Understanding Your Web Audience and Managing Their Preconceptions
As you may already know, localization of websites is more than just pure language translation. Effective localization targets the colors, layout, images and text tone that
are tailored for your audience’s cultural preferences.
To make matters more complicated, people carry their own image expectations. These are slowly built up from what we read, hear, and watch over the long-term. These aren’t easy to change and have a deep impact on people’s behaviors and market interactions.
Salt Creek Beach in SoCal
I have often heard from Japanese, for example, that they want to live in SoCal because it matches their expectation of California. According to the image in their head, California should be palm trees, sunny days, beaches, and surfers with golden blond hair. (Their descriptions remind me of the movie, “Big Wednesday” or “The O.C.” TV show.)
NorCal is substantially different from SoCal from weather (chillier and rainy) to business culture. Not everyone is blond – in fact San Francisco has the highest Asian population of any American city.
We also don’t see many palm trees or beaches in SF. Instead, we have fleets of people tapping away at laptops in cafes and a vibrant array of constant street parades and competitions. This is where we get the popular images of “Foggy San Francisco” and “Silicon Valley, the Mecca of nerds”.
Palo Alto in NorCal
This isn’t about which is better (since that’s dependent on your personality and lifestyle), but rather how images have power over people.
btrax carefully studies the images evoked by our client’s specific industry and products or services. That way we shape the most effective strategy that takes advantage of positive images, solves negative ones and differentiates (challenge the images) – where it makes sense.
An image consistent environment makes visitors feel comfortable, staying on your website longer for instance. However, our brains are also wired for the unexpected, so experimenting in a controlled and smart way has a multiplier effect.
Having a balanced approach to both sides directly relates to successful results. We recognize the challenge in tackling these. but repeatedly the results show the value in deeply understanding your audience.
Social media delivers a powerful double benefit of not only financial results, but a more engaged audience that acts as your frontline word-of-mouth marketing army.
Photos by Yuka O.
Posted 970 days ago
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