Cindy King's International Business Blog » international content

7 Reasons For Different Online Content

Cindy King — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:34 +0000

International Content Creation

I just read Denise Wakeman’s 7 Tips to Create Better Blog Posts and realized how my reading habits have changed dramatically over the last few years. I used to always take the time to read meaty articles, but not any more. I now skim through everything I read and within a few seconds decide whether I want to give it another minute or two and a second evaluation, or if I want to stop reading immediately. After the second review, I usually stop reading the article, unless it really grabs my interest. And only then will I take the time to read it properly. Yes, everything I read goes through 2 reviews before I decide to read it.

So I need white space and frequence subheads in blog posts – otherwise I cannot skim through it properly. When I skim through an article the first time I only read the title, subheads, the first couple of bullets, maybe a short callout or a quote and 2 sentence paragraphs that look interesting. That’s it… and this is not a lot of content to grab my interest, is it?

Another new habit I’ve acquired is listening to audios. Whenever I’m doing a task that does not occupy all of my brain space, I put on an audio version of something I want to read.

Multiple New Habits In Consuming Content

I’m not the only one who has changed their habits in consuming information. Many others have too. And this is not including the new habits we have of reading the different types of content now available on social media.

Social media platforms have specific atmospheres about them:

Facebook is full of networking games
LinkedIn has a business feel to most of the conversations
Twitter folk do not like sales pitches

Have you noticed the variety in content styles between each of these social media platforms?

And looking at this from the other side, from the readers point of view, there are even subgroups of further differences in how people like to consume content. When you add cultural preferences into these different ways of consuming content, things can get complicated.

Below we are going to look at the different types of content from two different angles:

Personal consumption preferences
The broader audiences you want to reach

And finally we’ll see how complex content creation can become when international audiences also listen in to what you share with the people next door to you.

3 Different Personal Preferences For Content Consumption

Here are 3 different reasons why you need different types of content in your online marketing.

1 – Connecting With People With Different Time Constraints

Let’s face it, some of us always busy for certain information. Some of us will always take the time to read certain types of information.

Who do you want to reach? What are they like? How much time do they want to spend reading your stuff?

2 – Grabbing People’s Attention With The Right Information

Sometimes the same information delivered with a slightly different point of view is all it takes to grab people’s attention.

Do you know how your readers prefer to get the information you want to share with them?

3 – Engaging With People Who Consume Your Content In Different Environments

It is easy to understand how sound should be avoided in some environments. If many of your readers use phone applications to visit your site, they will not appreciate anything slow to load. The same people who connect with you during their business hours for a certain type of content, may also like to connect with you first thing in the morning with another type of content.

Do you know where your readers prefer reading your content?

3 Different Audiences For Your Content

But you cannot only look at the personal preferences in how people want to consume your content. There are also the different ways you can target your audiences where you need different content. The next 3 points look at different factors you can use when creating your content.

4 – Bringing People To Take The Next Step Most Appropriate For Them

We all write content for a reason. What do you want your reader to do after reading your content? Different readers will be willing to take steps of various sizes.

Do you have content with the most appropriate obvous next step for your audience?

5 – Appealing To People From Different Cultures

You need different content to engage effectively with different cultures. Even when these cultures speak the same language, you will get a better response from your audience, if you use the right vocabulary and hit the emotional buttons that appeal to the specific culture you want to connect with.

Does your content speak to your audience? Can your audience easily identify themselves with what you say?

6 – Avoid Excluding International Audiences

The web is a global one and different cultures have different communication styles. What is polite and friendly in one culture, can have the opposite effect in another. What can seem insignificant in one culture can have a big impact on your communication with another cultures. This is easy to understand. But when you look closely at the content you publish online, who is it for? It is great to write for a specific audience, that’s what we should do. The question is whether there are any small things we can do to facilitate reading by international audiences.

Do you put international readers off without realizing it? Does this bother you?

Complex Global Audiences

The last thing to remember is the complexity of today’s audiences.

7 – Managing Mixed Audiences

Situations can become complex: you may have international readers who use phone applications to read your online content while your reader next door wants to take read the same content slowly with his morning coffee.

What do you do? Is there a way to publish content strategically on different social media platforms?

Getting Your Content Right

Consumption preferences for different market segments will differ for each social media platform. This is why you need to:

Adopt one social media content plan at a time
Engage with your readers to tweak it and find their preferences

You only know how to write web content when you know what, where, when and and how your reader wants to read it. But the list of different online content above shows us the two trends we also have to be aware of:

The changes in how different people deal with the amount of information they have to process
The variety of the different types of content businesses need to publish online

What about you? What do you think about your online content needs?

What are your business goals for the content you publish online?
What does your audience want to read from you online?
What different kinds of content do you need to publish online to reach international audiences?

Business Blogs To Get International Clients

Cindy King — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:00:56 +0000

How To Create An International Business Blog

Earlier this week we looked at how business blogging is a sales conversion tool and for international readers they are strongest at building relationships and making the connection across distance. The question is, can you expect to get international clients out of a business blog? Is an international business blog just as good at sales conversion as a business blog can be in it’s local environment?

Well it depends on several things:

Whether you already have international clients, or not
Where you are located and where your international clients are located
What you sell and what you can sell to your international clients

How International Blogs Bring You Sales

First here are the reasons why an international blog can bring you international clients. An international business blog can:

Provide a platform to give more lifetime value to any international customers you may already have
Make it easier to evaluate specific countries to explore further
Create authority & relationships for an initial step into a foreign country
Give your business visibility to bring in opportunities to create joint ventures or foreign partnerships

In order to get beyond the connection or communication platform you need something else.

The Secret Ingredient

An international business blog can only help you make sales if you find the way to develop relationships with your international blog readers. And this will depend on who you want to reach.

To make a business blog successful in international markets requires a bit more effort. You really need to dig and sift through your online options to find the right one or ones to use to create the authentic connection with your international audience. Then you need to examine your communication strategy carefully to see how this fits in with the culture you are trying to connect with.

It is no secret. Culture-customized content gets more sales. This also means foreign language content gets more sales.

Although your end goal is to create culture-customized communication plan, you can decide to start off with one broad international communication plan. This can give you the time you need to come up with a good strategy and find the right foreign content providers. You will need to transition through to fully customized content if you are serious about developing a foreign market.

One Possible Strategy

Here is an easy first step that works for many cases:

One international business blog, targeting a broad audience
Culture targeted social media marketing to promote your blog

This can create an online synergy and give you feedback on specific markets that can be of interest to you. This process can help you make the business decision to choose which foreign markets to develop first.

Your next action would be to conduct further country-specific campaigns outside of your blog. Your blog could then become a platform for your sales conversion process. However, the distance your blog can take you along the path of sales conversion would depend on a variety of factors relative to your business.

What about you?

How are you using your blog to engage with your international clients?
What challenges do you face when using your blog to reach international markets?
What successes have you had in connecting with international clients through your blog?

Please share your comments below.

What Are Your Words Saying To Your International Market?

Cindy King — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:00:35 +0000

International Content Creation

I recently critiqued a blog to give advice on how to improve readership. One of the first things that jumped out at me was that the content did not match the blog title and tag line.

Without checking the blog statistics, it is reasonable to assume that the blog readers do not stick around very long. There were just too many words on different topics.

This quick look at the words that jumped off the blog reminded me of something else…

A Graphic Keyword Tool

There is a fun tool called Wordle. Here is the Wordle of this blog:

I find the Wordle pictures very useful. It is easy to compare the words on your Wordle with your SEO keywords

…and your core business categories.

…and even more importantly, with the keywords your readers use to find you.

A mind mapping evangelist I spoke with recently, said that more that 75% of us have stronger visual memories than any of the other forms.

These words in a picture can highlight the words we need to use more.

International Keywords

It is not always easy to identify:

The keywords your international readers use
The words on your blog or website that grab his interest

International readers probably respond to different words.

It is important to think about this because finding the words that capture the attention of your international readers can help you improve your international communication.

Observation To Find The Right Words

How can you find the best words to use to grab your international readers’ attention?

This usually involves researching the online places where your international readers hang out and observing how they respond there.

The more contact you have with your international readers the better you get to know them…

…and the more familiar you become with their vocabulary.

Cross Checking Both Sets Of Words

As an international marketer, it is important to cross-check the words you hear and see your international readers using with the words you use on your blog or website.

Yes, you can do this with SEO tools. But you may not need to do as much analysis with these tools as you think, especially if :

You are already connecting with the international readers you are targeting
You already have a large amount of content targeting this audience

The problem is that the last time I looked into international SEO, this was a time consuming activity and not always as accurate as businesses want it to be.

Soft Skills And Visual Tools

Knowledge of your international clients is your best tool. And your soft skills on how you use this knowledge can get you good online results.

Visual keyword tools can give you fairly accurate feedback on how you are doing. These tools can be fun tools like Wordle. And they can also include an intelligent content analysis of your what you have online.

If you would like to have your blog critiqued for an international audience, email me at cindy@cindyking.biz

Over The Counter Translation Perfection Not Here Yet

Cindy King — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:00:34 +0000

Translation Tools

Yesterday I wrote about how it is almost time for the general public to question their beliefs that all translation software should be avoided like the plague.

I warned readers not to continue to base their opinions of translation software on old versions.

Even though translation software is still not perfect, people with real translation needs are using what they have today to gain a competitive advantage.

Over The Counter Translation Perfection Not Here Yet

Now, let me say once again, very clearly: free translation software are still NOT perfect.

Translation software still have quality issues. But it is often good enough for resourceful professionals to use to gain a competitive advantage.

Professional Translators Use Software

First of all, did you know that…

The primary professionals concerned, translators, often use software to help them get their job done faster. This not only helps them get their job done faster, it also helps them to give competitive rates.

Of course, professional translators always read through their work and add a human touch. But this is a common practice in many countries.

How You Write

Let’s face it, most readers here want an easy translation solution. They simply want to press a button and have a perfect translation appear.

Now what if you were to question your original content.

People with exposure to foreign languages will evaluate translation software differently. They can see where the original content was not written in a “translation friendly” way.

You see, the free translation software available today actually does a fairly good job of translating the facts. It has two major downfalls:

It cannot translate the nuances, and emotional or indirect messages. This is why it is never a good solution of sales materials.
It still gets stuck in areas where there is a certain communication flavor or quirky syntax.

This is why it is a great international market research tool. You can quickly get the essence out of the translations, but you will still need to do classic market research to dig deep enough.

Now I am going somewhere with this…

Writing For Translation Software

You see there are professionals with sufficient language experience who can predict where the software will have a hard time translating their texts. And they have created methods of writing that make it very easy to translate with the translation software. In very simple terms, they avoid writing the original text with any cultural or language quirkiness.

Yes, quirkiness is the best word I can find to describe it so all of my readers can understand. These people do use a more precise vocabulary, but you need to study languages to follow them.

And if you want to see what I mean, simply do some international online research using translation tools on a subject you are familiar with.

The areas of the text that are obvious mistakes to you are what I am referring to. And while you are there noticing the obvious mistakes, have a look at everything the translation software got right.

Now some readers here are not familiar with translation. If this is your case, and you are a stickler for perfection, you have to know something. The software may not have used the exact words you would use if you were to write the same text. But give the same big chunk of text to a dozen qualified translators and you will probably get a dozen different variations.

Bending Your Communication To Fit An International Market

Now, aligning your writing to fit with translation software may seem like you are giving up on some marketing power.

The question is, how are you communicating with your international markets?

Next week I will write about how International English is evolving to fit the web communication platform.

Need a free translation widget to put on your website?

Download this Translation Widget on Get International Clients

International Content As An International Business Development Strategy

Cindy King — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:00:12 +0000

International Content Creation

Many small businesses would like to develop their business internationally. But they always seem to put it off. The reasons for putting off international business development are varied and multiple.

All businesses have had to adjust to many different marketing channels. But are they using the different marketing channels effectively for their businesses? This is the challenge businesses of all kinds face today.

I am currently reading Akin Arikan’s book, Multichannel Marketing. Akin says there are very few businesses currently using the different channels available to them effectively.

When small businesses are still grappling with effective multichannel marketing for their domestic markets, it’s no wonder international marketing today appears to be confusing.

That’s when a simple marketing strategy works best.

Are you a small business?
Do you want to develop your international business?
Do you lack money to invest and manpower?
Do you have some time you can commit to an international marketing strategy on a very regular basis?

The simple marketing strategy that will bring your business into the international business development arena?

An International Content Creation Strategy

I will answer your questions about what type of international content tomorrow.

Writing Content For An International Audience

Today I want to tell you why I think an international content creation strategy is such a good idea for small businesses.

I just finished reading Chris Garret’s blog post on Flagship Content To Make Sales where Chris mentions my work on Get International Clients.

I have to admit, I read Chris’ free ebook Killer Flagship Content shortly after it first came out. This book greatly inspired my writing strategy when I launched my two blogs at the beginning of this year.

Let me be clear here. At the time I did not know just how easy it is to get online visibility with Flagship Content, and how this content could bring in international sales. The book just made good marketing sense to me.

Flagship Content is great content. Content your readers want to read, re-read and pass along to friends. It is also evergreen, which means it can interest your readers just as much years down the road.

Once I started creating my own Flagship Content, I discovered the key reason why small businesses should invest time in creating flagship content regularly on one subject and written to a defined audience.

If you also put your Flagship content in an article marketing strategy, the natural keywords in your articles will put you on the first page of Google fairly quickly. This means that if you write using the words your readers will put into their search fields on Google, it is very easy to come up in top positions on your readers Google search results page.

International Content = International Online Visibility

The key is to create your content for an international audience. If your content is targeted to the right audience it will get their interest.

The Google search engine results will get you visibility in just about the whole world.

Most of the native foreign language search engines use the Google algorithms for their searches.
Google has made great improvements in dealing with languages.

If you do implement an International Content Creation strategy, there are still a few things you should do to optimize your international visibility. I go through these in the Get International Clients Business G uide 2 – Plan Your International Sales Road Map.

What is essential to remember is that your International Flagship Content, in English, will get you international visibility.

If you target your content to international audiences.
You need to write for your international audiences and use the language they use.

My Blogs Results In Google

I started writing an article 5 times a week. Trying to make these articles strong Flagship Content, not always succeeding.

I did not pay attention to my keyword use in the articles. I was so busy concentrating on simply getting the articles written and promoted online. I simply tried to cover all the aspects around my main subject area. I also wrote to a defined audience.

After about 3 months I was top of Google searches for all the keywords I wanted.

Now I want to target the keywords I thought would be difficult.

The top results in Google searches started bringing in a steady flow of customer inquiries directly to my email inbox at about the 4 month mark. These inquiries have been coming in steadily ever since. The inquiries come in from all over the world. I also get spontaneously calls on Skype since I put that link up.

And…drum roll… do you want to know the great news?

Inquiries always come from my ideal customer profile.

International Content In Your Business Strategy

An International Flagship Content strategy is a great way for a new website to get visibility at no cost in a relatively short time.

I complicated things for myself by insisting on having a personal blog, here at Cindy King.biz and a business blog, Get International Clients.

Sorting out my two blogs has highlighted the importance of a good content creation strategy integrated into a solid business strategy.

Getting your business act together online is not as simple as it seems. Solid international business and marketing basics will help you develop your international success. If you would like to follow an step-by-step process for international business development check out the Get International Clients Business Guides and their International Sales Road Map.

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides:

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

International Content As An International Business Development Strategy

Who Do You Need To Write Your Foreign Content

Cindy King — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:00:18 +0000

International Content Creation

Who Do You Need To Write Your Foreign Content – Freelancer Or Agency?

I’ve come across a couple of articles recently on the debate of who you need to hire to translate your content.

Are Translation Agencies Better?

Both articles were written by translation agencies. Of course each long article stated that:

Companies should never hire a freelance translator for their foreign content.
Only an agency had the manpower to do everything.
You obviously need a translator, an editor, a proofreader and…well there were a few other professions on the list.

I have not run across articles written by freelance translators stating they are the best option for companies needing foreign content. My guess is they are too busy. And they can’t all bite the hand that feeds them. They also get work through translation agencies.

It would be more appropriate to see comprehensive guidelines written by a third party. But I haven’t seen any clearly written by an independent third party.

Wrong Debate

I actually think that the debate is elsewhere.

The question is not whether you need a translator with a team of agency staff, or a freelance translator.

I’ve held different marketing and sales positions in companies of various sizes and budgets. I was responsible for cross cultural communication in some form or another in each of those positions. And I definitely know what communication I need out in the field.

Is It Translation You Need?

The word “translation” used in connection for any sales materials brings images of bad sales results and extra hours for me to put together my own sales materials.

Good sales materials need to be crafted in its original language to bring in the bacon.

There is a good market for freelance translators.

There is also a good market for translation agencies.

Define Your Needs

You need to define your foreign content needs before looking for a service provider. Don’t automatically assume you need a translator simply because this is your text and you want it in a different language.

Language is only a part of the equation.

What sort of text is it you need in a foreign language?
What is this text going to do?
Would you hire a local agency to write this text for you in your own language?
Who would you hire to write this in your own language?
Why?
Who wrote the original text?
What were his qualifications?
Were his qualifications important to write this?
What were his personality traits?
Were they important?
What did he need to know to write the text?

Look For The Right Skill Sets Needed For The Job

Obviously you would want someone with the same background to write the same text in the foreign language.

But that’s utopia.

Budgets restrict us.
Deadlines interfere.

Not knowing where to find the right person also gets most people totally stuck. Why don’t they ask themselves where they would get the same text written in their own language? And then look in those places but in the right country?

Find The Right Translator

And then the choice of freelance translator or translation agency comes up.

Both freelance translators and translation agencies can give you excellent foreign content.

There are so many different criteria that come into play. It is all about getting the best person you can for the job…and working with them, and knowing when to give them freedom to get it done right.

Sales Copy Is Always Different

My choice? I would always plan for, and spend the extra time, to find the right person to do the job.

And it would probably not be a professional translator for any sales related materials. I would hunt down the best sales professional I could afford. Get as much foreign copy as I could afford.

The Business Of Content

Cindy King — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 06:00:40 +0000

Information Products To Open International Markets

One of internet’s primary definitions is a source of content. Yes it is a great big contact book too. But once you get the contact you are looking for, it usually boils down to content next.

All traditional offline businesses need to jump into the business of content online. When you look around you, there are not many local businesses doing any real content business online.

A website gives a traditional offline business little more than a directory listing in the phone book.

Internet is a source of information. Everyone everywhere wants that information for free online now.

But that’s fine. There is still a way for offline businesses to use this to their advantage.

Because people are still willing to pay for other things you have.

Start With The Information First:

Use your website to provide information online. Great a name for yourself. Create desire for your other products and services. Create such a interest that you create a community feeling amongst your readers.

Next Logical Step

People are lazy. Or they don’t have time. And they will pay for you to provide them with services and products to help them.

Content online is a business.

Brick And Mortar Companies Use Information Products For International Business Development

Cindy King — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:00:10 +0000

Information Products To Open International Markets

How can businesses use the internet for international sales and lead generation?

Brick and mortar companies often do not take the time to study how they can create their own international business from their home office. It is important to review certain basic sales functions on the internet.

Internet is an information source. It has been widely commented on that people do not want to pay for information any more. Seth Godin’s books and blog to cite just one source.

The first reflex when you need information is to go online. This is true in many, many countries. You can get information for free on the Internet. Why pay for it?

Here are the two main categories of information available on the internet:

General online content – also providing excellent organic SEO value for the publisher
Information products, give away for free, as an incentive to subscribe to something, or for sale online.

General online content can be put online in websites, blogs, forums, directories and social media places such as YouTube or DailyMotion, Wikipedia.

Information products come in various formats:

EBooks,
Teleseminars,
Video training in online format or on DVD
E-Courses delivered automatically by email in text, audio or video formats,
Membership sites in various formats
Subscription based online training

Infopreneurs use these information products to create product funnels of varying price points, from free incentives, low priced front end products through to packages sold at thousands of dollars. Infopreneurs use information products as a business on its own. There are several online business models that create an automatic stream of income once in place.

Other offline businesses typically use front end information products to either

Create an online lead generation tool for their offline business
Create a new stand alone business model

These information products have been sold on the internet for a while now.

There is a decrease in the price of eBooks, and infopreneurs are using low priced incentives to get people to sign up on forced continuity membership programs.

Does this trend in the online information market affect businesses actively seeking international development? You must not forget the first points made above.

People all over the world expect free information on the web. And when they need information they look for it on the web.

People will spend money to implement this knowledge, learn skills, get ideas, and for quick solutions on how to use this information.

In international business development information products are used as:

An effective tool for international market research – creating authority, online visibility, inciting feedback – when used with the right online channel, and with the right content.
An international lead generation tool – in an integrated marketing strategy, and with the right content.

This is the reason why brick and mortar businesses interested in international development need to implement an online content and information product creation plan.

You can have your own international market research tool right in your domestic location. An online information strategy gives you:

Flexibility on your own international market development.
Control over risks in traditional international business development
Control over the pace at which you want to expand

An international lead generation tool which you can tweak real time, at no cost.

Brick and mortar businesses need to look at how they create their online presence. Providing content in the right format and within the right strategy gets you more international clients.

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Copyright Cindy King 2006-2010 - International Business Blog

Brick And Mortar Companies Use Information Products For International Business Development

Cindy King's International Business Blog » international content

7 Reasons For Different Online Content

Multiple New Habits In Consuming Content

3 Different Personal Preferences For Content Consumption

1 – Connecting With People With Different Time Constraints

2 – Grabbing People’s Attention With The Right Information

3 – Engaging With People Who Consume Your Content In Different Environments

3 Different Audiences For Your Content

4 – Bringing People To Take The Next Step Most Appropriate For Them

5 – Appealing To People From Different Cultures

6 – Avoid Excluding International Audiences

Complex Global Audiences

Getting Your Content Right

More on International Content Creation:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides:

Business Blogs To Get International Clients

How International Blogs Bring You Sales

The Secret Ingredient

One Possible Strategy

More on How To Create An International Business Blog:

More on International Social Media

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides

What Are Your Words Saying To Your International Market?

A Graphic Keyword Tool

International Keywords

Observation To Find The Right Words

Cross Checking Both Sets Of Words

Soft Skills And Visual Tools

More on International Content Creation:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides:

Over The Counter Translation Perfection Not Here Yet

Over The Counter Translation Perfection Not Here Yet

Professional Translators Use Software

How You Write

Writing For Translation Software

Bending Your Communication To Fit An International Market

More On Translation Tools

International Content As An International Business Development Strategy

An International Content Creation Strategy

Writing Content For An International Audience

My Blogs Results In Google

International Content In Your Business Strategy

More on International Content Creation:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides:

Who Do You Need To Write Your Foreign Content

Are Translation Agencies Better?

Wrong Debate

Is It Translation You Need?

Define Your Needs

Look For The Right Skill Sets Needed For The Job

Find The Right Translator

Sales Copy Is Always Different

More on International Content Creation:

More in these Get International Clients Business Guides:

The Business Of Content

Start With The Information First:

Next Logical Step

More On Information Products To Open International Markets:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides:

Brick And Mortar Companies Use Information Products For International Business Development

More On Information Products To Open International Markets:

More In These Get International Clients Business Guides: