3. e-Vorsprung
Consulting
Helping Irish SMEs to reach,
enter, and grow in export
markets ā¦
... by leveraging the web for
international sales and
marketing
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTINGwww.evorsprung.com
Typical activities:
āŖ International (e)-marketing strategy
āŖ Export market research and analysis
āŖ Competitor research ā online and offline
āŖ Refinement of value proposition for export market
āŖ Website design guidance for export markets
āŖ Website internationalisation and localisation
āŖ Content development for markets (German market)
focus): Translation, trans-creation, content editing
āŖ International SEO
āŖ e-marketing for international markets
āŖ Skills transfer and mentoring
4. Susanne Dirks MSc BSc
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Academic background:
āŖ Qualified Translator
āŖ MSc, BSc (Hons, 1st) ā Information
Technology, Artificial Intelligence
āŖ Diplomas/Certificates: e-Marketing, Web
Technologies, International SEO, Business
Development and Innovation
Experience:
āŖ 15+ years as international management
consultant working with large companies
across Europe
āŖ Since 2013, working with Irish SMS,
helping them use the internet to reach and
grow in export markets
5. Best practice for SMEs ā A balancing act
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
ļ BUT (Irish) SMEs are different:
āŖConstraints: Budget, People, Skills
āŖOperating model varies between
countries
āŖHome market vs. export markets
Source: ByteLevel Research
6. Best practices for website globalisation
1. Align with business objectives: Start with global strategy
2. Strive for efficiencies: Internationalise before you localise
3. Get ready internally: Examine the impact on the internal business environment
4. Prepare for your new external micro environment ā new competitors, different RTMs
5. Get local by-in: Localise for your new external macro environment
6. Shine and rise: Do SEO and e-marketing for your new export market website
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
7. The bad news
āŖ If you donāt localise your website, you seriously limit your growth
opportunities
āŖ Translation is only one of several parts of website localisation
āŖ Itās a big and often complex project ā requiring commitment from
senior leadership, resources, and stamina
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
8. The good news
āŖ It can be done step by step, with quick wins along the way
āŖ There are opportunities for cost savings and synergies
āŖ It gives you a real chance of success in export markets
āŖ It typically brings additional benefits for your home market
(website)
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
9. 1. Start with the Global Strategy
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
WHERE WHEN WHY HOW WHO WHAT
Big picture &
priorities
Rationale
Readiness
Research
RoI
Raw material for digital strategy
and roadmap
Scope of globalisation, level of internationalisation
10. Internationalisation:
Donāt confuse Google with your domain strategy
CLIENT EXAMPLES
āŖ Client example 1:
āŖ Target markets: 4
āŖ Domain names: 2
āŖ Generic top-level domains: 2
āŖ Country code top-level domains: 5
āŖ Country subfolder: 1
āŖ Client example 2:
āŖ Target markets: 3
āŖ Domain names: 2
āŖ Generic top-level domains: 1
āŖ Country-code top-level domains: 2
āŖ Country sub-folders: 2
DOMAIN STRATEGY
Domain name
āŖ Meaningful
āŖ Works internationally
āŖ Available internationally
āŖApproach:
āŖ Consistency is key: Country-code OR subfolders
āŖ Decision criteria:
āŖ International strategy ā countries
āŖ Domain name availability
āŖ Resources for SEO
āŖ Domain history of company
āŖ Target market ā countries, audience
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
11. 2. Internationalise before you localise
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Globalisation
Inter-
nationalisation
Localisation
Internationalisation is a design process that ensures a product/website can
be adapted to various languages and regions without requiring engineering
changes to the source code.
Localization is the process of adapting a product / website / content to a
specific locale or market. Translation is only one of several elements of the
localization process.Source: Gala
12. Planning with a global website in mind:
A little work goes a long way
KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR
INTERNATIONALISATION:
āŖ Global design template
āŖ Software technology choice
āŖ Domain strategy
āŖ Simple language
āŖ Pictures & text
āŖ Date/time/address format
BENEFITS
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
13. Example Facebook: Consistent and modular design
accommodating different language requirements
FACEBOOK, ITALY FACEBOOK, ISRAEL
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
14. Example, internationalised design:
Planning for different word/text length
Allow for extra word length
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Source: IBM
DonaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitƤtenhaupt-
betriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft
16. 3-5.Prepare for a new business environment
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Macro
environment
Micro
environment
Internal
Company
17. 3. Get ready internally:
Examine the impact on the internal business environment
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Macro
environment
Micro
environment
Internal
Company
ā¢ Value proposition / USP
ā¢ Brand and credentials
ā¢ Sales and marketing
ā¢ Routes to market
ā¢ Resources and skills
18. Look inside:
Examine the ānew youā
Key questions:
āŖ How strong is your brand ?
āŖ How strong is your network ?
āŖ How good is your list of references ?
āŖ What RTM are you using ?
āŖ Who are you marketing to ?
āŖ How are you marketing ?
āŖ What is your call-to-action ?
āŖ Who are you up against ?
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Ireland
Strong
Strong
Strong
Direct
Customer
Team: Offline, online
Buy
Few competitors
Export Market 1
Weak
Weak
Weak
Distributors
Customers & Distributors
?
Sell my product
Lots of competitors
19. ā¦ and what impact does that have on your web
presence in your selected export market?
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
?
20. 4. Prepare for your new external micro
environment ā new competitors, different RTMs
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Macro
environment
Micro
environment
Internal
Company
ā¢ Suppliers
ā¢ Distributors
ā¢ Competitors
ā¢ Customers
ā¢ Partners
ā¢ Industry
21. Find your new (online) competitors
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Google.de Google.co.uk
Example, search for:
āsteam trapā
22. Check how your competitors market online
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Google.de Google.co.uk
23. Learn from your new competitors
TYPICAL AREAS TO EXAMINE
Weaknesses and strengths of competitor
Specific business aspects, e.g.
ā¦ Terms and conditions
ā¦ Pricing
ā¦ Value proposition / USP
Specific web presence aspects, e.g.
ā¦ Keywords
ā¦ Content strategy
ā¦ E-marketing tactics
ā¦ Social media strategy
ā¦ Customer support
ā¦ Best practice
EXAMPLE: BENCHMARKING AGAINST NEW COMPETITORS
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
C
O
M
P
E
T
I
T
O
R
S
Content, SEO, e-marketing
25. Industry ā and digital presence
ā¢ How does your industry operate in the chosen market ?
ā¢ Who are the influencers ?
ā¢ What are the key events ?
ā¢ What are the key publications ? ā offline, online
ā¢ Who are the key agencies and other organisations, and their role, their
websites ?
ā¢ What are the key websites for information exchange ?
ā¢ What are the ādigital meeting placesā for your industry in your export market ?
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
26. 5. Get local by-in:
Localise for your new external macro environment
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Macro
environment
Micro
environment
Internal
Company
ā¢ Economy
ā¢ Demographics
ā¢ Cultural forces
ā¢ Social factors
ā¢ Legal structure
ā¢ Political structures
ā¢ Technology
āŖ Language
āŖ Culture
āŖ Technology
27. Provide locally relevant content
ā¢Articulates your value proposition in ā¦
ā¢Differentiates you from competitors in ā¦
ā¢Meets the content needs of ā¦
ā¢Uses standards and conventions in ā¦
ā¢Uses content formats preferred by ā¦
ā¢Uses design, colours, graphics used inā¦
ā¢Builds trust with local users inā¦
ā¢Speaks the ālanguageā of ā¦
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Your
Target
Market
28. Speak the ārightā language
Search
Read
Listen
Evaluate
Order
Ask
questions
Write
reviews
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
29. Question asked:
āDo you use a language other than
your own to read/watch content
on the Internet ?ā
Considerable country variances !
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
English language proficiency is lower than
you think: No translation, little reach
Top 25 global websites
(2015) support an
average of 30
languages!
30. English-speaking markets:
The ārightā English for readers and search engines
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Website text and SEO text needs to reflect the ālanguageā
used by your target market
ā¦ Spelling
ā¦ Words
ā¦ Usage patterns
Search:
UK: 77%, US: 14%
Search: UK: 23%, US: 86%
31. Considerations for localising text content
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Decide
at start
Scope
Translation or
Transcreation
Messages
Style
Ensure
always
Quality & consistency
Keyword focus
Fresh content
Standards & conventions
Avoid
here
Think
carefully
Keywords
Taglines
Ads
CTAs
Non-text content
Google Translate & Co
Translator wannabes
Mixed-language approaches
Creating
valid, fresh,
persuasive,
relevant
quality
content
for local
users and
search
engines
32. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Marketing in a new environment
Choose wisely: Options for linguistic localisation
Hope & Pray
āGoogleā
Translation
Professional
Translation
SEO-
Translation
Transcreation
or new copy
I
M
P
A
C
T
The level of linguistic localisation
has a direct influence on the
business impact of the website:
33. Tune into local culture
CULTURE INFLUENCES HOW ALL
OF ITS MEMBERS:
Perceive
Think
Value
Act
E-marketing aims at getting
peoplesā:
A ttention
I nterest
D esire
A ction
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
āThe web is not a culturally
neutral medium ā¦ a website has to be designed
for a targetted customer segment ā¦ Local
adaptation should be based on a complete
understanding of
a customer groupās culture ā¦ā
34. Hofstedeās 6 cultural dimensions:
Power distance
Individualism
Masculinity/femininity
Uncertainty avoidance
Long-term orientation
Indulgence
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Can and must be addressed via:
Web design, content, language,
features/functionality
Cultural dimensions as a guide
Ireland in comparisonā¦
35. KEY PRINCIPLES
Minimal ambiguity
Clear navigation
Structured information
Predictable user journey
No pop-ups
No non-essential info
Explicit language
Clear images
EXAMPLE:
Example Russia:
Website design addressing uncertainty avoidance
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
42. Trust building content
Contact data
ā¦ Address, phone number, email, fax etc.
Provide information about company
ā¦ About us
ā¦ History
ā¦ People
ā¦ Achievements
Provide locally expected or legally mandated
information
ā¦ E.g. Germany: Impressum
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Brand and trust considerations are very
important to engagement as well as
acquisition
57. Be tech-savvy
ā¢ Different hardware / IT infrastructure
ā¢ Different software platforms
ā¢ Different usage patterns
ā¢ Different rules
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
59. E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Google is not Number ONE everywhere
Differences
in software
platform
preferences
SEO / SEM implications
especially for:
- China
- Hong Kong
- Russia
- South Korea
- United States
60. Example: Germany Example: China
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Different countries,
different social networks
Example: Russia
61. 6. Shine and rise: Do SEO and e-marketing for
your new export market website
ā¢ Give local signals for search engines
ā¢ Optimise your website for local search engine/s
ā¢ Select best keywords for search engine marketing: SEO and PPC
ā¢ Be seen in the āright placesā online
ā¢ Decide, where and how to āsocialiseā
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
62. Local signals for search engines
ā¢ Domain URL and domain strategy
ā¢ Webmaster Tool settings
ā¢ Sitemaps and hreflang tag
ā¢ Server Location
ā¢ Website ā content and metadata language
ā¢ Currency and address formats
ā¢ Inbound links
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
63. 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000
health shoes (IRL)
gesunde schuhe
bequeme schuhe
extra breite schuhe
weite schuhe
Monthly search volume
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
0! Search volume for the Google Translate term
Search terms are thinking patterns
that often DO NOT translate one-to-one
Example: Selling āwide fitting shoesā in Germany
65. Competitive differentiation of keyword
varies between markets
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
Keyword Irish search result
(google.ie)
German search result
(google.de)
butter
Page 1 (Place 5) Page 5 *
* Organic search results only, Google ads shows earlier
** First product in the listing
Example: Kerrygold in the search engine results
66. Plan for the long haul
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
74.7 % say availability of after-sales support
in own language influences their buying
decision
ļµ Web presence in export markets requires time, budget, resources
ļµ Initially ā localisation, on-page SEO, e-marketing for launch
ļµ On an ongoing basis ā off-page SEO and other e-marketing tactics
ļµA website is for life, not just for Christmas
ļµ Fresh content
ļµ Internet is a 2-way channel
ļµ Enabling and answering incoming queries
67. Work never stops at the best global websitesā¦
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING
āŖ Number of language supported* increased
from an average of 14 in 2006 to an average of
30.3 in 2016
āŖ Wikipedia now supports 295 languages
āŖ Facebook added 12 new languages on 2016
Source: ByteLevel Research, based on companies surveyed
68. Next step, the āproper wayā: Internationalisation project
Phase1
ā¢ Strategy review
& development
of international
web presence
strategy
Phase2
ā¢ International
web presence,
optimisation &
localisation
planning
Phase3
ā¢ International
web presence
implementation
Phase4
ā¢ Internet
marketing
strategy and
approach for
export markets
Phase5
ā¢ e-marketing
implementation,
incl. ongoing
refinement and
skills transfer
Launch of SEO-optimised
export website/s based on
strategy developed
International e-marketing
Strategic web presence internationalisation
69. Alternative next steps: Testing the waters
ā¢ International strategy and market research/prioritisation
ā¢ (Foreign market) Website audit
ā¢ Mini website for foreign markets
ā¢ Adwords campaign/s for foreign market/s
ā¢ Localised approach using external platforms
ā¢ Local presence on Social Media
ā¢ Joint distributor e-marketing initiatives
E-VORSPRUNG CONSULTING