Hablas Espanol? It’s Cool, You Don’t Have To. Just Hire Someone Who Does.

A few weeks ago I wrote an blog about marketing to Hispanics in the U.S. as well as abroad using bilingual PPC efforts. In order to maximize the potential of an internationally targeted Internet marketing effort, it is important to develop unique efforts for both PPC and SEO because at this point in the game, chances are you are no longer targeting shoppers that are comfortable with the English language.

Why consider going global? If you’re experiencing success among domestic Hispanic consumers, chances are that a demand for your product also exists abroad. According to a February, 2008 consumer report published by Nielsen called “Trends in Online Shopping”, upwards of 85% of the world’s online population uses the Internet for shopping, a 40% increase over two years. Emerging markets represent huge possibilities for growth especially if you’re able to develop brand loyalty early in the game as shopping behavior for everyday consumers shirts from bricks and mortar to the Internet. In Latin America 79% of the population has made at least one purchase on the Internet. And chances are they won’t stop with just one purchase.

What are they shopping for? According to the same Nielsen report, books remain the most popular Internet purchase followed by clothing, accessories, shoes, videos, DVDs, games, airline tickets and electronic equipment, respectively. Online sales of cosmetics, nutrition supplies, and groceries are also experiencing high growth. The key is to capture a new consumer before they develop a loyalty to any one online retailer.

This is where integrating a multilingual SEO strategy becomes important. Your product may be in demand in a particular country, but the way people are searching for that product may differ drastically than how English speaking consumers would search for that same product. Adapting your website to local standards that conform to that particular region’s dialect and even sense of humor can help you to gain the trust of consumers, giving them a reason to buy from your store. Not only is proper language use preferable, though, in some cases it’s absolutely crucial. For example, adding an accent to a letter in a Spanish word can change the meaning of the word entirely. So, if you are careless in writing your copy, the search engine may interpret your intended meaning as something entirely different. Don’t stop with just hiring an expert to write your copy, though. Also consider using local search local engines that are popular target market in additional to Google, etc. The possibilities are endless.
So, expanding your Internet marketing efforts internationally isn’t easy, but if you’re lucky enough to enjoy some initial success in foreign markets, there’s no place to go but up. So get in the game early and begin developing brand recognition and loyalty. Venga!