Secrets to successful content localization

Who is localizing content?

Many marketers and content creators are already localizing their content, adapting it to resonate with different audiences. Here's a look at who's doing it and the media they most often localize.

Over half of marketers and content creators (60%) have localized their content, with 82% handling the process in-house and 18% outsourcing it. The most commonly localized types of content were social media posts, product descriptions, and customer support content.

Global marketers have focused localization efforts the most on the U.S., the U.K., and Mexico. One in ten marketers has even localized content for specific U.S. states.

For those who don't localize content, budget constraints and lack of expertise were the two most common barriers, each affecting 40% of respondents. Other challenges included limited market reach (24%), prioritizing other projects (21%), and time limitations (20%).

What makes a successful content localization team?

Success in content localization can depend on the team's structure, focus, and budget. Let's explore what sets the best localization teams apart.

The most successful content localization teams had an average of six members who dedicated around 96 hours per week to adapting their content to other regions or audiences. Their average annual budget was $70,067.

By comparison, less successful teams had only three members who spent about 11 hours weekly on localization efforts and had a smaller budget of $54,355.

While successful teams focused heavily on in-house localization, 17% of them outsourced some of their work—slightly fewer than the 20% of less successful teams that did the same.

What are the best content localization practices?

What makes a content localization team thrive? To find out, we determined the top methods and tools successful teams use.

Localization teams prioritize adaptability, leveraging insights from local audience engagement to fine-tune their strategies and ensure their content resonates with diverse markets. They also emphasize cultural sensitivity and linguistic precision, tailoring messaging to align with regional norms and expectations.

One in three successful localization teams has measured their effectiveness by tracking increases in local sales and revenue. Audience engagement (55%), content reach (52%), and social media interactions (41%) were other top metrics they used to evaluate content localization success.

Additionally, successful teams were also more likely than less successful teams to focus on increasing sales, customer retention, and user satisfaction in localized markets. They relied heavily on social media management tools, market research tools, and project management software to achieve these goals. This combination of strategy, data-driven decision-making, and the right resources allows them to deliver content that connects meaningfully with their target audiences.

What are the biggest challenges of localization?

Localization isn't without its obstacles. From unfamiliar markets to language barriers, here are some of the top issues content localization teams face.

Marketers and content creators identified the U.S., Mexico, and China as the most challenging countries for localization. Additionally, 15% admitted they were unfamiliar with the regions they were localizing for.

Among those who localize content for specific regions, the following percentages reported unfamiliarity with the region they work on:

• Thailand (45%)
• Australia (44%)
• Germany (37%)
• France (33%)
• Spain (32%)

Other common challenges marketers faced were time constraints, language barriers, and maintaining consistency in their localized content.