolocation
• time targeting
• device
• age / gender
• marital status, children,
• profession
• CRM data
• 3rd party DMT data
• look-alike
63. | 63
How to split the search budget in Russia?
60%
40%
Yandex
Google
64. | 64
How to split the advertising network budget in Russia?
90%
10%
Yandex
Google
65. |
Here is your plan of
action!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
65|
66. | 66
Use your keyword research findings to optimise your website for
organic ranking
Element Importance
Header Tag Very important
Title Tag Very important
Meta Keyword Tag Important
Keywords in URLs Very important
Internal Linking Structure Somewhat important
68. |
Here is your plan of
action!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
Create local content
68|
69. |
Creating local content
69
Help people understand what is
your purpose and your story
Show the ‘human’ part of your
brand
Helps you targeting specific
personas
Improve your organic rankings (if
using your keywords)
Provides content for social media
70. |
Here is your plan of
action!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
70|
71. |
Social Media in Russia
71
Youtube can be targeted via Google
ads
Vkontakte (VK) has many similar
advertising options to Facebook
Odnoklassniki (OK) is more popular
amongst older users
72. |
Vkontakte advertising
• Similar options to Facebook
• Left hand side text & image ads
• Community post (sponsored post)
• Community page
72
73. |
Here is your plan of
action!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
Set up retargeting campaigns
73|
74. |
Retargeting campaigns
74
Target those that previously visited
your website
Or completed a specific action on
your site
Available on Yandex, Google and
Vkontakte (VK)
75. |
Good luck!
Conduct keyword research
Translate & localise your website
Set up web tracking
Start your advertising efforts (PPC)
Start your organic efforts (SEO &
social media)
Create local content
Start social media advertising
Set up retargeting campaigns
75|