1. How To: Reach Locals by Going Local
This article was originally published on the Acclaro blog.
Category: Marketing, Localization Tips, Culture
Translation is not just about sharing a message across cultures and languages, it's about
relevance. And true relevance is more than words — it's content.
Confused yet? Welcome to the world of content marketing localization. It's the fine art of
producing, not just translating, targeted content for specific local audiences. Take, for instance,
some of the blog content on your corporate site. Some of it might be perfect for translation for
your international websites: details about product launches, global company news, thought
leadership and trends. But what about that post about the walk to benefit the American Red
Cross?Or that local celebrity endorsement of your new service?
Page 1: How To: Reach Locals by Going Local Copyright © Acclaro 2012

2. None of these make sense to translate, and the typical reaction would be, "Great, fewer
translation costs!" But companies that don't fill that content gap might be missing out on two
key factors in a strong content marketing plan: engagement and volume. These are the top two
challenges for B2B marketers this year, according to a group of 1,000 marketers surveyed by
MarketingProfs and partners. (Read full report.)
So how do you fill this content gap? We've talked about how to write for global audiences,
and how to create localized websites with targeted cultural images and marketing content. But
what about the deeper content that doesn't fit into your original scope?
Rather than ignore those whitepapers, brochures, articles, blog posts and even videos, consider
a small scale local content marketing strategy.
Talk to your translation partner about what you can re-purpose and localize, but also ask about
their capacity to help you with an on-the-ground plan to create engaging, original content for
your new consumers in target countries. It could be as simple as working with one of their
translators or your employees in that country to interview a key person in that office, in their
native language, or it could be a larger contest to support a local charity.
You might also leverage something like Acclaro's social media monitoring and participation
service to get involved in local online communities. Whatever it is, as long as you have your
target customer's needs in mind — both linguistically and culturally — that content will be
invaluable to both you and them.
About Acclaro: Acclarois an international translation and localization company that
helps the world’s leading brands succeed across cultures. We specialize inwebsite
translation, marketing campaigns, documents and software localization to give clients
an authentic voice in key language markets.
North America: 1-866-468-5106 Worldwide: +1-914-468-0222
www.acclaro.comsales@acclaro.com
Page 2: How To: Reach Locals by Going Local Copyright © Acclaro 2012