Content marketing is everywhere nowadays. If you want to be found online for terms that are pertinent to the products and services you offer, it’s likely that content marketing will form the lion’s share of your online marketing campaign.

According to the Content Marketing Institute…

“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience – and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”

It probably hasn’t gone unnoticed that this very piece of content you’re reading now is an example of content marketing in action.

The statistics show that content marketing is here to stay, at least for the short to mid-term any way. Research from the Content Marketing Institute shows that an amazing 93 percent of B2B organisations rely on content marketing for brand building and demand generation, while 78 percent of senior marketers believe custom-built content such as articles, blogs and whitepapers are the future of marketing.

The role of translation in content marketing

As a team of translators who are not only responsible for producing quality translations for our clients, but also for marketing ourselves, we’ve learnt a few things about how repackaging content through translation can be an effective method of increasing our return on investment.

When we’ve taken the time to produce an original article or piece of research that drives traffic to our website, we translate the same piece of work (as long as it’s culturally relevant) into another language to effectively double our content’s reach. Simple it may be, but it’s surprisingly effective.

The benefits of translating your content

This approach to content marketing is particularly suitable for businesses expanding overseas, but even if you don’t harbour international expansion plans, this strategy can still work for you.

So what are the potential benefits for your business?

1. SEO

Concentrating your content marketing efforts on the domestic market can help you climb the local search results, but it won’t have any sway further afield. If you want your website to perform well in international search, it’s important to build your international exposure by gaining links and increasing your traffic. Translating your content will help you do just that.

2. Link building

No matter how many digital marketers proclaim that link building is dead, we all know how important good quality links can be. If the quality of your content or translation is poor, then you can kiss the links goodbye, but if you go the extra mile to produce top quality work, you could give your website a powerful boost on the search engine result pages.

3. New audiences

One of the most exciting benefits of translating your content is the ability to communicate with new audiences and increase your business’ exposure. With prospective customers and interested readers consuming your content, it’s easy to make great strides in new markets.

4. Keywords

When the search engines pay a visit to your website they’ll expect to see plenty of references to men’s shoes (if you’re an online shoe shop), or mobile phones (if you’re phone reseller), but none of these terms in different languages. If the search engines start to see some occurrences of the French or German alternatives to these terms in your content, they’ll start to associate your website with these keywords too. Before you know it, your content will be showing in the search results for foreign language searches.

5. New digital relationships

If you produce high quality, relevant and original content on a regular basis, good things will come. Perhaps the biggest potential benefit for your business is the opportunity to build new digital relationships with fellow bloggers, social media curators or journalists who want to be associated with your content. Meaningful digital relationships are the foundation of modern SEO, and every new relationship you form gives you the potential to reach a new market.

Get in touch

Have you tried translating your business content? Was it successful? We’d love to hear from you, so please share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.

Alternatively, if you want some help transforming your quality English language content into attention grabbing translations, just get in touch and we’ll be happy to help.

Sending the right signals with the correct body language, gestures and etiquette is an important part of conducting business abroad. The ability to be deferential and adapt your way of working to meet the expectations of clients and suppliers is essential. Thankfully, most hosts will be sympathetic of your mistakes, providing you make the effort. It is this willingness to learn and to go the extra mile that will speak volumes about you and your business.

Country specific etiquette

In many cases, your overseas clients, partners and suppliers will be just as unprepared for the way you like to do business; but, when you’re the one setting foot in their country, the onus is on you to do your homework. Proper preparation to send and receive culturally appropriate signals can make the difference between the success and failure of a new venture, so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time.

If you’re looking to build bridges in the Asian market, the traditionally firm Western handshake that we see as a sign of respect can be highly offensive. Instead, a faster, lighter handshake will work more effectively.

In Japan, the business card is something to be revered. If you are given a business card you should treat it with respect. This includes not scribbling notes on it or stuffing it instantly into your pocket. If you are travelling to Japan to do business, it is well worth spending a few quid to translate your business card into Japanese. This is exactly the type of extra effort that’ll stand you in good stead.

In Korea, it takes time to build trust. Asking straight questions that require yes or no answers is frowned upon. Instead, appreciate that the negotiation process in Korea has a completely different rhythm. While you might want to get a deal sewn up in a day, it may take several visits to win their trust.

If you’re working in the Middle East, specifically in Arab countries, you should be mindful of the signals you are sending with your shoes. Showing the soles of your shoes to an Arabian partner or client is extremely offensive, so when you’re seated, make sure your feet are planted firmly on the ground.

That all important personal touch

One of the biggest hurdles we face in the UK is treating business as a purely professional event. In some cultures the personal touch is essential. In much of the western world, we are quite content to stick to the cold hard facts without it affecting our professional relationships.

However, in some countries, the lack of time to ask about personal matters, such as the health of an individual’s family, could cause great offensive. By neglecting to ask these questions you can badly damage your prospects overseas.

Where can you find help?

With thorough research and preparation it is possible to form excellent working relationships with clients, partners and suppliers overseas, you just need to be sensitive to the cultural differences.

The British Chambers of Commerce has a network of experts around the world with an intricate understanding of the culture at play in particular countries to help you to get grips with that market. There’s also plenty of government advice on exporting and importing to and from the UK, including regulations, intellectual property issues and establishing a presence in foreign markets.

And remember, if you need a helping hand to put your best foot forward overseas, Linguistica International should be your first port of call for translating and telephone interpreting services. Just give us a call on +44 2392 987 765 or email: info@linguistica-international.com.

Alternatively, if you’ve had any calamitous experiences conducting business abroad, we’d love to hear from you on Facebook or Twitter.