Localizing Content for a Global Audience: What every content marketer should know

LOCALIZING CONTENT FOR
A GLOBAL AUDIENCE
What Every Content Marketer Should Know
Sarah Mitchell
Lush Digital Media
@globalcopywrite
@globalcopywrite • #CMWorld

HELLO
Sarah Mitchell
@globalcopywrite

MAMAO Y TOTO

SHOW OF HANDS
 Global Brand
 Working at company headquarters
 Working in a regional office
 Doing business globally from single location

Less than 6%
of the world’s
population speaks
English well enough
to conduct business.
Consider this

AND YET…

“Many of us treat the world-wide web
like the Ohio web or the American
English web. Marketers are
overwhelmed and unprepared.”
SCOTT ABEL,
The Content Wrangler

Over 60%
of global marketers
attending CMWorld USA
(2103) admitted they have
no strategy in place for
global content marketing.
Cloudwords Survey

That’s important because . . .

“We’re inching closer to a linguistically
local internet, in which people no longer
have to leave their native languages to get
where they want to go.”
JOHN YUNKER,
Global by Design blog

SO HOW DO YOU
REACH THE
OTHER 94%?

By making localization
part of your global strategy

TRANSLATION IS NOT ENOUGH

“I’ve come across too many texts translated
into a different language via Google
Translate. Agencies selling ‘native speakers’
should sound warning bells.”
NENAD SENIC,
PM, poslovni mediji

“How to strike that balance between global
and local is really an art and a science.”
PAM DIDNER,
Author, Global Content Marketing

LOCALIZING CONTENT
It’s Complicated

ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL
The
Grand
Picture
or
The
Big
Picture

ADDRESSING
Communication
Effectiveness

“I might commence to spend provided
that viable chopping it up that has a
fellow geek, every one of the even
though not selling anything.”

“October is the time of year when
most companies lock in plans and
budgets for next year.”
#GLOBALFAIL
marketing company

Localization Equation
(Translation + Localization) x
Number of localities

Know Your Audience
Tip

LOCAL CONSIDERATIONS
Colors
Holidays
Sports
Religion
Fiscal Years
Superstitions

@TwitterHandle • #CMWorld
PAPER  Size of documents
 Hole Punches

 z vs. s
 er vs. re
 ‘or’ words
 medical terms
SPELLING

Quid • Buck • Dosh • Loonie
SLANG

Ute • Bakkie • Pickup
SLANG GONE MAINSTREAM

Same Word, Different Meanings
 Gong
 Football
 Rug
 Powerpoint

COLLOQUIALISMS
Robot vs. Traffic light
Speed bump vs.
Sleeping policeman

Units of Measure
Engineering • Cooking • Pharmaceuticals

Nickel • Dime • Quarter
CURRENCY EXPRESSIONS

Sports Terminology
 Knocked for six
 That’s not cricket
 Hit a home run
 It’s in my wheelhouse

ACCENTS
Do you need
subtitles or
voiceovers for
your video
content?

RELIGION

CUSTOMS

 Sister
 Rooms
 Theatre
 ED
Medical Terms

13
SUPERSTITION
4 8

 Don’t try to globalize ALL your content.
Select key pieces.
 Focus on top 20% of your content
INTEL METHOD

Collaborate, don’t legislate

Make sure everyone has
skin in the game
 Budgets
 Accountability towards performance

“Think global,
publish local.”
SARAH MITCHELL,
Lush Digital Media

Questions?
Sarah Mitchell
@globalcopywrite

Localizing Content for a Global Audience: What every content marketer should know

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