Hot Topic : Localization
It is interesting in today’s globalized world, where distance is being made inconsequential through technology and cultures are becoming intermixed, that the topic of localization would be so important. Why would we need to market locally if the world is one huge global market place? If a product has mass appeal, why is it necessary to market it differently? The answer is that even in our globalized community, cultural differences are key to understanding what motivates people, what motivates people to like to certain things over others and in turn, what motivates them to buy one product over another. A product may be universally liked, but it may take tweaking the marketing approach to reach all groups and cultures. As well, what is relevant in one country is not necessarily relevant in another, thus localized marketing is imperative in making sure only the most pertinent information is broadcasted to fans. Even Facebook has seen the value in localized marketing and in October announced Global Pages.
Facebook Global Pages
With the new Global Pages, fans will be aumatically directed to the correct page based on the country they are in. There is a default page for all markets in general and specific pages for those regions a business wishes to target. The cover photos, profile photos, page apps, milestones, “about” information and news feed will all be localized information. All of the pages however, will have the same name, fan count and PTAT (People Talking About This), but translated into the corresponding language of the fan. There is one URL to promote and the admins of the page can see all the insights in one dashboard. This update eliminates the need for a brand to have competing Facebook pages for different countries, if they qualify to use it.
Who is this for ?
Global Pages is only available to brands that spend 10,000 plus per month in ads. This eliminates many brands right away who might have taken advantage of this new layout, but for brands who spend this much, have multiple fan pages already and have a large international following this could be very helpful. For those businesses that have a more confined fan base in just one country, they will not find a use for the new layout.One of the most important results of Global Pages is the need for quality localized page managers. One of the big reasons it will be important to hire local page mangers is because translating the same information into multiple languages well will be an issue and quite disappointing; good translations are hard to come by if you do not have the right people.
What do you think about the new Global Pages? Do you think they will help fans get the information they want more efficiently?
