Appealing to International Audiences with Email Marketing (Pt. 1)

International growth plays a pivotal role when it comes to making good business marketing strategies. If done effectively, taking your business to the international market can be a fruitful and exciting journey. 

Email marketing for an international audience can be one of the most critical aspects of every business, regardless of the industry sector it belongs to. Therefore, if you want to expand your follower base and attract people from around the world, it’s important to make sure your email marketing is tailored to international audiences. 

However, marketing techniques often deliver delayed and unsatisfactory results. That is why many businesses still incorporate email as a marketing channel into their operations. As a result, the overall email marketing market is expected to grow to $17.9 billion by 2027. So, investing in it is worth every penny spent.

But making emails the primary marketing channel with an international audience in mind is not so easy. The major challenge is usually in the content curation for emails and their appeal. As the international market is overcrowded and highly competitive, it is crucial to understand content curation best practices and optimize its appeal.

So, the following article will introduce you to some of the best ways to make email marketing content appealing to international audiences.

Importance of Regional Considerations in Email Marketing Campaigns

The credibility of the business automatically increases when it is global. But, to drive more traffic to your website, your email content must be universally appealing. There are a few things that you must keep in mind while doing email marketing internationally, including understanding different cultures across the world, the tone and language you use, etc. 

You might be missing a lot by making email marketing strategies that might never yield the desired results. So, below, we have listed some reasons to focus on the email content and its appeal for any international marketing campaign.

What to focus on with international email marketing:

1. Tailoring content to specific cultural preferences. Different countries and regions have their own cultural preferences and values. By researching these differences, you can tailor your email marketing content to appeal to specific audiences. For example, using localized language, (appropriately) highlighting cultural traditions, or incorporating regional references can improve engagement and conversion rates.
2. Emphasizing unique selling points. Certain products or services may have more appeal to specific international audiences than others. By spotlighting your unique selling points that are particularly relevant to different markets, you can increase your chances of success. For example, promoting eco-friendly products may be more effective in European markets where environmental concerns are a top priority. 
3. Adapting to different regulatory requirements. Different countries may have different regulatory requirements when it comes to email marketing. By understanding these requirements, you can tailor your email campaigns to comply with local laws and regulations. For example, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has specific requirements for email marketing consent, so it’s important to ensure that your campaigns comply with these regulations when targeting European audiences.
4. Time considerations. Time zones and cultural norms can impact when and how often email marketing campaigns should be sent. By understanding these considerations, you can optimize your campaigns to reach international audiences at the most effective times. For example, in different cultures, sending emails during certain local holidays may be more effective than at other times of the year.
5. Use of localization tools. Utilizing localization tools such as translation software or hiring local writers and marketers can help tailor email marketing campaigns to different audiences. For example, if you’re targeting a Spanish-speaking clientele, translating your emails into Spanish is obviously the only option to ensure total success.

Tailoring Email Content for International Audiences

When you target an international audience, you must think beyond the usual marketing practices. That’s because the way the local market operates isn’t the same when we compare it to the global market. 

Let’s take an example of an e-commerce website based in Australia. The way it markets the products is usually suitable for the local audience. But when it tries to penetrate the international market in the US or Canada, the marketing strategies need to be improved, keeping in mind their culture, time differences, etc. 

One of the most significant differences between local and international email strategies is language and tone. For a local audience, you can use more colloquial language and references that your audience is familiar with. For an international audience, you’ll need to keep your language more formal and use references that are universally understood.

The primary idea is to align the business proposals, USPs, and offerings with the mindset and culture of the concerned international market. This can be achieved through tailored email content based on target audience demographics and market conditions.

The e-commerce business should study how people in the West respond to the offered product. Accordingly, it should formulate email content while maintaining a high appeal nevertheless. It might sound easy to curate such impressive and promising content for emails targeted toward the international audience.

However, marketers need to adopt various practices to ensure the curated content is tailored and optimized at all levels.

Best Ways to Make Your Email Marketing Content Appealing to International Audiences

Email marketers have to handle many challenges daily due to differences between the local and global markets. Besides, it’s difficult to predict how the international audience will perceive the approach through emails.

To make the work easier, we have discussed some best practices for curating appealing content for email marketing campaigns.

• Understand the audience & use visual elements that are culturally relevant

First, you need to understand your target audience properly, without fail. The audience demands will change when you want to target the internal market based on specific locations, cultures, and other parameters.

Visual elements, such as images and graphics, can play a significant role in email marketing campaigns. By incorporating visuals that are culturally relevant to the target audience, you can create a stronger connection with international audiences. For example, if you’re targeting a Japanese audience, using imagery of cherry blossoms or Mt. Fuji can resonate with them on a cultural level.

• Redefining the pre-set demographics and parameters

As the international audience will have different demographics, you must redefine the parameters for your email marketing strategies. For instance, let’s consider one of the best email marketing examples where you want to send a first welcome email to new visitors.

For this, you need to curate content in a way that considers the audience demographics, like changing expectations based on age group or gender. Segmentation is one of the most important (and powerful) possibilities email marketing has to offer. Take the time to carefully delve into what the current trends and tendencies within a particular country and culture are, especially how they differ among individual segments within that space. The expectations and interests of different groups can vary greatly from country to country.

• Consider the tone and style of your content & optimize it

The language you use in your email marketing content can make a big difference in how international audiences receive it. Consider the local culture and what is regarded as appropriate in terms of tone and style. For example, if you’re targeting a business audience in Europe, a more formal tone may be appropriate.

Also, you must make the email content SEO optimized. For example, let’s consider that you want to send newsletters to your international customers. To make it more appealing and spot-on, you must curate SEO-friendly content, you can use email marketing software to do so.

• Keep the content captivating, informative, and culturally sensitive

International audiences appreciate content that offers genuine value and helps them solve a problem or meet a need. Include information that is relevant, informative, and actionable. For example, if you’re promoting a travel destination, highlight unique cultural experiences, local attractions, or insider tips that can enhance their travel experience and target your audience directly, as if you were emailing them in person.

Also, take cultural nuances into account when crafting your email content. Research the target culture to avoid any unintentional offense or misunderstanding. Be mindful of cultural references, symbols, or images that may be interpreted differently across cultures. Adapt your content to align with the values and preferences of your international audience.

• Include a proper greeting and conclusion

To make a positive impression from the outset, avoid relying solely on generic greetings like “Dear _____.” Instead, consider tailoring your greetings based on the purpose of the email and the cultural background of your recipients. For instance, a formal greeting may be suitable for a welcome email, while a more casual and friendly greeting may work better for promotional emails. By personalizing your greetings, you create a sense of familiarity and connection.

Recognize that you’re not solely communicating with your employees or a strictly professional audience. International markets appreciate a blend of warmth, respect, and authenticity in email greetings. Consider incorporating cultural greetings or expressions specific to your target audience’s region. For example, if you’re targeting a Spanish-speaking audience, you could begin with “¡Hola!” or “Buenos días!” to add a personal touch. 

• Do not make it excessively promotional

When targeting international audiences through email marketing, striking a balance between promotional and informative content is crucial. While it’s essential to mention your brand and products, prioritize delivering value to your audience. Provide educational information, industry insights, or helpful tips related to your offerings. 

Incorporate real-life examples or case studies that demonstrate how your brand has positively impacted customers in different parts of the world. Highlighting success stories from various regions adds credibility and shows your international audience that you understand their unique challenges and can deliver meaningful solutions.

• Use social proof and testimonials

Social proof and testimonials can help build credibility and trust with international audiences. Incorporating testimonials from satisfied customers in the region you’re targeting can help demonstrate the value of your product or service to potential customers. Additionally, using social proof, such as industry awards or recognition, can help build your brand’s credibility on a global scale.

Have you ever tried searching for a product on an international online store? We know that in such situations, checking customer reviews and pictures becomes essential. Sometimes, the location of the reviewer is also mentioned, and if you come across someone from your own country, it adds to your confidence in making the purchase. You can also apply this approach to email marketing by including social proof from the recipient’s homeland. This makes the content more relatable and trustworthy.

• Show you care for their problems and have the best solution

One of the prime email marketing strategies is to curate the content around a problem and a solution for it. For instance, you want to target students from other countries who want to learn the arts and creative work online.

So, your content should describe the problems one faces during such courses. After this, introduce that your business has the solution and describe your offerings subtly.

• Talk about the advantages and offerings

You must talk about the benefits of a particular product, a new launch, and so on through emails while targeting an international audience. Until and unless you do so, your audience will be forced to learn more about the offerings on your website. In this case, the chances of having the maximum number of leads reduce considerably.

Through email, try to give them an overview of what’s unique about the new offering, discount session, etc. It will be enough to spike curiosity and compel the international audience to visit your website.

• Get your message through

Lastly, it’s crucial to ensure that your emails deliver a strong and effective message.

 Finally, you need to convey a message with your emails that is as powerful and impactful as possible. This means that curated content should help your international audience connect directly with your brand via email – wherever they are. Consider the recommendations in this article and create an e-mail that reaches every corner of the world!

Conclusion

This article introduces the best practices for making email marketing content appealing to international audiences. With the explanations, it will be easier for you to influence your audience and establish a strong foothold in the international market.

Remember that the competition is exceedingly high, with 70% of marketers sharing product, service, and brand information through emails. So, implement these marketing practices and deliver what your international target audience expects.

Be sure to keep an eye on our blog for Part 2, where we will delve deeper into what kind of content is most effective for email marketing campaigns targeted toward specific markets of different cultures and countries! 

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About the Co-author

This article was created in collaboration with Joy D’Cruz – a content marketing specialist currently working with SaSHunt. Joy has a keen interest in researching topics related to B2B and SaaS. During weekends, he enjoys spending time watching YouTube.