Whether you’re a business owner looking to expand from Scotland to England or you have conquered the UK and have your sights set on global domination, it’s important to remember to tailor and localise your marketing campaigns whenever you step foot in a new market.
Indeed, an advertising campaign that works well in one market won’t necessarily perform the same when it’s copy and pasted into another, and so below, we’ve rounded up some top tips on localising your marketing strategies to maximise engagement and return on investment.
One of the first things that you should do when preparing an advertising campaign for a new market is to get to grips with your new audience.
Even if you’re expanding from one city to the next, the truth is that every market has its nuances, and so getting to know your target audience and listening to their thoughts on your current strategy will help create campaigns that are more engaging and thought-provoking and deliver the results you need.
Consider setting up focus groups and meet with potential customers face to face to ask them questions about your brand.
Digital research could also be used, creating polls and surveys to get feedback and ideas.
Minor things, like regional slang and catchphrases, can be easily overlooked if you don’t get into the nitty-gritty of your market, so it pays to put in the effort.
Once you have an understanding of your audience, the next step is to tailor your products and services to their needs.
It may simply be that you have to change your packaging, invest in new content for your localised website that better explains your services, or you may need to overhaul your existing offering, translating and localising products before marketing them.
Invest in market research and understand what consumers are looking for.
Don’t go into an expansion and marketing campaign blindly – you are far better off spending money on getting it right the first time than trying to promote a product that consumers don’t want.
Local SEO is, without a doubt, one of the most effective ways to localise digital marketing campaigns and maximise your return on investment.
Say you run a shoe shop in Dundee, for example, but you’re planning to open a second shop in Glasgow. The chances are that your promotional content and website is Dundee-heavy.
By creating a localised landing page that can incorporate keywords like ‘shoe shop Glasgow’ and ‘quality Glasgow shoes’, you’ll be able to rank on search engines like Google for keywords and drive traffic to your website.
Of course, SEO takes time, so you should start a link building and content writing campaign as soon as you can.
Don’t forget that quality, consistent content trumps all; in-depth landing pages, long-form blog posts that explain the benefits of your service, and localised guides and tutorials will all help to boost your rankings.
Remember to add your new office or shop to Google My Business so that your phone number, address and website show up in the side panel of search results, and consider a pay-per-click strategy for short-term lead generation.
Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are another great avenue for brand building and localising your marketing campaigns.
Whether you’re planning to open a physical store in a new city or country, or you’re expanding an e-commerce venture into a new territory, shout about the news on your social media pages to get people interested.
Paid social advertising can offer ‘quick wins’ and put your brand message in front of a new audience.
Facebook Ads are considered the most cost-effective, allowing you to segment audiences and pay for page likes, website clicks, or phone calls from users in a particular town, city or country.
Experiment with options to see which works best, and remember that original quality content on your social feeds will help you stand out from the competition.
Finally, incorporate public relations into a local marketing campaign.
Press releases, blogs and social posts can all elevate your brand and, when done strategically, will put all eyes on your business at a time when you need it most.
Writing a press release is straightforward and you can easily distribute it to local journalists, newspapers, bloggers and influencers in your niche and local area.
Remember to find an angle for your story (‘Young entrepreneur expands into new city’), chase if you don’t hear back from them right away, offer to answer their questions as part of an interview, and ask for a link back to your website to boost SEO.
Localising your marketing campaigns can help you to reach targeted, engaged audiences and expand your business in new markets.
Do not underestimate the hard work involved in researching, planning and executing a successful campaign, but remember that once you have nailed one town, city or country, you should be able to roll out a consistent strategy with minor tweaks and changes to appease local audiences.
If you’re looking for assistance with your localised marketing campaigns, do not hesitate to contact the SEO, ASO, PPC and CRO experts at Zudu on 01382 690 080 and remember that we offer specialised digital marketing support for businesses looking to tap into China.
