Businesses have long known that when it comes to the success of a website, the popular line from the film Field of Dreams<\/i>\u2014\u201cIf you build it, they will come\u201d\u2014doesn\u2019t actually work. To achieve sustained domestic success, sites must be supported by cross-channel marketing, public relations, promotions and more.<\/p>\n
But companies rarely embrace this best practice. Based on our experience, businesses can be quite reluctant to invest resources to support their international online endeavors. In some cases, this neglect can lead to global sites underperforming from a sales or marketing perspective \u2026 which may eventually lead to the deactivation of the site.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s often a very costly mistake, and one that could be avoided altogether with thoughtful, ongoing\u2014and generally inexpensive\u2014in-market promotion and consumer engagement.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s explore some smart ways your organization can support its global websites, and accelerate growth in new markets.<\/p>\n
While trying to uncover the best strategies to support your company\u2019s global websites, we recommend taking stock in practices where your marketing teams already excel. For instance: since your internal marketing team is likely already running digital advertisements, sending emails and newsletters, and supporting customers in other ways in your primary market, a treasure trove of promotional content already exists to repurpose for global markets.<\/p>\n
This content should be translated, and localized\u2014using regionally- or culturally-relevant verbiage and imagery if appropriate\u2014to resonate within these markets. Engage the assistance of global marketing specialists or consultants as needed.<\/p>\n
Email Resonates In Global Markets, Too:<\/b> For instance, one of MotionPoint\u2019s fashion e-retailers sends out translated emails twice monthly. This content promotes popular and relevant products in the global markets they serve. This tactic works; website traffic increases by up to 10% on days when these emails are distributed.<\/p>\n
Location, Location, Location:<\/b> But companies can smartly engage global customers in other, less obvious, ways. We\u2019ve used technologies to determine the global location of a website visitor in an effort to offer them the most relevant offers or products for our clients. We operate a Spanish-language website for one of our telecom customers. When Latin American residents visit this site, it prominently displays a relevant \u201cInternational Calling Plan\u201d promotion. This promo doesn\u2019t display for domestic visitors.<\/p>\n
Doing so boosted the visibility of the company\u2019s International Calling website section by 850%. It also generated an increase of 117% in revenue, when compared to visits that didn\u2019t detect the visitor\u2019s location.<\/p>\n
Supercharging Local Outreach:<\/b> Another client, this one a power-tools manufacturer, wanted to increase its customer email database. We helped the company deploy an on-site campaign for its translated global websites. The campaign prompted international visitors to \u201cEnter to Win\u201d a power saw by providing an email address. The results were incredible. Over 700% more customers registered with their email addresses than average, increasing the goal\u2019s conversion rate by over 500%.<\/p>\n
Get Social:<\/b> It\u2019s not enough to be \u201cfluent\u201d in a market\u2019s local language. Your expanding company should also be fluent in how a market\u2019s consumers communicate online. Become savvy in the locally-preferred social networks, and invest resources to connect with them there. This paid off for another one of our telecom clients. The company scored major \u201ccool points\u201d by operating attentive social media channels that actually listened to\u2014and responded to\u2014Spanish-speaking customers in their language of choice.<\/p>\n
Operate a Local Blog:<\/b> Another MotionPoint e-retailer does an excellent job of curating blog posts that are most relevant to their various global markets. In fact, the company goes above and beyond by excluding<\/i> posts on some websites when it\u2019s likely the customers there might not recognize a celebrity, or take umbrage with a particular fashion style or practice.<\/p>\n
The effort required to scale and maintain these local blogs can be high. But this company believes the payoffs are worth the resources. These blog posts reel in about 1% of their total global traffic, which leads to conversions. As an added bonus, these posts recruit potential customers hearing about the retailer for the first time\u2014or continually attract existing customers that become more and more aware of the company\u2019s fashion influence with each visit.<\/p>\n
Customer-engagement tactics do a fine job of boosting brand visibility within a new global market, and driving consumer traffic to localized websites. But once customers are there, how can a site (and the company it supports) ensure those shoppers can trust it, and transact on it without worry? Whether inspiring trust through incentives or fact-based messaging (such as \u201cThe UK\u2019s #1 Electronics Store\u201d), brands should leverage their existing reputation to win new customers. Trust is a key ingredient to a long-term relationship. If the market doesn\u2019t believe in the quality of your company\u2019s products or services, you\u2019ll be facing an uphill battle.<\/p>\n
Instilling trust by experimenting with offers such as free shipping or no-hassle returns<\/b> is a simple way to begin exploring what drives the best response from your target market.<\/p>\n
Another example of winning the hearts of customers is by understanding their expectations<\/b>. For instance, did you know that posting special on-site verbiage called an \u201cimpressum\u201d is an essential trust signal for German customers? Companies based beyond Germany\u2019s borders need not include this content on their German sites, but German users expect it\u2014and often lose trust when they don\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n
An easy way for global e-commerce sites to inspire further consumer trust is to clearly display that they accept local payment methods<\/b>. We\u2019ve found that conversions and revenue skyrockets when local consumers can easily see that they can use their preferred payment method at checkout.<\/p>\n
Finally, a security-minded website migration from http:\/\/<\/i> to https:\/\/<\/i> may not be enough for global shoppers<\/b> to feel like they\u2019re transacting in a secure environment. This is because there are local security companies that are recognized by market. Leveraging these, and promoting them on your localized site, should help remove any fear from local shoppers.<\/p>\n
Publishing a relevant privacy policy on your website (in-language, of course) serves as a helpful resource, too.<\/p>\n