It has become increasingly more important for B2B-centric businesses to establish a global presence. According to recent reports, 56% of B2B marketers emphasized digital marketing as their top advertisement channel in 2020, with personalization being a priority for 47%. In B2B negotiation, this can manifest in translation and localization of content for the benefit of leads around the world.
Judging by published data, 86% of B2B professionals in 2020 predicted that customer experience and effective personalization will be critical in the coming years. Due to COVID-19 and social distancing, more and more businesses are shifting toward digital platforms for networking and day-to-day operations.
This can make long-term cooperation and effective communication with stakeholders from around the world difficult due to inherent language barriers between parties. Let’s take a dive into the role of translation services in B2B negotiation endeavors and how translating your content can help your business in 2021.
Choosing the Right Type of Translation for B2B Content
Choosing the right type of translation for your needs can make or break the business goals you’ve set out to achieve. Before you decide to work with a translation service, you should learn how to make a distinction between translation and localization.
We can define localization as a type of translation that aims to take cultural context into consideration. Blog posts and social media content are often localized since it is not overly corporate and suitable for B2C stakeholders. Localizing products for different international markets is also a good decision since; again, it is intended for B2C customers.
On the other hand, traditional translation consists of direct, one-for-one translation of any piece of content intended for reading by international stakeholders. This type of translation can often be seen in printed publications, online articles and B2B content among others. In B2B negotiation, it’s best to focus on clear, concise and professional communication without any localization which may harm or alter the original content’s meaning. This means that you should favor translation over localization when it comes to B2B content to avoid potential confusion or unintentional disrespect toward your stakeholders.
How Translation Services can Aid in your B2B Endeavors
Expanded Global Brand Reach
First of all, while the English language is predominant around the globe, it is still not the absolute lingua franca. Based on international statistics, languages such as Spanish, French, Chinese and Arabic are also quite dominant throughout the world.
Establishing a global presence through translated B2B content can thus drastically improve your odds at attracting international leads for the sake of networking. Taking the initiative to translate or otherwise localize your marketing content, emails and correspondence will be seen as an olive branch by many international companies. In doing so, you will expand your brand’s global reach and ensure that your presence on the open market is noted by other B2B companies.
Improved Standing against Competition
Whether you work in the IT, medical or eCommerce industries, your competition is bound to invest in translation regardless of what your company does. In 2021, translating content is not an unconventional writing or marketing decision – quite the opposite in fact. Translating B2B and B2C content has become something of a modern norm and as such, you should make the decision to translate your own content.
This will drastically improve your business’ position on the global market and give other companies notice that you are in fact ready for international networking. Businesses from around the world will be more open to working with you and your competitors will pay closer attention to your business activities. Such a turn of events will inevitably improve your brand’s reputation and professional standing, thus ensuring that future B2B negotiation endeavors go smoothly.
Better Alignment with Local Laws & SEO
While you may be able to attract B2B stakeholders from different regions to your business with content in English, what about other languages? What if your company operates from Russia, India, Germany or Greece? You will be far less likely to attract B2B negotiation partners if you present them with writing in your native language. This applies to both direct correspondence and global SEO.
Translating your B2B content will significantly improve your online visibility and make your business more attractive to international companies. Not only that, but you will be able to trade and do business with companies in different regions with specific requirements about data localization. Such a step will improve your business’ viability for B2B negotiations and long-term cooperation with big brands which will appreciate your proactivity in translating content.
Improved ROI on Invested Marketing Resources
Finally, using translation services to localize your B2B content will inherently improve your return on initial resource investment in regards to marketing. Once you’ve created content aimed at B2B negotiation, translating it will naturally lead to more exposure and business opportunities.
Based on recent information, 80% of stakeholders are more willing to purchase from businesses that offer personalized content for their global audiences. As we’ve said before, the best way to orient your B2B business toward personalization is to invest time and resources into translation going forward. The profit you generate from translated content can then be invested into further localization efforts.
Types of B2B content you Should Translate Going Forward
Now that we’ve established “why” you should invest time and resources into B2B translation, let’s discuss what types of content you should focus on. Naturally, every respectable B2B company should focus on both physical and digital marketing to establish a firm presence in any given market.
Creating different types of content will help your B2B negotiations and signal that your business is proactive, professional, and open to international cooperation. Thus, the content types you should consider creating and subsequently translating include:
Digital
● Blog posts
● Video content (very suitable for subtitling)
● EBooks
● Webinars
● Email newsletters
● Business letters
● Corporate packages (including notebooks, business cards, brochures)
● Local print ads, posters, and billboards
Remember that the types of content you choose to translate should always depend on the target market you are pushing toward. Translating your content into French for Canadian B2B negotiations is a good decision. However, translating content into Italian or Russian for European markets might not be the best choice. You can always ask translation experts for advice on how to move forward with your B2B translations before the final decision.
Establishing New Norms in B2B Negotiations (Conclusion)
Multilingual translation is no small feat, but it is a worthwhile investment if you want your business to grow beyond your local market. While it may seem logical to translate content into various languages for different markets, many businesses still fail to do it effectively. Establish a practice of creating and translating B2B content as early as today and new businesses will quickly approach you with B2B negotiation intent.
Bio: Dorian Martin is a writer, editor, and proofreader with academic degrees in mass communication and computer science. He is a passionate writer with extensive experience working with Get Good Grade writing service where he spends time helping students write academic papers. Dorian is a dedicated follower of IT, digital marketing, and business development industries. He spends his free time writing for his personal blog.