Courriel marknadsföring

Latest posts | Feed | By Mark Brownlow on March 24, 2008

a globeA couple of recent articles tackle the issue of email marketing to an international audience.

MarketingSherpa highlights the experiences of Accor Hotels, while Derek Harding draws out six challenges you need to master.

Based on my experiences as a recipient and ex-pat, here some additional random tips when segmenting your list by nationality or location, .

1. German is not German

It's a start to realize that different countries may need content in different languages. But also keep in mind that countries using the same language still need country-specific translations.

Not just from a localization viewpoint but also from a purely linguistic one.

The German in Germany is not the same as the German in Austria. You wouldn't use US spelling in an email going only to Brits, etc. etc.

2. Find some email tech person and get your text coded right.

Commonest mistake I see with emails in languages other than English is special characters that come out garbled. The likes of French's ç or German's ö.

(Inevitably, those two special characters are going to come out messed up in someone's browser, RSS reader or email client...reinforcing my point while positioning me as a hypocrite.)

3. Double check translations, even localized ones.

Translators translate, and the best ones localize that translation, too. But few think about all the implications of the end result. Three common traps:
  • Irrelevant links: the English version of your French article on CRM is perfect, except the links still point to sites and documents in French. Someone needs to find adequate English alternatives.
  • Cultural references: The Russians may have a term for "home run" but a local idiom that means the same would be better
  • Seasons: the approach of summer in your European email becomes the approach of winter in your Australian one.
4. Translate your English into English.

Apparently the international language of science is now broken English. Even if you decide it makes sense to send English content to those with a different mother tongue, it's still worth adjusting that English for that audience. Less Shakespeare and more plain talking.

5. Be careful correlating location with nationality and language.

We live in an increasingly mobile world. I'm British, but live in Austria. As a result, many companies send me content in German, even though English would work better.

Most marketers can relax...people like me are probably an exception unworthy of much concern. But specific markets might justify finding out a little more about a subscriber before assuming they must be Austrian because they live in Vienna. Think senior corporate executives in Europe, diplomats, language teachers, etc.

P.S. Courriel is French for email and marknadsföring is Swedish for marketing (I'd like to pretend I knew that but I had to look up both words in the dictionary).

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