The 5 Pillars of a Successful Localized Strategy

Sport is a global business with fans coming from all corners of the world. Many organizations struggle to engage with them fully as they are based within their home market and are focussed on those within it, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Below are what we consider to be the five key pillars to localized strategy success, and these will help you in the development of your own internationalization efforts;

1. Digital & Social Presence

You need to communicate with fans using not only the correct language, but the nuances and tone of voice that fits the culture of your desired territory. For example Spain & Argentina or Brazil & Portugal speak the same languages respectively, but they communicate and consume content very differently.

So it’s not just a case of straight translations of your content but taking a much more nuanced approach and appreciating the people you’re speaking to. This affects both your Community Management and Web Management strategies.

2. ‘In-Region’ Activations

Get your brand and partners on the ground and in the market. This enables you to engage with fans and interact with them through key calendar events and cultural dates through Activation Campaigns.

3. PR Support

Remember to promote your content through local media outlets. Having that understanding of the local media market enables you develop and utilize both Broadcaster and Key Media relationships, helping to broaden your campaign reach.

4. Monetization goals

Capitalize on the commercial value created through qualified fan data.

This then enables you to create an opportunity for regional partnerships once a proven affinity with a local fan base has been established. Opening up opportunities for International Membership Programmes and International E-Commerce Support.

5. Creative

It’s important to avoid going down the road of generic translated roll outs. Produce storytelling that has cultural relevance and resonates with the audience in that particular market. This can be through;

• Video Production
• Motion Design
• Graphics
• Gifs
• or Infographics

In our next blog post we will reveal the process that we go through – enabling you to build a localized audience, engage and interact effectively with that new audience, and capitalize on the commercial value created.

If you would like to speak to us about your own international strategy then get in touch via our Contact Page. Samba Digital is an international sports marketing agency with presence in Brazil and Latin America since 2011