The world has become one close village as we step into the digital world. Country boundaries no longer stop either trade or culture. For instance, Amazon is a company used by almost everywhere in the world today. You have a Mcdonald’s in almost every country too. However, can the marketing strategies of these companies work the same everywhere? So lines separating nations have faded now and the cultures remain intact. For instance, imagine an American receiving an email in Italian? How pointless would that email sound? That’s where email localization comes in.

Companies work to please their audience in return for profit. However, this audience is not just anyone. It is your target audience. So, it is important for any company to be able to communicate well with its audience. This becomes even more important when you are marketing. 

Firstly, marketing today is an important business aspect. With so much competition around, companies are working hard to stand out. Secondly, email marketing has a huge reach. So, companies still continue to use this old-school medium.  

In the case of international companies, it is a must-have. Your primary goal as a business must be to engage and connect with your customers. This is possible if you speak their language. However, language is not the only form of it. 

Every culture and country has their own perspectives. Some countries have massive vegetarian populations while some don’t. Mcdonald’s still ensures curating a different menu for each country. So, your one email cannot cater to everyone. It must be in a way which suits the audience.

What Is EmailAn email (or electronic mail) is a method of exchanging communications through the internet. It is one of the most used features on the web and the number one mean... Localization? 

So, what exactly does it imply? This is a way of making your emails seem more relevant to your customers. It is a process by which your marketing campaign holds your customer as No.1. You adapt your content for your customers living in different places. So, it is like personalisation. However, you are not personalising your products but your email strategy.  Especially in terms of language and culture.

This process is a great way for companies to find new customers and gain revenue. People often think that it is only limited to changes in language. Well, it is true that customers tend to buy even more when offered in their own languages. However, there is also a slight probability that your message might still be off. For instance, imagine an Indian company gone global. This company begins marketing its products but keeps the Indian audience in mind. It uses common Indian nuances in its email to sound more relatable. This will work well in the home country but the same email abroad will get poor responses.

So, it is changing your emails based on both language and culture. You must keep in mind the regional and cultural preferences of a particular place. You must do so while creating email marketing campaigns.

The Importance and Benefits of Email Localization

There are a lot of benefits to taking the time to localise emails.

• It isn’t an English-speaking world: More than 70% of the world is not English-speaking. It is a common assumption we make about everyone knowing English. Also, people are likely to purchase more when you promote products to them in their language. As per a study, an average of $25 is the return for every dollar one invests in it. So, there is a better return on investment.
• Nuances: Alongside language, it is also important to interest your international audience. People like customised content. So, images, colours and seasonal sales vary from country to country. Your company can gain so much advantage over others by putting in these small efforts.
• Daily communication: The email format followed across nations need not be the same. While Americans prefer a casual tone, Germans appreciate formality. However, all this also depends from individual to individual. Cracking the code to all these small unnoticeable things makes a company stand out.
• Famous holidays: A lot of companies use holidays and festivals as a good time to market their items. Normal days like ‘mothers day’ is also celebrated on various dates in various nations. Imagine sending a mother’s day offer in may in a country which celebrates this day in March. Similarly, some festivals hold more importance in a few countries compared to others. Playing on all this will help your company market way better than the rest.
• Culture: This can make or break your campaign. This is the true essence of knowing your target audience. Even the way you write English differs from country to country! That’s how much culture differs.

How To Localize Emails 

This process is easier today with the tech advancement and availability of data. However, one must always ensure working on the following things for email localization:

• Subject line: First, you need a perfect subject line. An English subject line may take up more space when translated to other languages. So, always ensure crafting short subject lines.
• Images: Either use localised images or neutral ones. Some countries may find some images offensive while others may not.
• Call to action: Translation is again an issue here. A small phrase may also end up becoming long. If you are using a design in email, you may go for a one-column layout. If not, use words that are commonly used or accepted.
• Time: Understand the timings which are the best to send emails in different countries. As a company, your company’s motive is to get a high open and click-through rate.
• Email signature: Every country has a different way of signing off or ending their emails. Knowing that makes your email even more localised.
• Local email laws: Well, every country is bound by certain laws and regulations. These include permission and anti-spam policies. So, get thorough research done before venturing into any country.
• Content: Finally, the contents of your email are the main component. Your email content must not make the customer feel that you are a foreign company. That’s the beauty of marketing! Your content must be a reflection of your customers’ needs and thoughts. Be it using the right colours or the local slang. Providing a sense of closeness with your audience is important.

Tips and Best Practices 

You can make your email localization process by following these practices:

• Expert in localization: It is good to have someone to guide your campaign in other countries. However, there should also be a good understanding between your team and the expert. Despite localizing, you should be able to stick to your brand ethos.

• Prepare guidelines: It will be great if your company can come up with a curated document. This can include all the ways you want to showcase your brand in other countries. So, it must have information about your target audience and your brand objectives.

• Subject line and format: You must definitely ensure having a proper subject line. You must also have an unsubscribe link along with your email.

• Customer support: Communicating in native languages will bring replies in the same language. It is important to have a good customer support team to take care of that. So, translating your emails is not enough. You may lose out on potential customers because of not having enough workforce.

In Conclusion

Many companies still don’t focus on email localization. Not everything works on a one fit-approach nowadays. All of us are different. There are different cultures within the same country itself. As the world continues to be more global in nature, the need for it will only continue to grow. This is a budget-friendly way to build brand awareness and gain revenue. Being preferred by an audience is what runs any business. You may find five people selling the same thing around your locality. However, you may only want to buy from one particular seller. 

Email localization is like product segmentation. A company has to change according to its customer’s tastes and preferences. So, why not do the same way in emails too? Email marketing is far from dead. It is a booming internet marketing channel which still brings revenue today. Companies still continue to spend their money on this channel for a reason. So, it is important.

Having said that, emails are not the only form of marketing. As a company, your focus must be on creating a better campaign. No customer would like to click on an Italian CTAA CTA is a phrase or word designed to get an immediate response from the reader. As the name suggests, it's usually something that involves a precise action performed by... to go into an English landing page. It is not satisfying. Your marketing must be strong with no loopholes.

Do you think it is important? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments section below.