This episode provides insights into effective global marketing strategies and cultural considerations for international expansion. Manuela Furtado shares best practices for localizing content and campaigns to resonate with target audiences in different countries and cultures. She emphasizes the importance of understanding local markets through research and tailoring strategies for each region. Manuela also discusses the need to align global and local marketing efforts with sales to ensure consistent branding while making the experience culturally relevant in each new market. Overall, the episode offers guidance to companies on prioritizing localization from the start of their global expansion planning.
Manuela Furtado has 25 years of experience in the localization industry, driving innovative processes and technologies. With a strong background in languages and communication, she expertly guides clients through best practices, whether they are new to localization or looking to expand their global reach to maximize impact. As a leader in Sales and Account Management, Manuela excels in building meaningful relationships across the globalization ecosystem. She adeptly matches client goals with the most targeted services, technologies, and expertise, ensuring optimal results.
“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.”
-Manuela highlights Nelson Mandela’s quote that emphasizes the importance of truly connecting with target audiences by speaking to them in their language at a deeper, emotional level rather than just translating.
Some of the key cultural considerations Manuela mentioned to keep in mind when scaling marketing globally include:
Manuela recommended that companies balance localization with a consistent brand voice and message by:
One of Manuela’s favorite examples of going beyond localization to truly tap into local culture was helping a British retail company expand into the United Arab Emirates.
Some of the ways her company tapped into the local Emirati culture included:
To effectively align around cultural and linguistic needs, Manuela recommended:
The key is collaborating closely between global, local marketing, and sales teams to understand and meet the needs of target audiences.
For companies just starting to think about global expansion, Manuela’s key encouragement was to not make localization an afterthought. She recommended companies:
Her overarching advice was to prioritize localization from the start and treat it as an integral part of the marketing and sales strategy when venturing globally.
-“Take Your Company Global” by Nataly Kelly.
–BornToBeGlobal.com by Nataly Kelly – Accompanying blog to the book above.
–AlphaCRC – For localization case studies and resources.
–Nimdzi Insights – Consulting agency that publishes content on localization.
–Slator – For content on localization and multilingual insights.
–CSA Research
–Locworld– A conference for localization professionals, networking, and industry innovation.
–Nataly Kelly, Senior Manager of Demand Gen and ABM, Cloudflare.
–Renato Beninatto, Chief Marketing Officer, Zappi.
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Bridging the Divide, Between Sales and Marketing