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  • Game of Tone: How to Find Your Right Brand Voice for Maximum Impact

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    Speaking about brand voice is like speaking about a person’s voice. Let’s think for a moment about how you interact with people around you. Maybe you have a shy sister or a crazy brother. Or your dad might be a very calm person, while your uncle could be a very strong-willed one. And the examples can continue. And even if you don’t realize, your behavior and the way you interact with each of them is different and corresponds to their personality.

    This happens also with brands. Each product, service, or business has its own personality that creates feelings and connections. Here are some examples of well-known brands:

    • Tesla – innovation, breaking the rules, changing the world   
    • Apple – fresh, young, inclusive, easy to use, advanced
    • Nike – confident, powerful, challenging, cool

    These brands mustn’t explain their personality anymore because they built their brand voice and personality over the years of communicating and interacting with their target audience and customers. 

    That’s why good branding is important for every industry, and the gaming industry doesn’t make exceptions. More than that, gamers are a very distinctive audience and can immediately identify their favorite brands.

    Therefore, the game industry is not just about playing and having fun. As a game developer, you need to work hard – and smart – if you want to help your audience identify and connect with your brand so that they become not only players but also supporters of your game.

    And branding your game is a crucial part of your business strategy – one you can’t afford to miss. This post is the first of a five-part series that details what you need to do to successfully market your video game.

    What is a brand identity and why does it matter?

    Generally speaking, brand identity is the cohesive look and feel of your company and brand. It’s what gives the target audience that familiar experience whatever product or service of yours they use.

    Brand identity includes the fonts, logo, recognizable color palette, as well as any visual and written content you use to create the entire experience for your customer. As your brand evolves, your entire image can also change in time.       

    What is the brand voice?

    When creating a brand, you can’t just think about how it looks like. You also must consider how you want to interact with your players. And this aspect belongs to your brand voice.

    In other words, your brand voice is the personality you present to the world. You can consider it as a fictional persona that outlines the character, values, and attitude your brand wants to showcase to your audiences.

    brand voice - question

    It also includes the ideas and the emotions you convey to your players, helping you to define your communication and interaction with customers on any given level.

    And while your brand identity is mostly visual, your brand personality relates more to your tone and voice. And these will remain the same during the time.

    What are the benefits of having a distinct brand voice?

    A clear and distinct voice for your brand has a multitude of benefits, including:

    1. An identity your players can recognize

    Just as strong personalities help people stand out from the crowd, a clear and distinct brand voice helps your business and your game set apart from the competition. As result, your potential players are more likely to recognize, engage with and choose you.

    2. Stronger relationships with your public

    Especially in the gaming industry, your relationship with your audience and players depends on the connections you create with them. When you have a consistent brand voice, each piece of content you deliver (from the website to playing guides, to blog posts and social media posts) reinforces your game’s personality, style, and values.  

    In time, your fans learn to recognize you, and what to expect when interacting with your products. They start to trust you, resulting also in brand loyalty.

    3. Memorable personality traits

    When your game has a defined and consistent brand voice, along with the identity visuals, you can control the personality and message conveyed to your fans. In time, these traits make you stand out from the crowd and help your customers to remember your brand, your playing, and all other collateral products you might add to your game and business.

    4. More cost-efficient marketing

    When your branding is consistent, you don’t need to set your identity and brand voice whenever you publish a piece of content, no matter which is that. Due to the repeated exposure to your brand personality, your audience learns your values, who you are, how you act, and what to expect from you. This way they resonate and engage with your brand and, ultimately become your game’s fans, players, and brand advocates.

    Now that you understand what brand voice is, why it’s important and which are the general “rules” for using one that works, let’s see how you create yours! 

    How do you create your brand voice?

    Here is a list of steps to implement for coming up with an authentic branding voice for your game and business.

    Step 1: Review your mission statement 

    Before setting up any element of your brand personality and identity, you need to review your mission and vision. Ask yourself: Why did you create that specific game? And what will you accomplish when localizing your playing? When answering these questions, be aware that your brand voice will constantly emphasize and reinforce specific characteristics of your business. That’s why you’ll want to make sure that the way you interact with your audience is connected to your core values.

    Remind yourself:

    • why you are involved in the gaming industry
    • why you started your gaming business
    • which are the values sitting behind everything you do – from game development to localization strategies you design to social media networks you use to connect to your fans

    Step 2: Identify your potential audience and listen to them

    In our previous post, we told you that identifying your target audience is a crucial step for your business. And we can’t stress enough with this. Who are your gamers and how do they look like? Are they males or females? How old are they? Are they business-oriented or committed to a family?

    If you already have a not very well-defined audience, it might be a good time to learn more about your players. The best way? Ask them!

    You can create a poll or a contest and send it to your email database or share it on social media. Try questions like:

    • Describe our game in (many words do you think are appropriate to understand your customers’ perception of your product) words.
    • If our playing were a person, who would it be?
    • Do you think our tone fits with our game?

    Once you get responses, pay attention to the overlapping between what they’ve said and what you’ve stated about your brand. If both are on the same page, then you know that you are on the right track! If not, it’s time to make some adjustments.

    Step 3: Research your competition

    With so many games launched every year, it’s almost sure that at some point you and your competition could target the same audience. That’s why you must research your competitors.

    How do they talk to their/your target audience? What’s their tone of voice? Do they have one?

    Tip: if – when reading their content – you can “envision” who their brand would be (as a person) in the first couple of minutes, they probably use a sort of brand voice.    

    Now, it’s your turn: should you take a similar approach with your audience, or it doesn’t match your own brand mission? You can also check their presence on social media to get an idea of whether their voice is landing with their audience or falling flat. 

    Even if you don’t speak in the same way as your competitors, it’s important to know their failures and successes, so you can think about new ways to address your audience.

    Step 4: Audit your current content

    If you already have branded content, it’s time to evaluate what you’ve done so far.

    Make sure to check your: 

    • website
    • blog posts
    • landing pages
    • videos
    • social media
    • advertisements

    and note down all the similarities and the discrepancies in your content. Are some posts heavy, while others seem silly and light; are certain words or some themes you frequently use?

    Once you review the existing content, analyze the language and tone you used.  Evaluate which of your posts had the best engagement, and which did not, and try to see if there are similarities between them.

    Step 5: Write down who you are and how you’re going to communicate

    As your brand voice is an important part of your overall brand personality, describe it using clear details and concrete adjectives. What does your brand sound like when it speaks? What vibe does it provoke?

    When you have all of these written, you can come up with 3 adjectives that describe your brand. Choose words that encompass all the main characteristics important for your game personality.

    Step 6: Test your voice, review, and adapt it

    After defining your brand voice, use it. Write some content using your new tone and ask a group of people who know your business well what they think. Then evaluate how your brand voice and tone fit with other elements of your brand. If everything works harmoniously together, make sure you’re getting “consistent” and don’t confuse your audience with what you say.

    Step 7: Create guidelines to ensure brand consistency

    When it comes to your branding voice, consistency is your key to success. Any content you publish needs to be in line with your voice so that your public can know it, love it, and learn to rely on your brand to deliver what they expect.

    To ensure this consistency you need to set brand voice guidelines that explain how your voice must sound in different contexts. In the long run, they will help your brand stay consistent regardless of the platform you are using and the context.

    Final word

    The key to efficiently marketing your game is to understand your target audience. Once you do that, you’ll be able to develop a brand voice and personality that speak directly to them. As long as you are consistent and take the time to create content that engages them, your brand will help you sell games and build loyalty among your customers.

  • How to Create The Best Localization Kit

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    You create and develop your game. You are completely immersed in it, thinking about the story, characters, their dialogues, and landscapes. And once you finish it, you also want to show it to the whole world. And you can successfully do this if you have a great localization kit and use it as starting point to localize your game.    

    Why do you need to translate and localize your game? The answer is simple and complex at the same time. And here are some reasons and potential answers:

    • when having a version of your game adapted to the target market, more people will be able to play and enjoy your product 
    • you enlarge your fan base and consequently, increase your sales and profits
    • with so many games on the market and such a sophisticated audience, you can’t just release a product and expect to be played, downloaded, and sold automatically
    • maybe you created the best game in English as it’s the communication language by default but keep in your mind that not all the countries have the same English proficiency. Or maybe you developed your product in Korean, German or Japanese? If you want to reach the international market, it’s important to translate and localize your game.
    best localization kit - English proficiency

    However, we have to mention here that no matter what market you are launching your game into or want to expand, you’ll want as many players as possible to choose your game and hope they’ll never want to give it up. That’s why you must be enjoyable and authentic. 

    Before starting this exhausting, daunting but also exciting journey towards your game localization, you should consider giving extra thought to this process. That’s right. Start to think about localizing your product even before developing it. And during this stage. And after.

    If you want to create a good and healthy foundation for translated versions of your playing and engage with your foreign audiences, think about localization from the very beginning and always keep this in your mind.

    Just dreaming to have a game that fits perfectly to a specific market is not enough. As you create it, you are also the only one who fully knows the context, the history, and the style associated with every string of your game. And exactly that’s why having a localization kit (or lockit) is crucial when dealing with your playing for translating and adapting it for new markets.   

    What is a localization kit?

    The localization kit is the set that includes everything your translation and localization teams need to complete their jobs. It holds all the to-be-translated files, all the information, and all other resources you consider necessary for creating the translation. The more relevant info you give, the better are the chances to get a great translated and localized game.

    What do you need to include in your lockit?

    1. Your target audience

    Who will play your game? For sure you thought about a type of gamer while developing your product. How does he look like? You have to describe it as detailed as you can – gender, age, style (casual/formal/ironic/hardcore, etc.), location, other styles of games they might like and play, income, and any other info that will help to create an accurate profile.

    localization kit - player persona

    2. Your formatting preferences

    Formatting style is not just a matter of preferences, but also a foolproof way to ease your communication. A proper (and consistent) formatting style will facilitate the connection between the characters of your game and your audience and it’s a signal to the gamers that you know how to engage with them.

    It’s also important to keep in mind that the linguist specialists who handle the translation and localization of your game don’t know your preferences. And if you want them to format the text in a way that suits your workflow, you should include:

    • capitalization preferences
    • punctuation style
    • preferred abbreviations
    • any other style preferences.

    3. Introduce the characters of your story

    Who are the characters of your game? Don’t just mention them, but go deeper into the backstory of every character, sharing more information about him/her. Include her/his name, picture, description, gender, age, biography, personality, status /rank.

    How do you want your heroes to be portrayed? Provide descriptions such as “Character X talks like a grumpy old man.” or “Character Y is smart but writes like a child.”

    For sure your players don’t need to know from the beginning so much about the heroes of your game, because they’ll find out more during the story, but your translation and localization teams do.   

    Why? Because if you truly want to have the same essence of your characters in every translated version of your game, they need to fully understand these characters, their roles in your game, and how they operate. Remember, your characters are not just lines of codes, they’re real. Or at least they should be if you want to have a captivating,m engaging, and realistic playing.

    4. Describe the tone used in your playing

    After introducing your gaming heroes, don’t forget to describe the tone of voice, both for the whole game and each character. Is your game supposed to be formal or informal? Is the game a parody and has a sarcastic tone? Does it have a funny tone? Or is everything very sad, gritty, and dark?

    All these options will alternate your game as the localization will vary drastically according to the voice and tone you specify.

    5. Details about your game

    To have a localized game that accurately depicts the original version of your playing, you should provide the team of your LSPs (Language Specialist Providers) with as much information as you can. Because before getting gamers that engage with your playing, your translators should fully immerse your world. 

    Maybe there are details of your game and you are the only one who knows them. Are there creatures in your game? Then mention them.

    • Make a list of animals/monsters/fairies/any other creatures and include their descriptions, gender, pictures, and other references.
    • Note how they speak (if they speak.)
    • Note their evolutions, as well as the differences between similar creatures.

    Write everything down, even if you think they are irrelevant at this moment.

    Also, even if they seem to be irrelevant, don’t forget to include info about the objects from your game. Make a list of vehicles, weapons, and other items, including brief descriptions, images, and explanations of relevant information,( especially if they are unique to your game)

    With all this info you provide your translators with the additional context they need to replicate the original version of your game, while speed all things to do an amazing job.

    6. Include the contextual details in your localization kit

    Speaking about context – the more info you provide, the better the localization.

    Let’s take as an example the genders used in conversation in different languages. In English, the nouns and adjectives are not gendered, like in other languages. This means that you say

    • “He is a great doctor” if you’re referring to a man and
    • “She is a great doctor” if you’re referring to a woman.

    In German, on the other side (and in many other languages), you say:

    • “Er ist ein sehr guter Arzt” – if you’re referring to a man and
    • “Sie ist eine sehr gute Ärztin” if you’re referring to a woman.

    Even if this might seem like a very minor point for someone, it will sound strange and unprofessional for the German audience and thus reduce their enjoyment of the game. In other words, knowing the gender of your characters is extremely important to have an accurate localization.

    How can you provide your localization team with more context information?

    Here are some tips:

    Contextual notes

    As mentioned before, don’t be afraid to share as many details as you can about your story, and its contextual development, even if you might think it’s overwhelming for your translators. Too much info on a localization file is far better than not enough. When you can, add images of characters, as they can also help with context.

    String name and order

    As mentioned before, to have a great localization outcome, you must provide as much context as possible. And organizing your strings in a logical way is one of the main solutions.

    Don’t arrange them in alphabetical order. The best solution is to organize your text chronologically, but when this is not possible, try to sort them by character, by quest, or by stage.

    String IDs can also include hints that help LSPs understand when and how to use this string.

    List all your tags

    Your translation and localization team needs to know the function and meaning of each tag you use, so they can translate accordingly. For example: What string will appear instead of the tag? Can it be moved in the sentence? Or, can it be plural?

    These are questions that need answers.

    7. Provide editable text files

    Not everyone uses the same translation tools, nor the translation management systems to edit text. That’s why you have to make sure that your localization team can easily edit your strings using their translation set of tools, which enables them to provide you with localization of consistent quality.

    Remember that translators or LSPPs you hire are not developers. This means you should never hardcode strings that need to be localized.

    Otherwise, you limit your localization team by forcing them to work only in your development software. Consequently, they can include more inconsistencies and is less efficient. As result, you lose time and money. And you don’t want this.  

    8. Questions and Answers Section

    Think about this section as a FAQ section or Additional Help Section. Do you think there are still some foreseeable questions about your game? Then it’s time to write them down and provide answers ahead the time.

    For example: Should the character/location names be localized? Or should be the title of the game translated?

    Even if it can be a daunting task for you, think that every question and answer you include here will save lots of precious time for your team. Time that you will spend anyway when going back and forth (after the localization is ended) to explain the concepts behind the original characters or story included in your original game. Why not save all this time? 

    Takeaway

    Even when you put all the greatest human efforts possible to create the perfect lockit, there are still things you can miss. That’s why your translation team or agency will ask you a set of additional questions. By answering them you’ll provide all the data they need to give you the best localization outcomes.

    And this is a good thing! Consider this time as an opportunity to get each other better and also to set the frame and rules for your cooperation. 

    Because localization is a hard process for all those involved. But once it’s finished and has great results that suit the needs and preferences of your target audience, your game is ready to conquer the whole world. And everything starts with a great localization kit!

  • Benefits Of Localization Quality Assurance – All You Need To Know

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    When expanding on new markets, translation, localization, editing, and proofreading are parts of the process of adapting your game for a completely new target audience. But if you think that the process of customizing your game, website, or app stops here, you are completely wrong. To be absolutely sure that all pieces fit together, you also have to include the localization quality assurance (or simply, LQA) in your testing and verification process.    

    However, you should consider that you can perform various quality tests at any time during the process of translating and localizing your product, not just at the end. After the translators or LSPs (language service providers) deliver the localized app or game, complete with the translated and reintegrated files and strings, game developers or publishers receiving the finalized version should always consider performing post-localization tests. This will help you to identify and correct the issues, as well as maximize the overall quality of your product.

    What is Localization Quality Assurance (LQA)?

    As explained in one of our blog posts, localization is the process of translating and adapting a game to a specific market and audience. It means not just replacing the words from one language into the other, but also using the cultural references, local idioms, right currency, date and time formatting, and adapt the graphic design for users located in a specific area to better connect and engage with them.    

    When localizing a game, LQA is the last step and involves testing by a third party who ensures that the final version of the translated product is properly tailored to the audience and that everything works perfectly together. And from here result in two advantages:

    • you have a product that suits the needs and preferences of your new potential players,
    • end-users truly believe that the game was created especially for them and is not just a translated version of a game originally created for someone else.

    What do linguistic testers do?

    Instead of directly adapting the translated texts from the source language, testers reveal errors, inconsistencies, and redundancies and help to bring the desired look and feel to the game. This way it seems to be created specifically for the target market. This is crucial in ensuring a great player experience and keeping users engaged and loyal to the game.

    A complete and correct process consists of both localization and Localization Quality Assurance phases: simply translating alone doesn’t guarantee a top-notch localization result, no matter how skilled and professional the translators are. While these two steps certainly complement each other, they should always be considered as distinct and yet fundamental pieces of the whole puzzle.

    Why is LQA so important for your game?

    Well, let’s consider these stats:

    • Between 2018-2018 the global gaming industry was valued at $137.9 billion and it’s expected to hit $175.8 billion by the end of 2021 and $200 billion by the end of 2023
    localization quality assurance - market revenue
    • The mobile games industry could be worth $169.7 billion by the end of 2025 (Statista)
    •  If there were just 1.82 billion video gamers worldwide, by 2018, that number had risen to 2.2 billion and it’s forecasted to reach 3.0 billion by the end of 2021 (Statista, NewZoo)
    • With $88.2 billion, Asia-Pacific is by far the biggest region by games revenue (with China being easily the main driver here, with $45.6 billion. It’s followed by North America with $42.6 billion (mainly from the US), Europe ($31.5 Bn), Latin America ($7.2 Bn), and Middle East & Africa ($6.3 Bn). (NewZoo).

    Al these data show the gaming market is huge. And the video game industry‘s revenue surpasses every other entertainment industry. Let’s not forget that due to the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, a large part of the world has faced multiple lockdowns and social distancing in 2020 and 2021. Unprecedented free time gave players the opportunity to develop new skills and techniques and the interest in this multibillion-dollar industry has continued to increase.

    In this context, people who were never interested in playing started to consider it as a hobby and a great way of entertainment, better as books and movies. At the same time, video games are interactive by default and give players the power to control the protagonists, dictate the story and shape their own sequence of events.

    In certain ways, this is unique to video games. It’s a huge part of the reason why ensuring the quality and accuracy of all in-game text is so crucial to the ultimate success of any title and its user experience. And you can’t get this outcome without a proper LQA.

    Which are the benefits of Localization Quality Assurance?

    localization quality assurance - benefits

    First, a deep and well-organized LQA enhances the quality of your game. But finding grammar mistakes in the translated text is not the ultimate goal here and is also not a reflection on the quality of the translators’ job.

    While simple text issues such as typos or grammar mistakes can be fixed during reviews, certain aspects can only be observed by Linguistic QA testers.

    What are the benefits of LQA?

    1. Localization Quality Assurance Ensures Translation Quality

    This is probably the main goal of having a localization quality assurance stage, as it involves more than just reviewing the textual translation. It also considers the context to ensure the highest quality and it usually means having the QA tester(s) use your app, software, or play your game to find out any errors or the improvements to be made.

    The tester will be looking for in-game text mistakes such as:

    • Grammar & Spelling

    Even in the same language, some words are spelled differently depending on the country. In English, for example, “color” is the spelling used in the United States, while in all other English-speaking countries “colour” is the correct spelling.

    A good LQA tester will find and solve any grammatical and spelling mistakes that become very evident when putting in the context and that can affect your game. Therefore, it’s important to have native language speakers to review the localization and make sure that it sounds natural to your target audience.

    • Tone of Voice and Formality

    When it comes to pronouns based on a situation’s level of formality, some languages make a clear distinction between formal and informal situations. Germans and French, for example, use a specific pronoun when addressing a person they do not know and another one, less formal, is reserved for friends and family.

    • Cultural References

    Making sure that the cultural references are relevant is especially important. This aspect also includes reviewing any references to religious customs, jokes and jargon, historical context, and sensitivities (as some countries are sensitive to war or violence allusions, you need to alter or replace them completely).

    • Numeric Formats and Dates

    Mistakes like writing a date in the wrong order for the target country or using the wrong measurement unit (pounds instead of kilos, kilometers instead of miles) is a clear sign that the translated version of your game is just exactly what it sounds to be: a “translated version of an original game created for someone else”. And not providing a great gaming experience is a surefire way to push your players away.

    2. LQA Ensures Visual Quality

    In addition to ensuring the quality of all in-game texts, Localization Quality Assurance also includes verifying all visual elements to make sure they are properly adapted to the translated version of the game.

    Usually, this process includes:

    • assuring the number of characters fits properly into a text box or a button. Your LQA tester will confirm that text alignment is correct, which is especially important if your app or game includes dialogues. However, if there are some errors, he should also work with your game developers and designers to make sure the layout of the game accommodates longer text or if rewording in fewer words is required.
    • reviewing fonts and styles used
    • making sure that the images, icons, and other symbols used in the game are culturally appropriate

    At the end of the day, the translated version of your game should give players the same experience that the original game does.

    3. Testing Functionality

    A proper localization quality assurance process would not be complete without testing the functionality of the translated version of your game. This involves using the translated product as a regular user would, clicking links and buttons, and ensuring they all work just as well together and separately.

    It also means making sure that all the incompatibilities between the game and the local systems and browsers were solved and your game can be used in the country or region for which it was translated and localized.

    However, testing the functionality of the translated version of your game is the last step of the quality localization assurance stage and it should also be the last one in the product development process. 

    Takeaway

    The language quality has a big influence on the end-user. That’s why it’s important to make sure you achieve outstanding results in terms of localization quality and deliver the best immersive experience possible for your fans. If you succeed, you reach a larger audience, increase your sales, and build your brand reputation as a key global player in the gaming industry. And, in the long run, all of these translate into a better return on investment.

    Interested in knowing more about our localization quality assurance services? Contact us! We are glad to help you!


  • Gaming Influencer Marketing – Five Steps to Amplify Your Customer Trust

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    The gaming industry is booming, and according to Newzoo’s 2021 Global Games_Market_Report, is estimated to hit $175.8 billion by the end of 2021. There are many strategies you can implement to get the attention of your target audience, but gaming influencer marketing is one of the most effective. And, whether you’re a video game developer, or a brand looking for an influencer to work with, these steps will help you get off on the right foot.

    gaming influencer marketing - gaming revenue 2021

    Just like fashion, fitness, or beauty, influencers in the gaming niche have a big impact on their followers and their purchasing behavior. As gamers live-stream themselves playing popular video games on platforms like Twitch, YouTube Gaming, or Steam, they show off not only the games themselves but also the products they use to make the time they spend gaming more enjoyable. 

    However, when considering influencer marketing, some facts are sure:

    • quality content can make a great positive impact on your brand’s prospects at every stage of the buyer’s journey;
    • 82% of marketers report actively using content marketing in 2021, up 70% from last year.
    • 59% of brands have a standalone budget for content marketing, and 75% of them intend to spend a part of their budget on influencer marketing in 2021;
    • 38.5% of brands analyze influencer marketing success based on conversions and sales.

    What does this say? Well, even if content marketing is the central piece of marketing strategy, just compelling content is not enough anymore. To promote your brand, you need some influential backup to support your message. And game influencer marketing is the only form of marketing that can help you achieve these goals and also gets your game in front of the right target audience.

    To maximize your efforts, you have to find the best social media platforms for gamers, based on the data you have about your audience and the market research. However, 67% of brands use Instagram for influencer marketing. But when it comes to YouTube, 90 percent of gamers get gaming advice on a weekly basis, and 64 percent will download a game after seeing it on the platform.

    Collaborating with a streamer on Twitch is also a guaranteed way to get your game in front of the right audience, thanks to over 100 million unique visitors every month who are on the platform simply because they have a love of gaming.

    Want to create a successful marketing campaign that will gain the trust of your audience and bring value to your game? Then follow these steps:

    1. Define your target audience and goals

    We said it many times and we can’t stress enough: to have a successful (content) marketing campaign, you have to know who you are targeting is and which are your goals. Otherwise, you are shooting in the dark.

    Answering these questions will help you to define your audience and set up your objectives:

    • Who is your target audience? (define their age, gender, location, income, habits, interests, education, etc)
    gaming influencer marketing - player persona
    • What social media platforms do they use?
    • What do you want to achieve with influencer marketing? Increase your sales? Improve your user acquisition? Get a better game awareness? Grow engagement or user retention? Something else?
    • Set up your influencer marketing budget
    • Which is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? Simply put what makes your game better than competitors?
    • Which are your main Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and how do you measure them?

    2. Choose a relevant influencer

    This is one of the hardest parts of a successful gaming influencer marketing campaign – choosing the right influencer to work with. And this is a result of a large number of influencers and of their wanting to be “the one”.  In fact, according to Influencer MarketingHub, 34% of marketers state that it’s hard to find and work with a relevant influencer.

    Because you are targeting a niche in the gaming industry, you should look for gaming influencers. Chances are they address to (almost) the same niche as you do. Besides, they are also gamers, so they know what they’re talking about.      

    Where do you find the right influencers?

    Well, there are a few ways to assure you have the best influencer to work with. And when we say the “best influencer”, this doesn’t mean the person with the biggest fan base, but the influencer that fits you the best, from many points of view: audience, niche, games they play, content he creates, platform(s) he uses, and budget.

    There are two mays to find the influencers that fit your requirements the best:

    • contact an influencer agency
    • reach out to them directly.

    When searching for gaming influencers, your best options are platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Mobcrush.

    According to Google research, 70% of teenagers use YouTube and the influencers using this social network are more relatable than the traditional celebrities. On the other side, Nearly 90% of marketers say Instagram is the most strategically important channel to find and work with influencers. That’s why, depending on your target audience, you might also include other social media channels for your gaming influencer marketing strategy.

    However, we should mention here that you should pay greater attention to the micro-influencers, as they get 41% more engagement than macro and mega influencers.

    3. Define your budget and set up your payment system

    If you want to avoid later misunderstandings related to your collaboration, you should set up a budget beforehand for your influencer marketing strategy. To have an idea of how much it could cost, you should know that 90% of influencers charge $250 or less for a paid post. You should also know that 53% of the influencers who have never posted a paid post, will not charge you a fee, but they will prefer free products.

    Also, you need to be clear about the payment model. Many influencers offer a fixed price, but a better way is to arrange to pay the influencer based on the results they get.

    4. Give influencers some creativity freedom

    When working with influencers, trying to control everything might have a fatal effect. Sure, you should set some goals and expectations, and offer the influencer some guidance related to your goal and requirements, but you shouldn’t dictate everything.

    The reason is that people want to see authenticity when the influencer shares his opinions about a product, and they will immediately know if the content comes from the brand or the influencer and will be more circumspect related to the posts. Therefore, you should stop being a control freak and have more faith in the influencer’s abilities. In the end, that’s why you hired him, right? In addition, they know their audience, so why don’t let the influencers show their creativity and convincing abilities? This way, the results will be more authentic and their (and your) followers will appreciate that.    

    5. Track and analyze the results of your influencer marketing campaign

    The final step of a successful gaming influencer marketing campaign is to track and analyze the results and adapt your strategy accordingly, to meet the results you desire. If you set your KPIs correctly, it will be easy to measure what worked and what didn’t and to change or improve your strategy.   

    If you haven’t seen any noticeable result, chances are that you made some mistakes, and your gaming influencer marketing campaign doesn’t work. In this case, you must identify what worked wrong and change it accordingly.

    But when you got the desired results, then maybe it’s time to consider spending more on influencer marketing. Whether this means to work with the same influencer or hire more influencers and expand on more social media networks.

    Wrapping up

    Game influencer marketing works not because it’s a marketing trend, but because people have confidence in the influencers they follow and are more willing to buy products or services if they are recommended by those they trust.

    According to the Influencer MarketingHub report, most marketers agree that influencer marketing attracts high-quality customers, while 72% state that the quality of customers from influencer marketing campaigns is better than other marketing types they use.

    Then it’s no wonder that 90% of marketers consider influencer marketing to be effective and prefer to include it in their marketing strategy. Some of them see a return of $20 from $100 spent, which means a huge ROI.

    But to have this result, you need to choose the target audience, the right platform, the right influencer and have a great collaboration with him. Then all the gaming influencer marketing campaign puzzle pieces will fall into place. Now more people will know about, download, install, and play your game.      

    Need expanding your game to the international level? Get in touch with our team to discuss the right translation, localization, and marketing solutions for your game. And also don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive news and trends about gaming and gaming influencer marketing!


  • Top 10 Translation Management Systems To Lead Your Team

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    In this globalized economy characterized by the rapid development of technology worldwide, expanding on the new markets is vital for many businesses – regardless of the industry they act in. And you can do this only if you translate and localize your content. If you can deal with translation pretty fast and easily thanks to Neuronal Machine Technology, managing multiple translation and localization projects can be a stressful and very time-consuming task. However, you can overcome this obstacle and achieve your goals if you coordinate your translators’ team very well and have the right tools – such as translation management systems (TMS).

    What are the translation management systems?

    Translation management software is used by language service providers (LSPs) and freelance translators to handle and organize different translation and localization projects from beginning to end. They form a hub that you can use to collaborate and track translations and many forward translations automatically to translation engines and human translators. Simply put, translation management solutions are mandatory if you want to handle a large number of translation projects, or when you plan to translate and localize games.

    Many apps offer not just project management features but also come with much more options that improve the efficiency of the localization projects. However, with so many solutions on the market, which TMS should you chose for your projects? Well, the system that suits you the best depends on your needs, industry, budget, and features.

    We compiled a list of the best top 10 translation management systems on the market today:

    Lokalise

    translations management systems - Lokalise

    Being known as a platform for software translation management, Lokalise has a clean and clear UI/UX and is maybe the fastest-growing TMS on the market. It allows you to translate all types of content in one place: web and mobile apps, games, other software, marketing, and other documents.

    Lokalise helps you to:

    • get instant results from machine translations and translate your localization files (.xml, .strings, .json, .xliff, etc)
    • work both with small and large teams, agencies, and freelancers while also integrate with other apps (GitHub, Slack, JIRA, Sketch, etc.)
    • create advanced localization workflows with tasks and custom translation statuses
    • integrate translation into the development and deployment processes
    • set up automated workflows using predefined custom rules, API, and use webhooks.

    The main target audience consists of developers, project/product/localization managers, designers, and translators. Lokalise comes also with multiple CAT features, such as translation memories, in-context editors, glossaries, pre-translate functions, and more.

    Price starts at §120/month (billed annually) and $140/month (billed monthly). All the subscription plans come with a free 14-day trial.

    Phase

    translation management systems - phase

    Phrase is a leading software localization platform that helps teams of all sizes to scale up their translation processes using smart automation. Developed for web-based and mobile applications, Phase is specially created for software developers. It automates localization tasks and has an in-context editor that inspects the translation context and prevents linguistic and translation errors. Thanks to a variety of plugins and integrations, you can integrate Phrase into your favorite tools and services such as GitHub, Contentful, Jira, or Slack.

    Price: starting with $23/user/month (when billed annually) or $28/user/month and includes a 14-day free trial.

    XTM Cloud

    translation management systems - XTM CLoud

    XTM Cloud is one of the enterprise cloud-based translation management systems and has an integrated computer-aided translation tool. The software has a well-developed REST API and out-of-the-box connectors for most common content management systems and machine translation systems.

    The flexible and automated workflow streamlines complex localization processes and supply chains while providing project managers with an up-to-date view of the project status. XTM Cloud is designed to be scalable, flexible and agile, and comes with a rich set of features. It has a workflow builder that enables complex processes to be defined, analytics, time tracking, quality evaluation integrated with TAUS DQF, multiple connectors, and a customer portal.

    Pricing: starts with $61/month – price for 2 users and 20.000 words/month, while the minimum subscription period is 3 months.

    Crowdin

    Created in 2009 by a Ukrainian company, Crowdin is a cloud-based solution that streamlines localization management for your team. It’s the perfect place to effectively manage all your multilingual content, including apps, websites, games, help documentation, designs, and the list can go on. The translation management system helps you to speed up the localization process and automate content updates while providing some interesting core features:

    • content integrations with your repository on GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket/Azure Repos
    • integrations with Google Play, Android Studio, VS Code, and other systems
    • Figma, Adobe XD, and Sketch plugins
    • integrations with marketing tools: Mailchimp, Contentful, SendGrid, Hubspot, Dropbox, and more
    • API, CLI, webhooks
    • Translation Memory
    • Quality Assurance checks
    • reports

    Pricing: starting with $16/month – when billed annually, and $19/month when billed monthly. All the subscription plans come with a 14-day free trial.

    Transifex

    Transifex is one of the open cloud-based translation management systems for localizing digital data and content, such as websites, mobile apps, games, video, help centers, subtitles, and more. It’s best suited for developers and manages language files such as YAML, XLIFF, and Gettext. Transifex integrates with the development process, service providers, apps, accounting systems, and customer management systems. 

    Pricing: from $70/month when billed annually (or $80/month when billed monthly) and includes a 15-day free trial.

    Memsource

    Combining traditional translation technology with artificial intelligence, Memsource is a translation management system for companies and enterprises. The software identifies content needed to be translated and automatically forwards them to the appropriate engine. It can also forward text that requires human translation to approved translators directly or allow you to choose. The application comes with various integrations and features, such as:

    • CAT Editor for Web, Desktop, and Mobile – support of over 50 file types
    • machine translation automation, integration, and enablement
    • AI-powered machine translation quality estimation
    • REST API
    • CMS connectors to enable continuous localization.

    Supporting more than 500 languages, 30 machine translation engines, and over 50 file types, Memsource is intuitive and integrates with most other enterprise software. The platform also integrates with many other online business tools, such as Zendesk, GitHub, Marketo, and the list can go on.

    Pricing: $27/project manager/month, but also has a 30-day free trial version that includes 1000 jobs.

    Smartcat

    Smartcat is powered by artificial intelligence and provides human translation or machine translations as appropriate. When you need human translations, it connects you with linguists, based on the specific algorithms to match the project with translators, according to their availability and price. The cloud-based platform features tools such as translation memories, glossaries, dictionaries, and a variety of machine translation engines. 

    Pricing: it starts with a free plan, that allows you to translate 15.000 words/month. However, the premium subscriptions start at $249/month.

    Wordbee

    Wordbee is part of the cloud-based and end-to-end translation management systems for freelancers, LSPs, and Enterprises that have an integrated CAT tool. It provides an easy web-based solution with no installation required to operate it. Providing you with a combination between project management and advanced business analytics features, Wordbee Translator (TMS & CAT platform) helps you to monitor a wide variety of KPIs in your translation projects and forecast costs, dates, and workload.

    Wordbee can integrate with various content sources and offers special workflows for different types of projects, such as translating games, software, business documents, apps, marketing materials, and websites.

    Pricing: starting with $125 /month for translators (when billed annually), Wordbee comes also with a 15-day free trial.

    Pairaphrase

    Pairaphrase is a web-based translation management system that is HIPAA, PCI, and SOX compliant. It helps with translation challenges within Microsoft Office and can translate into 57 languages. It can also translate speech to text on mobile devices. 

    Pricing: starting package costs $99 and allows you to translate 5.000 words in 30 days.

    LingoHub

    When it comes to the secure and reliable translation management system, LingoHub is a special name that helps you to create texts and translation projects in one place. It detects all text changes made in the project, ensures that the translation depends on custom quality checks, and handles all technical issues. This system includes machine translation, translation memory, automatic checks, and custom databases to ensure translation quality.

    Pricing: starting with €24/month for annual billing and includes a 14-day free trial.

    Final words about translation management systems

    Selecting the right translation management system for your project is a complete process and will take some time. However, before deciding which solution to implement, you should consider the following steps:

    • decide which are the most important characteristics the TMS must have
    • make a shortlist of the best software on the market and compare the characteristics of each of them with what you have on the list.
    • eliminate systems that do not have the necessary functions
    • request a test and a free trial to see how it works in the real life
    • choose the best option for you, that fits perfectly your needs.

    Even if it seems a long and daunting task, finding one of the best translation management systems is essential to the effectiveness and efficiency of your localization projects.

  • Why Game Translation Is More Difficult Than You Think

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    We all have come across translation and localization failures. In many cases, they are silly and funny and at least bring a smile to your face. But when it comes to a game translation, things are not so funny anymore. Especially when you want to expand into a foreign market and attract a whole new audience.

    The translation is an essential factor in any localization project. You need to understand that no matter how big or small your mistakes are, they will affect you in many ways:

    • your audience will become irritated by your mistakes, will not understand your game, and ultimately, will refuse to play it
    • your translation errors will generate negative reviews that will damage your reputation
    • a bad reputation will lead to lower sales

    Of course, many of these mistakes are unintentional and have many reasons. Which are they? And why is a translation more difficult than it seems at first glance? Let’s find out.

    Gamers care about translations more than you could imagine

    The first reason for which game translation is more difficult than you imagine is because players care about it – a lot. More than you could realize. Why?

    Well, let us explain. When you translate a game, you don’t just replace the words in the text created in the original language with those in the target language. You want to make yourself understood and interact with the new audience, communicating with them in the most natural way possible in their own language. Using their own words.

    When people play your game, they want to have the feeling that it is created especially for them and that it fits their values. But this will not happen when you get wrong. Besides, you’re leaving yourself open to bad press, poor reviews, and underachieving sales. In some cases, you might even face a negative reaction from a large market audience. And these situations are neither new nor just a few.

    Every language is different

    This is true for any type of translation project regardless of industry, but especially for the gaming industry. While the actual process of translating a game is pretty much the same no matter the language, each of them brings its own unique set of challenges.

    Above all, certain things simply can’t be translated or lose their meaning when you adapt them to another language. That’s why it’s important to hire translators who have specialist language knowledge or are native speakers of the language. Besides, hiring translators that are also players is one of the best practices when translating games. 

    This way they can easily recognize the potential issues and solve them as soon as possible.

    Insufficient contextualization affects your game translation

    Lack of context is by far one of the most common causes of translation fails! And like it or not, understanding and adapting to the context is still the only reason for which the human translators are still the best way to properly translate not just games, but anything else on the market.

    Without knowing the context, a single phrase or word in your game’s original language could mean a lot of different things in the targeted languages.

    Therefore, it’s important to include in your localization kit:

    • context notes, tips, and hints related to characters, like who the speaker and addressee are, the language they use, or customs they have
    • the use of certain objects used in the game
    • a description of your variables,
    • a description of each character, their voice, and the tone they use
    • a description of other elements of the game like items, world, culture, economic, historic, and religious customs, storyline, and more.

    Even if it’s hard to remember that your translation and localization teams do not know the game as much as you do, don’t leave any room for misinterpretation. Add as many details as you can. This way you’ll help your linguist specialists to familiarize with your game.

    Careless culturalization

    Culture is one of the most important reasons for which you need a native speaker to handle your translation and localization project. Even when the context is taken into account, you can expect word-for-word translations to fail completely because they do not fully consider the cultural aspect that might influence them.

    Sometimes, entire phrases or conversations will need to be reformulated or reshaped for the strings if you want to make sense in a given culture. In other cases, the differences that could appear in a dialect will need a pretty different translation.

    For example, if you are targeting the Latin American market but you hire a team of Spanish translators who will translate your game into Spanish from Spain, your target audience most likely won’t connect with your game due to the differences in both cultures and dialects.

    Translating digital content is a technical process

    game translation coding process

    Translating any kind of digital content is a technical process and this is especially true for game translation. This is because developers need to internationalize games (coding them in a way that makes adding, removing, or editing languages easier) before starting to localize them. This requires a certain programmatic format of creating separate language files and then putting them together in Translation Management Systems.

    You also have to think about and find solutions that will allow your translated content to fit into your game as it changes. Once you translate the text in one language or another, words and sentences can be longer or shorter, meaning they might not fit on-screen or within elements in the same way. The longer text also takes longer to read and longer voiceovers take longer to complete. This results in insufficient time for players to read the subtitles or that the dialogue doesn’t fit the game. And the list of technical considerations goes on.

    Inappropriate budget for game translation

    game translation budget

    If have a low budget to develop, translate and localize your game, you can always use localization provided by Artificial Intelligence. As automatic translation services, you can use machine translations like Google Translate or DeepL.

    But used alone, these solutions are not enough to have a polished translation and can lead to messy results, thus destroying immersion for your players. And this is because machine translations don’t understand the humor, context, or other subtleties of the human language. That’s why it’s important to always use humans as proofreaders and editors.

    You can also decide to go for fan translations. And when it comes to quality, fan translation is not always the best choice from the quality point of view, because they are not done professionally. Even if it’s a great way to engage your audience. Besides, they have often lacked consistency due to the disorganization of the project.

    Additionally, if you decide to reduce your costs and hire non-native speakers – or non-professional translators – you may well end having problems. Non-native speakers might not have the deep understanding of the language and culture that’s needed for an appropriate game translation, while professional localization companies hire native speakers for each language they work in.

    Incomplete preparation

    A game translation and localization project involves extremely much data and files. And without proper preparation, your localization team won’t be able to succeed. Those files need to be easily editable text files or spreadsheets and organized logically.

    When you complicate things too much, you’ll slow down your translation and localization team and also reduce the time they have to translate your game at a high-quality level.

    The fewer text files, the better. However, don’t place everything into a single file and leave it at that. Your content needs to be organized so that your localization team can easily find the sections they are looking for.

    Consider using tabs (bios, UI, dialogues, weapons, Steam page, etc.) to organize your content in a spreadsheet.

    Your dialogues and cutscenes should be organized in the same context in which they appear in the game. Additionally, genders and plurals should be correctly identified.

    Make sure you also prepare fonts that are specific to the targeted language. If you are localizing your game in Japanese or Russian, use a font family that contains the appropriate alphabets.

    Gaming localization is important

    You can’t translate a video game and forget about localization. This is the process of adapting your game to the specificity of the market you target. It includes not just translating the text inside of the game, but also adapting on-screen elements to accommodate the new content, as well as a range of other factors. And don’t forget about optimizing your game listings in app stores and designing a language selection menu as part of your game translation process.

    While the internet has made it easier for developers at all levels to enter both the domestic and foreign markets, many underestimate the challenge of translating their titles for worldwide audiences. Note that a quality game translation starts in the early stage planning phase and includes everything, including the code in the core files. So make sure you start the translation process as soon as possible to avoid problems later.

    Final Words

    Strictly speaking, games are supposed to be also localized to fit the market, not just translated. That’s why game translation and localization are not about being accurate. It is more about creating an engaging text that will help gamers of a specific region immerse themselves into the game universe. And this is our specialty. Lets’s chat and see how we can help you to expand your business on the international market.

  • Localization for Latin America – What You Should Know

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    The Latin America area is a sensational part of the world, full of history, cultures, and traditions that have stood the test of time. The region includes South America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, all of them speaking romance languages (mainly Portuguese and Spanish).

    With a growing population becoming increasingly tech-savvy and interested in everything that comes from abroad, the region has had a mixed evolution in recent decades, and is included by economists in the category of “emerging markets”. And the gaming industry doesn’t make any exception to the rule.

    With more than 289 million game players and $7.2 Bn in predicted revenues by the end of 2021, the Latin American region has a prominent role in this industry.

    Localization for Latin America - number of game players

    According to Statista, Mexico and Brazil ranked as the leading video game markets in Latin America, generating an estimated $1.9 billion and $1.75 billion, respectively. Gaming revenue in both countries was over three times higher than in Argentina – the country with the third-highest revenue in the region.

    What was the reason? The pandemic played a significant role in accelerating online gaming in LatAm. With COVID 19 pandemic and its social restrictions, people turned their attention and time to the game. They tried to disconnect from the outside world and engage socially with their peers, but also influenced the gaming industry trends.

    Online gaming in Latin America: an expanding market 

    Even though Latin American countries are still working to build modern networks and provide a stable and fast internet connection to everyone regardless of the place they live, around 58% of the online population are playing games. Overall, the Latin American market is considered to have the most engaged number of users, both male and female. Then is no wonder that the gaming industry wisely redefining its marketing strategy to reach this huge potential new audience. And understanding Latin American localization is essential to fast success.

    How many languages are spoken in Latin America?

    Even if most of the time, companies look only at Brazilian Portuguese and a generic Latin American Spanish or even Universal Spanish to cover all the countries in one go, you must keep in mind that the Latin American audience is not a homogenous one. It might seem impossible at the first glance, but there are nearly 370 spoken languages in this area, including the indigenous ones. Haitian Creole is different from French, and Brazilian Portuguese has its own traits which differ it from Portuguese. Plus, Latin America’s indigenous languages aren’t all confined to a few small communities. If you go to rural Mexico, you might hear Náhuatl, Chol, Totonaca, Mazateco, Mixteco, Zapoteco, Otomí, Tzotzil, Tzeltal, or Maya, among others, while Quechua, a language indigenous to the Andes and used by the Inca Empire, is spoken by nearly 8 million people in Peru.

    Four Keys to Latin American Gaming Localization

    1. Languages & Looks

    Even if translation and localization are not the same things, when expanding your gaming business in Latin America, translation is the first step. The predominant language in Latin America is Spanish, but it is different from the kind spoken in Spain.

    Latin American Spanish

    While originally brought by the Spanish colonizers, in Latin America, Spanish has adopted many words from native languages and others such as English. Around the world, about 450 million people speak Spanish as their native language, and over 300 million of these are in Latin America. While there are many dialects spoken in the Americas, speakers of almost all can understand each other without major difficulties.

    This doesn’t mean that Latin American Spanish can safely be used to cover the whole region. Even if they understand the message, the audience will always recognize that the text had not been localized specifically for them.

    Universal Spanish

    To help the Spanish speakers understand each other, was created Neutral or Universal Spanish. It does not exist as a living language and nobody uses it in everyday life. It’s an artificial construct created to simplify the translation and localization process. Here are some pros and cons:

    • Universal Spanish is more suitable for technical content, but marketing and communication documents, such as ads, commercials, and brochures, should be localized for each market.
    • Often, it will not be possible to find a perfectly universal term that works in all Spanish-speaking countries. In some cases, you will have to decide between two mutually exclusive options. However, very rarely the message will be misunderstood.
    • Readers will be more forgiving if you are honest about your use of Universal Spanish. Include a note explaining that the choice was made to make the content as widely understood as possible.

    Brazilian Portuguese

    Maybe Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Latin America, but Brazilian Portuguese has more speakers due to the size of Brazil’s economy and its population of over 200 million.

    Despite efforts at standardization by the Community of Portuguese Language Countries, Brazilian Portuguese differs significantly from the Portuguese spoken in Portugal and other lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) countries.

    And this is the result of the rigid colonization policies of Portugal that banned the existence of institutions of higher education, local newspapers, and any kind of press in the American colonies. Therefore, Brazil lacked some of the most powerful means available to slow down the changing process that languages naturally undergo.

    Other colonial languages

    The 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas split the entire non-European world between Spain and Portugal, with a line drawn through South America. However, in the 17th century, England, France, and the Netherlands succeeded in establishing permanent colonies in the New World.

    So, excepting Spanish and Portuguese (the two dominant colonial languages in the Latin America region), other European languages are official in several countries. Dutch is the official language of Suriname; English is spoken in the Falkland Islands and is the official language of Guyana, while French is the official language of French Guiana. There are also small immigrant communities speaking many other European languages, such as German, Italian or Polish.

    Indigenous languages

    The European colonizers and their successor states had varying attitudes towards Native American languages. In many Latin American colonies, Spanish and Portuguese missionaries had to learn local languages and cultures to preach to the natives in their own tongues and relate the Christian message to their indigenous religions. However, since the European conquest, the fate of the native languages has overwhelmingly been one of decline.

    There is an exception to the disappearance of the native languages of America: the Guaraní language. It is really developing, because it is spoken in parts of Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina, in Paraguay.

    Indigenous languages in the Americas that make it to one million speakers or above are found in three areas:

    • Mesoamerica – home to Mayan, Nahuatl, Zapotec, Mixtec and many others.
    • Paraguay – the only Latin American country where Guaraní – an indigenous language – has a truly meaningful official status.
    • Central Andes – the rugged mountainous regions where Aymara and Quechua are spoken.

    2. Customer Satisfaction

    More than in any other industry, customer satisfaction should be your top-most priority.

    Ken Blanchard once said, “Just having satisfied customers isn’t good enough anymore. If you really want a booming business, you have to create raving fans.”

    Connecting to gamers and being active in the online gaming communities is a great way to become popular among players. If you want to be part of the Latin American gaming market, you should make accessible customer service in Spanish, Portuguese, and other local languages. Also, talk to gamers when they face an issue and try to resolve it as soon as possible.

    3. Localized Payments

    Making payments convenient for gamers should be among the core tasks on your list. As there are many different forms of payments expected by Latin American consumers ( installment plans, bank transfers, cash vouchers, and more), pay close attention to how you handle these situations.

    4. Localized Marketing

    Last but not least, gaming localization means also adapting your marketing efforts to the Latin American region. According to HubSpot, Latin American consumers were more opened to online marketing than their peers from other countries. Social media and video marketing and are far more effective in this region, while Latin American consumers prefer not to be emailed with marketing content.

    Latin America social preferences

    Final words

    Just translating the words is not enough to make your site appealing to Latin Americans. Functional content such as date formats and measures can help make your site more attractive and engaging to Latin American consumers. As most of the region uses the metric system, it’s important to convert measures of weight and size.

    When adapting your game for the LatAm region, you might want to localize just the game, but you should consider also localizing other content: support pages, marketing materials, FAQs, etc. All of them will help you to succeed in Latin America.


  • Top 5 DOS and DON`TS for a Gaming Startup

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    The gaming industry has changed a lot from the beginning until now. And this means four decades of gaming history. Sure, in the 70s (when it all started) there were not so many games to play, so it was enough for you to release one product and a whole gang of hungry players just jumped on it, ready to start. 40 years later, with an estimated of $175.8 billion revenue in 2021 and 3.0 billion players across the globe, the industry is considered the biggest earning media sector.  So, it´s no wonder that we see the gaming startups and industry leaders fighting to get the attention of (more or less) the same target audience.

    games history - gaming startup

    With almost over 30,000 games just on Steam alone now (without taking into consideration the console or mobile niches), you can’t just launch a game and expect it to be played and sell automatically.

    Even if you create and develop a great product, full of personality, heroic characters, and amazing sceneries, your game will be buried by the cohort of thousands of competitors. But if you want to stand out from the crowd, you need a business, marketing, and localization strategy to make your efforts count.

    This post aims to be a quick list of dos and don’ts that any gaming startup owner should follow to market his business effectively.  

    DOs for a Gaming Startup

    Focus on research

    Like many other industries, games no longer target a homogeneous public anymore. Technological development, diversification, inclusion, and evolution of the target audience, have led to the massive growth of the gaming community. You can develop a powerful strategy only after you do your homework and know your market very well.

    What does it mean?

    Basically, you must know your target audience and your competition. Let’s take them one by one.   

    Creating your player personas – the first step for a gaming startup

    Determining your target market is the first crucial and logical step in defining a product, marketing, and overall business strategy.

    What are the player personas and why are they so important for your business?

    Simply put, player personas (or buyer personas) are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers you created based on research and data. Knowing this information will help you to better understand your customers and potential customers. This makes it easier for you to tailor your content, messaging, product development, localization, and other services to meet the specific needs, behavior, and concerns of the members of your target audience.

    As a result, you’ll be able to attract more valuable gamers for your business, who you’ll be more likely to retain over time.

    To create your player personas, can use different templates or a buyer persona generator.

    Research your competitors

    Researching your competitors is great for seeing what they have done and what their overall marketing, sales, and business strategies have been. They are a good source of inspiration and you can adapt to your specifics what worked well and avoid the mistakes they made. And this research can include from product development to localization for different markets to social media strategies, SEO, and content marketing.

    Create your business plan – a solid road map for your gaming startup

    Creating your business plan is also a crucial step, not just at the very first beginning when you just opened your company, but along the whole journey. It’s an outline that explains what your business is about, which are your goals, and how exactly you will achieve them.

    Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” (Benjamin Franklin).

    A good business plan outline will also help you to achieve short-term and long-term objectives, and

    • target your problems
    • get a better advice
    • organize your resources
    • approach investors
    • and create milestones.

    Develop your marketing plan

    marketing plan - gaming startup

    This is a road map of your marketing strategy for the long-, medium- and short terms. It defines your marketing objectives, shows you how to reach them, and highlights the tactics and plans (and also the alternatives) you’ll use.

    When creating your marketing plan strategy, focus on online and consider the following:

    Website 

    Even if developing your website is just a part of your online presence, it’s still the most important one. And this is because all the other marketing actions (social media, engaging in gaming communities, or influencer marketing) are strongly related to your website. Therefore, it must capture your audience and keep your game in their mind, so you should:      

    • create a good and engaging description and include the applicable keywords to improve your ranking
    • the whole design should reflect your game story; include images and screenshots along with a short video about your game
    • describe what playing the game feels like.

    Blogging

    Spreading the word about your startup project is invaluable. And a blog that includes both news and quality content will promote your game and company while keeping your audience up to date with your current and upcoming endeavors.

    Furthermore, including the right calls to action will help attract more users and makes you more visible to search engines. At the same time, they will help you not just manage users’ expectations but also to get their feedback.

    Influencer marketing – an important social proof for a gaming startup

    Working with gaming influencers is a great way to market your game, as they have a big impact on players and can spread the word about your product. Then why not take the advantage of the relationships they have with their followers and push your game to a wider audience? A single piece of content created by a gaming influencer can lead to thousands of interactions. You can generate good exposure and expand your reach for more sales.

    Here are some tips for a successful influencer marketing campaign:

    • choose the right influencer: pick a celebrity for your niche, instead of going for someone popular in other games
    • personalize your pitch:  sending mass emails with a generic message is a huge mistake. Personalize your pitch by addressing the influencer by name, and writing a few lines about your appreciation for his activity, your game and your unique collaboration
    • consider micro-influencers: micro-influencers with adequate followers sometimes work better than the top names in your industry
    • allow creative freedom: influencers know what resonates with their audience. So give them the creative freedom to advertise your game in an attractive way to their public. 

    Social networking

    This is another essential part of marketing for any gaming startup. According to the latest social media statistics, there are 4.48 billion social media users around the world in July 2021. And there are great chances that your target audience be part of the social media users.

    2021 social media users - gaming startup

    Therefore, joining the social platforms and gaming communities is a great way to maintain a relationship with your current and potential users. Take part in discussions, share useful content, and leave comments. This will help you earn the faith of gamers and get some exposure.

    Be engaged and updated

    Gaming companies and especially gaming startups must provide excellent customer services. Be reachable for the gamers and answer every question they might have. Along with that, release tips and tricks, advice, and walkthroughs of your game. Also, announcing upcoming releases and developments is a great way to keep your gamers in anticipation. 

    In conclusion, give as much information as possible to get as much attention you can.

    Be realistic

    Many game businesses or indie game developers start large projects hoping that everything will go smoothly. But very soon things become complicated, and it seems that nothing works as planned and no deadlines could be met. Of course, it also depends on your team’s experience. But if you want to succeed, start with small steps and accomplish every milestone before beginning the next one. Otherwise, the whole process becomes chaotic, all the milestones make no sense, and you end up spending much more time and resources than you originally planned for.

    DON’TS for a Gaming Startup

    Don’t fall into stereotypes

    There were 2.69 billion gamers worldwide by the end of 2020 and the figures are forecasting to reach 3.0 billion players by the end of 2021. But they don’t play the same games and don’t have the same demographic characteristics; they don’t like the same culture nor speak the same language. Besides, each gamer has his own favorite preferences, genre, and platform. And you have to realize this if you want to attract the right user and potential customer for your game.

    Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

    That’s why you can’t develop and implement the same marketing and content strategy for everyone.

    Common stereotypes to avoid:

    • gender and age: most people think that gamers as teenagers, especially boys; but most gamers are over 35 years old, while 48% are females
    • gamer’s tag: casual gamers may not even think of themselves as gamers. In a survey by Blizzard, 71% of moms said they play games; but, only 48% identified themselves as gamers
    • popularity: games are not viewed as a negative thing anymore. They are now cool, exciting, and fun, especially due to the multiple lockdowns caused by the coronavirus pandemic
    • purpose: people turn to games not just for fun, but to relieve stress, pass the time, or relax. It’s no wonder that the gaming industry could be considered the new social media.

    Don’t push your game until it’s ready

    This is common sense and theoretically, it would seem to be a superfluous recommendation. But too many gaming startups have made the mistake of announcing the launch of a product that isn’t ready yet or, worse, one that isn’t even playable.

    Before releasing your game on the market, ask yourself: are you sure it works as it should? If yes, this demonstrates to your audience, partners, and investors that you keep your promises. By showing them the product, you will not just gain their trust, but also have the chance of getting honest feedback that can be used for further improvements.

    But if a lot of flaws and bugs are discovered after launch, you will get a bad reputation. It will not just haunt you for years to come, but you will lose most of your audience, partners, and investors.

    Don´t forget about financial planning

    Some entrepreneurs think that once they have received initial funding, they no longer have to do financial planning. On the other side, there’s also the myth that gaming startups do not need to be disciplined with their finances.

    Both these myths are absolutely wrong. It’s crucial for your business to plan every step, especially when it’s about money and other resources; otherwise, you can pretty much expect to fail. However, if this happens and you realize quickly that you’re stuck, then you can limit the damages.

    Don´t waste your whole time creating teams

    Even if you run a startup, you will want to have the best professionals and people in your team. But bringing the new employees could be a very time-consuming task. Even if you are at an early or late stage of the recruitment process, make sure you have the needed resources and time.

    At the same time, don’t forget that team building is a non-ending process, and you should never stop looking for the best talent. But also, don’t waste all your time here.

    Final words

    There are plenty of useful resources out there where you can find lots of useful information. Use them properly, because they cost nothing and will help you get your business on the right track.

    These basic things are crucial for any gaming startup project to grow big. And even when you are very limited in your resources (a very common situation for most startups) you can avoid the above mistakes and find the possibilities to implement the good practices we’ve mentioned in this post. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit then you will know how to take advantage of useful information. But it’s necessary to be 100% engaged in what you do to not miss something really significant.

    Need more info?  Let’s chat today about how we can help your game to perform and reach a global audience!


  • Best Social Media Platforms To Find Gamers

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    Gamers are an extremely sophisticated and complex audience, with a mindset different from an average customer, very specific tastes, and cultural behavior. Thriving on the internet, the presence on social media platforms is an intrinsic part of their daily life. From discovering new releases and interacting with their favorites brands to connecting with their peers, game social media has multiple purposes for game players.

    For sure, most of your target audience is present in large numbers across one or o more platforms. Therefore, creating social media accounts and having a consistent social media strategy will help you expand your fan base, increase your brand awareness, and boost your sales.

    If in a previous post we revealed you six foolproof strategies to promote your game on social media, in today’s article we’ll focus on explaining to you why social media matters and which are the best social media platforms to find your ideal target audience.  

    Why does social media matter?

    The Trend Newzoo reports showed that there were 2.69 billion gamers worldwide by the end of 2020. With an annual average growth of 5.3% (YoY), the figures are forecasting to reach 3.0 billion players by the end of 2021, who will generate an estimated $175.8 billion this year.  

    Comparatively, statistics showed there were 4.48 billion social media users around the world in July 2021, equivalent to almost 57 percent of the total global population.

    The chances are, that a large part of the total number of game players to be among the social media users. For example, League of Legends has over 14.7 million followers on their Facebook page and 5 million followers on their Twitter page, all eager to play the game or wanting to get updates, news, and interesting content.  

    So, you can also successfully use social media for interacting with your potential gamers. But you need to research your audience and create your ideal player profile, select the best networks where your target audience spends most of their time and create a consistent social media strategy.  

    Which are the best social media platforms for you in 2021?

    Let’s find out!

    Facebook

    With 2.89 billion monthly active users in 2021, Facebook is the most popular social media network overall. As some of the statistics related to video content show,

    • 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support 
    • internet users spend close to 7 hours each week watching online videos
    • watching a product video convinced 74% of people to download an app or software.

    No wonder that Facebook improved its UI and UX to provide excellent options for implementing video nurturing strategies to increase conversions. As a gaming provider, you have multiple options to advertise your brand:

    • official brand/company page
    • official game page
    • ads
    • live streaming, videos, and other types of written content
    • fan pages
    • gaming communities

    After Microsoft decided to shut down Mixer and partnered with Facebook, the social media platform may even have new meaning for gamers. The older Mixer gaming community is encouraged to move on to Facebook Gaming. This means more players on Facebook you can connect with to get more exposure and sales. 

    As mentioned before, the Facebook streaming service is gaining more and more popularity. You can stream live, share videoclips and even conduct tournaments. Due to all the types of content you can post on Facebook and to the advertising options you have here, it is one of the best social media platforms. That’s why you should use it to promote your game and push your product in front of a large audience.

    Twitter

    Unlike other platforms, Twitter has very fast become a great way to connect and interact with your potential game players. In 2020, Twitter saw 2 billion tweets about gaming, and this amount increase by 18% in the first part of 2021.     

    Gamers around the world come to Twitter to discuss the latest happenings, news, and trends> This makes the platform is ideal for sharing new game announcements, patch notes, or highlights from major esports events.

    Here are the main countries that have Tweeted about gaming most often in 2021 so far:

    • Japan
    • United States
    • Korea
    • Brazil
    • Thailand
    • Philippines
    • India
    • United Kingdom
    • France
    • Spain

    Twitter is one of the greatest social media platforms for networking. When attending a gaming event or a conference, you will be asked for your name and contact details. Considering this, you may think of Twitter as a professional way to connect with your fan base or announce different news and trends.

    In addition, gamers love to interact with gaming legends and top gamers. That’s why Twitter is also a great place to work with gaming influencers who can spread the word about your launch. Best of all, your audience on Twitter is more likely to share recommendations than those on other platforms.

    All of these characteristics make Twitter a great platform to focus your social media efforts.

    Instagram

    Instagram is a great place to share incredible visuals of your game. Part of the Facebook network, Instagram could be your one-stop-shop for beautiful pictures and short videos. However, it’s not just a great social network to share your visuals. Instagram also comes with multiple specially designed features that have high engagement rates, such as shoppable posts. 

    But maybe one of the most important characteristics of Instagram is that it’s a network to connect with popular personalities in different niches. You can choose between people who have a large number of followers or micro-influencers. If you want to include influencer marketing among other online strategies, Instagram is a must-have platform. 

    YouTube

    YouTube is one of the best social media platforms for game marketing. The greatest advantage it comes with is the possibility of ranking higher in Google SERPs if you optime the videos and your channel for SEO. This means including specific keywords in your video’s description and title. Many tools can help you boost the YouTube views and maximize your organic search, one of them being vidIQ.

    Using YouTube is an excellent method to ensure some good organic traffic to grow your reach. 

    Apart from organic traffic, YouTube is also well-known for the presence of a large number of gamers.  All the gaming streamers and gurus are present of the best video social media platforms and they also come with a massive followers base. For example, PewDiePie, a top YouTube gamer, boasts 105 million followers, JuegaGerman has 35.2 million subscribers, while MrBeast comes with 39.7 million fans. Not being on YouTube means losing out a huge number of potential customers.

    When you want to nurture your audience, you have several options:

    • trailers: you can create short (30 – 60-second) videos to increase exposure. Share them not just on your YouTube channel, but also on your website and game pages.
    • work with influencers: top gamers who have millions of followers give you the opportunity to reach the best audience to promote your games. By working with influencers, you can market your game to high-potential leads.
    • behind the scenes videos: release videos of how you and your team work together to capture the imagination of gamers. 
    • walkthroughs and tutorials: you can keep your audience engaged by publishing frequent gaming content that is interesting, helpful, and insightful to them.
    • YouTube ads: like all the other social media platforms, YouTube also gives you the possibility of increasing your exposure by using paid ads. If you have the budget, you can invest in them.

    Discord

    With 150 million monthly users, Discord is an important place and one of the best social media platforms to create a buzz around your game. As a gaming developer, you can easily connect with gamers and find out what’s on their mind. The live chat platform is mostly to interact with your audience. At the same time, Discord also provides you with some benefits, such as:

    • selling games: Discord allows you to create a storefront on your server and sell your game directly to fans.
    • get great profit: Discord shares revenues on a 9/10 basis, helping you keep a good profit margin.
    • test your game: give early access to your fans and influencers and they will help you to increase the awareness of your game.
    • go viral: by using Rich Presence, fans can show off your games on their profiles and let anyone know they play your game!
    • analytics: generate insights on your games and audiences using advanced analytics with top-of-funnel attribution tracking.
    • create communities: Discord is one of the best outlets to start creating your own gaming community.

    Steam

    While it is not necessarily one of the well-known social media platforms, Steam is kind of a Mecca for gamers. Describing themselves as “the ultimate destination for playing, discussing, and creating games” Steam is a place where you can find a mix of the latest and greatest games – both existing and upcoming.

    To get the most out of Steam, you must join the platform and create a page for your game. Then you can grow a community around your game and release regular updates or different features, add game guides, walkthroughs, and even conduct live streams. Also, you should join the discussions and interact personally with your audience. 

    Twitch

    With 2.2 – 3.2 million monthly broadcasters and 15 million daily active users, Twitch accounts for over 72% of all hours users spend watching live streams on the internet. As many of today’s gamers are millennials, Twitch is one of those social media platforms for gamers you want to use to make your game reach that specific target audience.

    Twitch’s focus on viewer involvement, such as viewer rewards, goals, and incentives, seems to be paramount on the platform. No wonder that it is one of the preferred options for the most popular streamers. A Stream Hatchet report shows that in the first quarter of 2021, viewers spent a total of 6.3 billion hours watching Twitch streams. And this is a very good reason for which you’ll want to work with Twitch influencers and make your game succeed.    

    Twitch also lets you advertise your game on the platform by using images and video products. Your ads will play before videos as they do on YouTube. They will also appear on some Twitch pages and generate more clicks. 

    Wrapping up – use social media platforms to find your ideal gamers

    Creating and managing your presence on some of the social media platforms (if not on all of them) is a daunting task. You need a powerful and consistent social media strategy if you want to get your game in front of the right target audience. But more importantly, you need to define the profile of your ideal gamer and, select those networks where your audience spends most of their time and focus your social media plan there.


  • How to Create A Powerful Content Localization Strategy

    If in some of our previous posts, we explained what localization is and why it’s so important in today’s increasingly globalized economy, what if we discussed content localization? Let’s face it: every business owner’s dream is to conquer the international market. So we are seeing more and more businesses launching and distributing their products and services in multiple countries.

    And even if English is considered the international language of communication and it was the most used on the internet in 2020, all the other nine languages that rank in the top 10 – Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Indonesian/Malaysian, Portuguese, French, Japanese, Russian, and German – represented almost 51% of the languages spoken worldwide.

    content localization - most spoken languages

    This means you can’t communicate with your target market just in English. All the languages are different not just from the semantic point of view, but also have distinct backgrounds that affect the way people may understand you.

    So, the main questions are: how do you convey your message creatively and efficiently? How can you engage with your target audience and convince them to buy your product or service? The answer is by localizing content.

    Believe it or not, localization is a very powerful tool when promoting your brand. And this is based on CSA research, which shows that 65% of customers prefer content in their native language. Furthermore, 40% of consumers responded they won’t buy in another language, while 60% of those surveyed said they would prefer rather to have a badly translated website, advertisements and other marketing collaterals than not have it at all.

    But to make the content localization process easy for your business, you have to understand what it is and have an efficient strategy.

    What Is Content Localization?

    Content localization is the process of taking content that was originally created for a specific audience and adapting it to a new target market. Despite the general opinion, localization and translation are not the same.

    When talking about markets with different spoken languages, translation is part of the localization services.

    Let’s say, for example, you originally launched your product on the USA market and, consequently, you developed a website for the American audience. When you want to expand in Germany, you have to localize your content for the German market. This means not just translating the texts from English into German but also adapting cultural nuances. This includes graphic design and all other additional elements to the German cultural, historical, and religious customs, as well as various legal regulations.

    However, there can be also situations when you just need to adapt the content for different markets that belong to different geographical areas but speak the same language. Like, for example, localizing content from American English to UK English. In this situation, you don’t need to translate the content, but for sure you’ll need a localization specialist to adapt your content to the specificity of the British market.

    Simply put, content localization is about ensuring your audience can understand your content in the right context.

    Why Should You Localize Your Content?

    Before getting started on how to create a powerful content localization strategy, let’s see why you need this.

    Content localization brings you a wide range of benefits. But the first and the most important one consists in connecting with your audience in a way that feels natural for them. This results in increasing their interaction and engagement with your brand, while also remaining loyal to it.

    Some statistics support these facts:

    • according to CSA Research, almost 40% of internet users stated they will never buy from websites that are not in their native language
    • 65% of non-native English speakers prefer content in their native tongue, even though they are highly proficient in English. (CSA Research)


    • translating and localizing your content for the United States, China, Japan, and Germany will give you access to 50% of worldwide sales potential
    • more than 50% of all Google queries are performed in languages other than English
    • businesses that paid attention to translation and localization were 1.5 times more likely to observe an increase in revenue. (Localize)
    • Fortune 500 companies were reported to be 2.04 times more likely to improve profits when localized their content (CSA Research)
    • 86% of localized advertisements campaigns outperformed their English counterparts, showing an increase in conversion (22%) and click-through rates (42%).

    Which Types Of Content Can You Localize?

    We mentioned before that you can localize many kinds of content. Here are some examples:

    • your marketing collateral – when engaging with your customers from other countries, localizing your marketing collateral is extremely important. You can include in this category, not just website localization and advertising localization, but also other communication materials like brochures, flyers, indoor and outdoor campaigns, and email marketing content, to name just a few.
    • generic content – let’s say we can consider as generic content all other content you produce and publish when interacting with your audience – blog posts, articles, social media posts, etc. When expanding on international markets you need not just translate but also localize all of them.
    • legal content – when starting to do business in a new region, it is likely that you’ll need to tick at least a few legal formalities. As each region has its own legal rules, you should consider hiring a legal localization specialist who is a native of that region. This way you’ll avoid unpredictable and unnecessary complications.
    • technical content – technical content like user guides, product descriptions, and demos usually contain important safety information. So, you’ll want to hire a localization professional who knows the product and is well versed in his area.
    • user interface (UI) content – is about how people relate to your website and/or app and the user experience they get. That’s why you should test, tweak and retest them when translating and localizing for a new market.
    • games – if you want to reach new players and expand your fan base, then you must translate and localize your game to reach its full potential.

    Develop Your Content Localization Strategy

    Now, that you understand what content localization is, which are its benefits and what kind of content you can adapt, let’s see which the main important steps are to create a solid and effective strategy.

    Choose your markets and languages

    The very first step is to decide about the foreign markets you want to expand on and the languages you are translating and localizing into. For doing this, it’s advisable to research the market (including your competitors) and select a small number of top-performing target audiences based on market research and potential demand. Then, while your business grows, you can complete the list with other countries and regions.

    Decide Which Content You Translate and Localize

    The next step is to identify all the content you need to translate and localize. A good idea is to start with the most important things such as localization for the website. Then, while your business grows, you can expand this process by adding other content to the list.

    Collaborate with translators and localization specialists

    We cannot stress this enough but hiring local translation and localization experts is extremely important, and this means not just that your localization experts should be native speakers, but they also should have some additional skills, such as writing, for example.

    And that is because localization means not just adjusting the text according to the different specificities of the target audience. This also involves localizing specific terms, measures, date and time formats, and norms of orthography.

    Choose Your Localization Tool

    The next step is to choose the right translation and localization tool for you. As there are many options on the market, let’s list some criteria for selecting them:

    • ease of installation – localization can be a difficult task. That’s why, if we are talking about your website, you should opt for a user-friendly solution
    • translation capabilities – using machine translation can help you translate and localize your content quickly. However, as the AI is not perfect, you should use a hybrid translation solution that integrates both machine and human translation
    • collaborative capabilities -when localizing content for many different languages you’ll need to hire people with different expertise and experiences. Therefore, you should opt for a translation tool that includes collaboration features.

    content localization - collaboration features

    • media translation – as mentioned before, localization means more than simply translating words. You also have to consider your videos, images, and other media content. Choose a tool that allows you to translate all your media content quickly and smoothly.
    • visual editor – different languages are asymmetric in many aspects, like syntax, sound, and in terms of the space they need. So, your tool should also have a visual editor feature. This way, you can see how the translated text fits with your visuals and edit it accordingly.

    content localization - design features

    • SEO optimization – if you want to rank highly on international search engine result pages, SEO features such as metadata translation or language-specific URLs are important. Therefore, you should consider the tools that automatically take care of all these tasks.

    Setup Different Social Media Accounts For Each Market You Localize

    When developing the content localization strategy, you should consider setting up separate social media profiles for audiences from different countries, where you’ll post localized content.

    This way, your content won’t look so messy. For example, IKEA has a social media account for every country they operate in and localize their content completely.

    content localization - localized social media content

    And this is a practice used by many companies that operate constantly in multiple countries.

    On the other side, if you post just occasionally for a foreign audience, you don’t need to create a separate social media account. Just post your content in both languages (the original one and the target language).


    This is how the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announce their trip to Pakistan. But as these trips are not so often, they don’t need to create a social media account tailored specifically for Pakistani people.

    However, if your business strategy is to operate permanently on the foreign market, then you need to create a separate account for that audience.

    Incorporate Everything Into Your Content Localization Strategy

    When you complete the research, identify your localization needs, and create your content localization strategy, it’s time to assemble everything. Be sure to monitor your content distribution channels and their impact.

    Test, Retest, and Adapt

    There are rare situations when everything works as planned. That’s why you should always analyze the results of your content localization strategy. To do so, you can implement AB testing for every possible scenario you have. Then, according to the results you get, adjust your content and test again. This way, you’ll fine-tune your approach and content for each and every audience you have.

    Wrapping Up

    If you want to succeed in the international markets, then you need more than localizing just your product, game, or service. You also need to localize your content. This way, your business will gain the trust, attention, and engagement it deserves from the target audience.

    Hopefully, this post will give you some useful information and help you to develop a solid content localization strategy and become a successful player in the international market.