This post was originally published on Custom Council. When we are asked to scale content across regions, we immediately focus on which content to translate, trans-create or localize. That’s fine when we are under deadlines. The best way to scale content is to sit back and have a conversation (or multiple conversations) with relevant stakeholders first. Have a cup of coffee with them, if they are in the same office as you. Or have a casual phone conversation with key players as a starting point, if they are remote. Start a dialogue with the intention of helping and addressing their needs. Create a plan on a list of content to scale collectively.
For clients:
if you are thinking of scaling content across regions, there are several steps that you should take before selecting content:
- Identify relevant stakeholders: Business units, sales, marketing peers, research and regional colleagues
- Understand region’s and local’s needs and concerns
- Jointly agree on content marketing objectives and metrics
- Identify a list of content to be created or translated
- Determine who should do what
- Follow through regular communications
For agencies:
if you receive requests from your clients to translate or trans-create a piece of content, you will be tempted to just start working on it. Before going all out, you should make an effort to ask the following questions:
- Why did you choose this piece of content to scale?
- Was the decision of scaling this piece of content jointly made by headquarters and regional offices? What are key stakeholders’ feedback, especially regional or local partners?
- What marketing objectives are you trying to accomplish?
- How should we measure expected results?
- What other content can we translate or trans-create at the same time?
Ultimately, scaling content across regions is only a tactic.
We can select which content to translate, localize, trans-create or customize at any time. A lot of agencies or in-house staff are competent to do all that. Three questions will bring scaling content to a strategic discussion and make it a collaborative effort among key stakeholders.
- What are the overall goals and how does this tie with your marketing objectives?
- What are the success metrics?
- Who are you targeting (what segment of customers)?
No global content marketing effort is impromptu or spontaneous. This quote from Henry Ford describes the essence of global content marketing well. “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” Once you make it a strategic discussion to rally the team, your effort becomes everyone’s effort.
Who is Pam Didner?
Being in the corporate world for 20+ years and having held various positions from accounting and supply chain management, marketing to sales enablement, Pam has a holistic view of how a company runs. She thinks strategically and then translates the big picture into actionable plans and tactics.
