Want to score international email goals?
Think global + act local!
Challenges are meant to overcome A study conducted by LISA (Localization Industry Standards Association), revealed that every $1 invested in localization comes with the roaring ROI of $25. The pros of sending internationalized emails to your subscribers’ are clear.
Even though many best practices are there that should be followed as the thumb rule for sending internationalized email campaign, the uplers are here to help you achieve the GOLDEN CUP with Think Global + Act Local mantra.
As you hear the word international, the first thought that strikes you is language barrier. But when it comes to email, it plays a crucial role. Consider “Multi-Lingual” copy for your internationalized email campaign. While several companies do offer sophisticated on demand service apart from your just another Google translate workaround, extreme copy checks for various segments will be a mandate.
Here’s a great example of epic international email copy failure:
Nokia’s new smartphone LUMIA is a gigantic cellphone and another success from Microsoft. But sadly it didn’t market well in Spain, as in Spanish Lumia is an abusive word. Seems like Nokia tried to strike a straight shot but missed the goal due to lack of multi-lingual research.
Selecting Translators
Considering a translator familiar with your company’s terminology would be beneficial. For example, if you are sending emails to your subscribers in Poland, then your translator should be familiar with Polish language and ITU law.
To hire the best translator, ask for sample translations of a few paragraphs and get it cross-checked by a third party. However, you may have to pay for the sample.
Email Aesthetics
Email aesthetics are essential to deliver impactful yet consistent email campaign regionally. However, ensure that your email designs are acceptable culturally across the email segments.
Appropriate imagery matters as some images may instigate negative response in
some parts of the globe.
The body language of human (if any) in that email should be in sync with the geography.
The expression, fonts, colors and symbols of the email should be appropriate.
The look and feel of the email should not only be localized, but also synced with
your brand guidelines.
However, if your email contains the images from a sunny beach, and it is targeted for audience from a landlocked country, then it may not do the justice with your subscribers’ imagination. Thus make sure that the context in your email is relatable for your subscribers’.
Process management
Right from the initialization of the game to scoring goals, a footballer has to manage everything while syncing the moves with other footballers.
Likewise, from content translation to the due dates of signing off email campaigns, everything should be aligned and in tandem.
To score legendary goals, consider international email sending checklist along with the tracking of inbox placement and delivery rate (differentiated from country to country).
Message formatting style & layout
Many footballers strike brilliant goals, but not every footballer can bend it like Beckham. Likewise, different regions contain diverse reading patterns. As different languages come with different characters, consider different text alignment and layouts as per the readability (right to left, center, left to right, etc.) Apart from that, keep the different styles, patterns, and fonts in mind.
Mobile first strategy
Every country contains different mobile penetration. This calls for mobile and desktop subscribers to be catered differently. When sending your email campaign on international journey, make sure to give it a mobile first mentality visa. However, users operating through desktop and other devices should also be kept in mind.
Legitimate framework
When a football player is shown a red card, he has to leave the game field and takes no further involvement in the game. This means, players in order to remain throughout the game have to go by a legitimate framework. Similarly internationalized email calls for abiding by legitimate frameworks of various countries. For example, U.S. has the CanSpam Act, Canada has CASL, Australia has The Spam Act, etc.
Nevertheless, you should also keep the regional ISP algorithms as well as ESP guidelines in your rulebook to prevent the red card (spam trap). You can also refer legal email professionals while executing email campaigns for different countries.
A myriad of personalization data sets
Real-time data and personalization are the essential ingredients in email marketing strategy. When taking international email campaigns into consideration, a myriad of personalized data set becomes accessible, ready to exploit.
Global email marketing companies must personalize for various segments. For example; there might be a different geo-targeting for someone in Russia as compared to a remotely located person in Jakarta. Also, the opportunities of real-time live social feeds in multiple languages should also be explored.
Calls to action: Aggressive or Subtle?
If there is no football, there is no game. If there is no CTA then there is no point of sending emails. But when going international, it is crucial to use language tone that travels well to other countries. Make sure to crosscheck hyperbolic terms as some countries regulate laws for using such terms in email marketing.
Timing matters
Scoring goals in football require a proper game strategy, and can only be scored when the timing is correct. Just as in football, timing is vital in international email marketing as well. While sending your emails abroad think about seasonal considerations, work schedules, etc. For example; sending winter sale email to those subscribers’ who are enjoying summers may not do the job.
Data and List Management
Whether a center defender, full back or sweeper; every player has his own pre-defined position with responsibility of winning the game. Likewise, international email comes with the responsibility to manage data sets across the globe as well as list segmentation and managing a separate list. While managing data sets, be ensured there is proper filtering and list hygiene to prevent any complicacies.
Go local, but think about the PESTLE factors
While going local, think about the PESTLE factors to ensure the email campaigns aren’t sent at a wrong time. Consider the political scenario, economical factors, social factors, technology usage, legal and environmental factors. If there is a unrest in a country, sending an email that instigate users through negative newsjacking might cost you really huge. Be sensitive to each such factor before planning the next GLOCAL (Go Local) campaign.
