International Search Marketing has its share of advantages and disadvantages. But when you ask someone familiar with the concept about things they don’t like, there are several problems people tend to have in common when mentioned. In fact, many feel the concept has a few problems that are creating major challenges that seem to waste a vast amount of time. The following issues tend to be the most common concerns of interest.
Currency Amounts and Variations
Some people don’t think currency differences matter but in some cases they do. If you are selling an item at a certain price in one currency, but sell the same item cheaper or at a higher amount for other currencies, it doesn’t seem fair for the buyer. Just keep in mind the currency rates; having a rate that is more balanced across the board (or for different countries for that matter), will make you more appealing no matter the currency.
Colors, Images and How They Can Affect Different Cultures
Pictures and colors displayed on your site may look the way you want it to look, but have you ever thought about how it may appear to someone in another country? Some colors have different meanings depending on the country in question. Depending on what you are trying to display or sell, how it is displayed on the site could come across as offensive to someone in another country. If you use a picture to market a product to a certain culture, make sure it is relevant.
How Your Search is Played Out from a Technical Standpoint
Setting up your website is one thing with the use of tool setting, hosting and domains. Yet, other countries may or may not have it as easy to connect to the internet. Or, you may need a domain that is friendly toward the country or culture you are trying to market to. Another aspect to consider is language; can content be accessed by a country in their respective language?
Finding Someone You Can Trust When Outsourcing Tasks
When seeking assistance, do you just translate what you need into another language and forward a bulletin to potential help? Many won’t dare to use a source that may be working with their competitor but you may not be able to know if they are. Using social networking sites and other social media such as Skype may help in the selection process but it may be a challenge to understand someone with an accent or broken English.
Translations Often Lack Accuracy
There are a slew of issues in regards to translating information. For instance, there are words you may not be able to translate into a certain language. Some translators have a hard time completing searches due to words being misspelled, missing dialect or accents and other issues. When doing a search bases on language, it may be more of a challenge than just translating an article or a book.