The overall goal of marketing (aside from driving sales and conversions) is to tell a story and connect with your target audience. When this is attempted on a large scale, marketers often struggle to achieve similar levels of success in different demographics or regions. This is usually because they neglect localization and/or personalization. Localization and personalization in marketing are two of the most important elements in market strategy, especially for global or large-scale enterprises and campaigns.
As technology continues to advance at exponential rates, so too does the need for high-level global marketing strategies in business. Let’s also not forget that social media and the rise of the “remote” landscape over the last few years have drastically increased our ability to reach people in all corners of the earth. With such potential to connect with the world and run global businesses, it has never been more necessary to understand and utilize localization and personalization in marketing.
But what do these terms mean? Why are they important and how do we as marketers employ them in our campaigns? This guide will answer these questions and break down the following:
- What is localization?
- What is personalization?
- Why are localization and personalization important in marketing?
What Is Localization?
Simply put, localization is the process of modifying your campaign to better cater to an audience in a specific location or region. Your fundamental marketing goals and strategies will remain the same; however, your messaging, verbiage, values, and appearance or aesthetics will reflect those ideals and preferences of a local market and audience.
If the goal of marketing is to connect with your audience, how can you expect to accomplish this with a “one size fits all” campaign? Obviously, the importance of localization on a global level is apparent. But even on a domestic level, it's still hugely important. Someone living in rural Alabama is going to communicate differently and have different values and experiences to appeal to than someone living in Hollywood, California. Take time to research the various markets you plan to enter before you do it and you’ll save a lot of time and money in the long run. Large companies like Apple and Nike understand this and that’s why they continue to find longevity in success. Small businesses need to understand and execute this just the same if they hope to expand and accomplish higher goals. Whether your motto is “think globally, act locally” or “think locally, act globally”- just don’t forget the localization and you’ll find success.
What Is Personalization?
Similar to localization, in that its goal is specifying and refining marketing strategy towards a smaller and more unique audience, personalization takes it a step further and focuses on the individuals or a small group, rather than a broad demographic or customer persona. Using specific, granular data about current and potential customers, you can tailor your messaging and value proposition to a specific niche within your target market. Instead of wasting money and resources running advertising campaigns or curating content to improve organic rankings, a business can use their knowledge and hyper-specific data to create and implement unique ads and content to establish a better optimized marketing strategy. Through the use of this data and continued personalization, marketers can perfect their messaging to guide consumers through their buyer’s journey and into a conversion. Personalization does not mean you simply insert the customer’s name in a generic mass email. It means creating a unique message to deliver to the right person, at the right time. In addition to showing your value as an organization, personalization shows that you appreciate their value.
Why Are Localization and Personalization Important in Marketing?
The needs for localization and personalization are clear: connect deeper with your audience and tell a better story. This is so crucial to success in business and in marketing because it makes your content and your organization as a whole more relevant, valuable, and even useful to the consumer. Being able to capture, maintain, and guide a consumer’s attention is most of what content marketing is all about. Localization and personalization are the keys to achieving just that. What’s more, demand for this type of marketing is increasing rapidly. The modern consumer is inundated with information and ads from dozens, if not hundreds, of companies every day on social media, podcasts, billboards, and any other channel you can imagine. If you run generic campaigns, you’ll reap what you sow, meaning that consumers will treat you as just another ad to scroll past. Customer experience is everything. Treat it as such by improving localization and personalization; then you’ll find success.
Nxt Era Marketing: A Global & Local Marketing Agency
The importance and benefits of localization and personalization in marketing, whether digital or traditional, are clear: unique marketing achieves consistent success. Partnering with a top-level marketing agency like Nxt Era Marketing is the best way to do this. Our team has worked in countries and markets all across the world and has the expertise to accomplish all of your marketing goals. With experience working with global enterprises and the attention and care for local markets, we will elevate your brand and guide you to success. Contact us today to schedule your free marketing consultation.
