How product instructions can help expand your reach in global markets

In our work with clients, one trend has become increasingly clear: selling in international markets is easier than ever. Many of the companies we partner with are now present in more international markets than they were just a decade ago.

Because, Internet

This new found international presence is mainly the result of the internet, marketplaces like Amazon make it easier than ever to find an international audience, and many companies are finding they are arriving to new markets because their international distributors are selling on the web and expanding. A typical example is a client who officially sells into the UK / USA, Germany, France and the Netherlands, yet receives requests for product instructions in Polish, Italian and Arabic.

While more sales are more sales, it can put stress upon the organization to meet the demands of these new customers and an opportunity at new markets can quickly turn into frustrated customers. It’s crucial to remember that not everyone speaks the primary language of your company.

People overwhelmingly prefer product information in their native languages. According to research, 76% of consumers prefer purchasing products with information in their own language. Without localized content, companies face significant disadvantages:

• Consumers are less likely to buy without information in their language.
• Local distributors may provide inconsistent translations, showing they value localized instructions but are not the ones to be providing them.
• Poor local language search results mean competitors with localized content may outshine you.

It may be difficult to have a sales or service rep for every language, but at a minimum companies need to provide product instructions in their customers’ language to ensure that the customer can have the experience you would want when they are setting up or using your product.

SEO is one of the biggest reasons to translated product instructions

SEO in other languages is also important

Many companies—particularly those in English-speaking markets—still operate in just one language. A simple Google search for “[company name] product instructions” in a different language often yields a mix of distributor content, influencer videos, and user-generated content, with perhaps a few pieces from the company itself, though rarely in the searched-for language. This contrasts sharply with searching in the company’s native language, where they dominate the results.

If your company has internationally distributed products and strong brand recognition but isn’t providing localized support for your international customers, you’re potentially leaving money on the table. Worse still, you may be giving competitors the opportunity to outperform you in these markets in the future.

Since we began StepAlong I have been to many international trade fairs where I see companies spending tens of thousands on their stand and staff to announce their global presence. And yet, if you go to their website they only have their product instructions in one language (English), when for a fraction of the cost of attending the fair they could be helping their customers all over the world.