Marketing Content Localization & Copy Writing

In this second blog post of our series about Marketing Content Localization we will look at copy, profiling your target audience and the role that a creative brief plays in taking your marketing content global.

What exactly is a copy? Copy refers to written material, rather than images or other layout elements, and covers a broad range of contexts, including magazines, advertising and books. In other words, the term refers to the text in books, magazines and newspapers:

In an advertising context; web marketing and similar fields, copy refers to the output of copywriters, who are employed to write material, which encourages consumers to buy goods or services. In this blog post we will focus on marketing copy.

It might be tempting to try and sell your product to everyone, but not everyone needs, wants or is in a position to buy what you are offering. Thus, your business needs to study and understand its potential customer base.

Market research will help you define who your target audience is, and build a picture and a profile of whom you should aim to attract. This profile will help you to see the world through the eyes of your potential customers; understand the factors they will be considering when making a decision to buy, and will give you insight into how they will react to different messages. Furthermore, your brand message has been designed with the optimal profile in mind.

By carefully building your target profile, you will then be able to decide which tone of voice appeals to them and you can begin to build a word bank so that you use your target customers’ everyday language. Once you’re speaking the same language you can begin to appeal to the emotional benefits of your brand instead of simply the features of your products.

Nelson Mandela said “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Your creative brief plays an important role here. It is your campaign map – it will be used by copywriters to create a campaign that reflects your brand in the way you designed it, and by target writers to translate your message in a way that creates the same emotional resonance abroad as with your domestic markets.

Which elements should be considered when putting together a brief? Find out more in our webcast or have a look at our translation services!