What is Brand Localization? Definition and Benefits  

If you’re looking to resonate with international consumers and make a success of your business in global markets, you’ll need to think seriously about brand localization. The brand localization definition refers to the process of adapting all content relating to your brand for a new market. This means adapting everything from imagery to your marketing campaigns. All of these elements need to be carefully curated and refined for different cultures, each with wildly different consumer behaviors and preferences.  

While translation plays a key role in brand localization, there’s far more involved in the process. It calls for in-depth insights into each market you’re looking to penetrate, including linguistic differences, unique consumer values, and regulatory compliance.  

Localizing your brand effectively brings many benefits. When done right, it can build consumer trust and boost brand loyalty. This in turn increases customer engagement and drives revenues. Wondering how to localize a brand? Read on for everything you need to know about creating a brand localization strategy, the potential benefits involved, and some common challenges you’re likely to encounter.  

Building a brand localization strategy  

Building a brand localization strategy from the ground up can seem daunting. However, if you’re serious about turning a local brand into a truly global one, there’s no avoiding it. Need some pointers? Below, we’ll explore the key steps required when creating a killer brand localization strategy.  

1. Conduct market research  

Before your localization strategy can take shape, you’ll need to first take a closer look at your brand and outline your objectives. During this stage, you’ll also need to hone in on your target market, identifying the specific cultural and linguistic needs of this new audience. It’s also important to take a closer look at customer behavior, market trends, and the activities of key competitors during this part of the planning.  

2. Cultural and linguistic considerations  

Once you’ve chosen new markets to target, you can start thinking about adapting your product and content for them. This calls for careful study of the language used by your target language, along with a close look at cultural considerations. Ideally, you’ll want to bring in expert linguists to ensure your brand assets are translated correctly, avoiding any cultural faux pas and misunderstandings.  

3. Solidify your brand  

Many different elements need to be ironed out before you can start thinking seriously about brand localization. For starters, there’s your brand voice. It’s with this that you communicate to your customers, encapsulating emotion and the thing that makes your brand unique. Simply translating content from one language to another simply won’t do. Instead, every piece of content needs to be localized carefully to ensure your brand’s voice is preserved while accommodating cultural differences.  

You’ll also need to take a closer look at your brand identity. This encompasses all the visual elements that are tied to your brand, from the colors you use to your company logo. Generally speaking, major changes aren’t required. That being said, remember that certain words in your brand name or a tagline may have dramatically different meanings in another language. However, your market research should have preempted any such problems.  

4. Explore multiple marketing channels  

While it makes sense to leverage major marketing channels, there are many local ones you should be exploiting in order to engage customers. Local radio stations and newspapers are just two options available, but you’ll need to localize your content accordingly.  

It’s also worth connecting with local influencers. Partnering with high-profile influencers can be cost-prohibitive, but micro-influencers are a cost-effective alternative. While they might fall short of their big-ticket counterparts as far as followers are concerned, micro-influencers boast impressive engagement rates. In fact, it’s 6%, more than 4% higher than what mega-influencers typically command.  

5. Make time for testing  

To achieve the best possible results from your brand localization strategy, never underestimate the importance of testing. Testing should be ongoing, with continuous rounds of quality checks to ensure your messaging is on point, adheres to market requirements, and is free of errors. Testing can prove both expensive and time-consuming, but it’s a vital part of the process that can’t be ignored.  

Benefits of localizing your brand  

Successful brand localization yields many benefits for companies looking to expand their reach into other countries. From maintaining brand consistency across all channels to boosting conversions. Still not convinced about the importance of brand localization?

Below are just a few of the reasons why you should be thinking about creating a localization strategy.  

Consistent brand messaging 

By localizing your brand, you stand a better chance of delivering consistent messaging across channels. With brand localization every brand element from website copy to social media content remains consistent, no matter how many markets you’re targeting.  

Cultural relevance  

While many cultures appear superficially similar, cultural norms, values, and customs vary wildly. A brand localization strategy should reflect this, creating content that directly appeals to the cultural needs of your target market. If you want a localized product or service to truly resonate with a new market, users need to feel as though your brand has catered directly to them.  

Increased engagement  

By investing in brand localization, you’re communicating with your audience in their native language. This not only increases the odds of getting the attention of potential customers but also creates a brand that resonates, fostering invaluable brand loyalty. If you need more convincing, let’s take a look at some social media statistics. It’s estimated that around 41% of global brands have one or more local country pages, with these local pages receiving 50% higher engagement.    

Higher revenues  

Increased engagement builds better brand awareness. This in turn improves engagement further, ultimately resulting in increased sales figures and higher revenues. With a brand localization strategy, you can secure these favorable results in every territory you plan on entering.  

Choosing the right localization partner  

Is this your first time entering a new market? Even the most established of companies will need a little help with brand localization. By enlisting the insights of a reliable localization service provider, you’ll benefit from a powerful brand localization strategy. Combining unbeatable localization expertise and cutting-edge tools, you’ll be able to strike the right note with every market, maintain brand consistency, and drive revenues and engagement rates in the right direction.  

Challenges of localizing your brand  

Even the biggest global brands can encounter challenges during the localization process. Keen to avoid the usual pitfalls associated with localization? Below are some of the most common obstacles you’re likely to come up against.  

Navigating linguistic and cultural differences  

This is arguably the biggest challenge you’ll come across when localizing your brand. Remember that every culture is unique, each one with a distinct set of values, beliefs, and cultural norms. Your tagline might strike a chord with customers in one part of the world, but it might have a completely different effect in another hemisphere.  

To avoid any significant issues, craft your brand messaging so it can be readily adapted to different languages and cultures.  

Time is of the essence  

If you want to make a success of global expansion, you need to be quick about it. Time is even more precious if you’re competing in a crowded market, so it’s important to have your brand assets localized and ready to go as soon as possible.  

The good news is that there are many tools at your disposal to help streamline the process. A good translation management system (TMS) will allow you to automate many essential tasks, freeing up resources and streamlining daily workflows.  

Not enough money  

If it’s going to be done correctly, localization comes at a cost. You’ll need to allocate sufficient resources to your localization project before you begin, but there are many things you can do to mitigate costs.  

One of the simplest ways to save when localizing is to identify the most lucrative markets possible. As well as enabling faster market penetration, you’re more likely to secure the revenues needed to cover the cost of localization and realize the growth potential you’re aiming for.  

Overcoming localization challenges  

Whether it’s compliance concerns or the language barrier that’s holding you back, going it alone with localization isn’t advisable. If this is your first foray into a foreign territory, it makes sense to bring in the support of an experienced localization services partner (LSP).  

With an established LSP at your side, you’ll be able to utilize the insights of localization experts with years of experience, with all essential skill sets represented. What’s more, you’ll be able to access market-leading management systems and translations, making it far easier to target multiple markets, automate workflows, and hit every project milestone.  

Brand localization examples  

Still can’t see the value in investing in localization? Below, we’ve rounded up inspiring brand localization studies that demonstrate the importance of adapting your brand for new markets.  

For our first example, let’s take a look at Adobe. This renowned software company goes above and beyond to ensure a native experience for its global user base. Software interfaces are heavily adapted to accommodate language differences, ensuring every product is as accessible as possible and customer satisfaction is guaranteed.  

Then there’s fast food giant McDonald’s. A truly global brand, McDonald’s has been heavily investing in localization for several decades. This is a company that understands and caters to the specific needs of individual markets, with region-specific menus packed with local ingredients that cater to specific cultural and religious requirements.  

Coca-Cola is another localization success story. While the company has been guilty of the occasional cultural blunder, its victories far outweigh its missteps. The brand has deployed many powerful campaigns in its time, with its ‘Share a Coke’ campaign being one of its most effective.  

The campaign, which saw different names printed on the labels of Coca-Cola products, resulted in a significant upswing in sales. Coca-Cola made sure that local names were incorporated when deploying the campaign globally, resulting in increased customer engagement and a significant upswing in sales. What’s more, regional marketing campaigns featuring local artists have allowed the brand to forge stronger connections with target consumers.  

Get brand localization right with BLEND 

Brand localization is an exhaustive process, requiring you to adapt all content that relates to your brand for new target markets. Adapting all that marketing collateral, imagery, and more might be time-consuming, but it’s the only way to ensure your messaging is culturally appropriate and resonating with audiences.  

Investing in brand localization brings many benefits. As well as ensuring consistent messaging across the board, you guarantee that your branded content is culturally relevant. By taking the time to craft fresh content tailored to new audiences, you’ll also see increased engagement, resulting in more leads and conversions.  

Worried about the challenges you’ll face when undertaking brand localization? Why not bring in the services of an established localization partner like BLEND? We’ll help you create content that speaks to local audiences in their native tongue, while our range of cutting-edge localization tools will streamline workflows and help you make your mark more quickly. With thousands of expert linguists working in more than 120 languages, we can help you connect with audiences in just about every corner of the globe.  

Ready to learn more about BLEND’s brand localization services? Get in touch with the team today.  

Corinne Sharabi

Corinne is the Social Media and Content Lead at BLEND. She is dedicated to keeping global business professionals up to date on all things localization, translation, language and culture.

Need fast, high-quality translation?

Translate now