There was a time in history when reaching out to markets all over the world was a big business dream. Luckily, the times have changed, and due to technology and the all-mighty Internet, the only obstacle that stands between your business (as small as it may be) and the world is you.
What do we mean by that?
Nowadays it’s extremely easy to expand your business overseas and tap into markets that are a better fit for your product. However, to do so, you need to take a few steps.
The first one is identifying those markets by running some studies, observing the offer and demand balance, and getting to know the people (your possible customers) and their preferences.
The second step is taking all that knowledge and inserting it into your site/page or online campaign. Still, for this to work, you should seriously consider transforming the site/page into a multilingual space where everyone can feel welcome.
But it’s not just about this; a multilingual site has tremendous benefits, like the ones we listed below.
#1: More Languages Equal More Website Traffic
In the age of constant and instant connectivity, the site is the first business element that comes in contact with most customers.
Now, should you be interested in creating a connection with a new business, would you want its site to be in another language?
Most users are impressed and touched when a business puts in the effort to create a section on their mother tongue. Moreover, you don’t have to translate the whole site; it’s enough to create a section that’s dedicated to people speaking the language, with points of interest tailored to their needs!
As your site grows, you’ll have people from all over the world browsing through its pages. Now, if we consider the fact that half of all Google searches are not in English, this says a lot about the impact on your web traffic and business.
#2: It’s a Cost-Effective Option
Translating your site in multiple languages is the best and less expensive option you have when it comes to extending to other markets.
Unless you are a huge company with large marketing budgets, this is the solution that comes with minimum risks. If the outcome is positive, you get to extend the business by investing only a fraction of the cost of a global marketing strategy.
On the other hand, if the action is unsuccessful, you don’t lose that much money and you can recover by analysing the situation and learning from it.
#3: Improve Brand Awareness
The brand is important as it carries the business’s reputation and can be easily associated with your products and services. However, many small businesses often forget to nurture and grow this business element until it becomes obvious that they need it.
Now, the cool thing about a multilingual site is that it gives the brand space to grow on its own. Visitors from all over the world will start associating it with your products and services, thus helping you stand in front of competitors.
Not to mention that, a site in several languages, ads credibility to the brand and the business supporting it. Overall, while it comes as a small investment, translating and localising the content of your site can have huge long-term benefits.