Marketers: Are You Translation Experts? [PART 2]

by | Nov 6, 2017 | Business, Digital, Marketing, Social Media

Photo Credit: CC0 License – Pexels – Pixabay.com

In our two-part series, we are unpacking the definition of what translation in marketing really means, and the value of doing it well. In Part 1 we reviewed the tactical aspects of being a marketer and how translation factors in your day-to-day workflow. Here in Part 2, we will delve into four new areas equally as important, yet different in function and impact. Let’s get started.

Translate Customer Perception and Demand to Customer Path Development and Conversion  

Perception and demand are difficult to measure, especially if you are just looking at sales figures. If you take a step back and see what your prospective customer habits and conversations are online, on social and on your website, you will begin to see trends that will begin to clear up any uncertainties. Once you see the data that explains your customer even further, look at what type of content they snack on, You can then decide the path you want them to follow for maximum conversions. Draw the customer path from first touch point all the way through each conversion. This helps you to see the entire ecosystem. FYI – typically, there will be several conversions in the path.

TIP: Draw your anticipated customer path and look for areas that could breakdown, this is very important, otherwise you may end up with conversion confusion.

Translate Technology Shifts to Integrated Marketing Strategies

Historically, technology and marketing didn’t play in the same sandbox well together. The IT geeks where brilliant “techies” that didn’t understand the creative space. Marketers where wildly creative and didn’t want to interact with the “techies” because they “don’t get marketing.” Thankfully, today is different. Technology and marketing go well together and both are necessary ingredients for marketing to succeed. Understanding the tech space, where the shifts are and how to implement new technologies into marketing is huge. Learn how to see the shifts and use them in marketing, web, social, mobile, analytics, AI, IoT and lead-gen and your upcoming consumer-first marketing strategies just may hit a home run.

“Marketing leaders are clearly coming to grips with the fact that the world around them is changing faster than ever and that incremental tech optimizations or rehashes of what used to work will not be enough.” – RobertHalf

Translate Industry Trends to Business Model Adaptations

Some think once your business model is created it stays the same. WRONG. Your business model should be assessed and tweaked annually to stay sustainable. Looking at industry trends is one way to see where your industry is going and how your business can adapt. Having an agile mentality is critical, and not only for R&D, but also for the marketing team who must be able to adapt on the fly as the model shifts.

An example of this is how hotel brands are changing their marketing, guest experience and technology, and re-creating their brands by crafting trendier workspaces, wifi, connectivity and content delivery options as well as hangout friendly areas in their common areas and guest rooms. This translates perfectly into a guest experience designed for younger business and vacation travelers. The next time you see hotel marketing, look at the visuals and messaging and you’ll know a little more about what translation was needed for this to be successful.

“Mobile devices are increasingly becoming an essential part of the guest journey – before, during and after their stay.” –Hospitalitynet

Translate Cultural Shifts to Employee Workflow

Just like what we discussed above, there are industry shifts happening and your business must adjust. This also means, a cultural shift has caused this to happen or the cultural shift is about to happen. Either way, as marketers, your ability to translate what you see in cultural shifts to how you perform your work and manage teams is necessary. This can be something as simple as hiring a marketing team that is all remote and a new workflow style and process must be implemented. Or it can mean that an investment in data acquisition, predictive analytics, and similar resources must be obtained to make sure you don’t have creative-types responsible for your data strategy.

“The digital culture shift requires a mindset shift to accommodate a workflow that is fluid and always on. The mobile age means we’re almost always accessible to our workmates.  When a colleague in another time zone starts work at 8pm your time, the workflow requires you have some reasonable availability to be responsive. It can be a balancing act between kid’s piano recitals, soccer games and making deadlines. That’s the digital work environment we live in.”             – Bernie Borges, CMO, Vengreso

TIP: Don’t forget to educate and train your team as soon as you know a culture-to-employment shift is happening in the business workflow. By getting them all on the same page quickly, especially with expectations means the deliverables will be far easier obtain and to measure and tweak when needed.

So… what does it mean to be a marketer of today? It means you must be a translation expert to succeed, it’s as simple as that. With a world full of rapid change, the only constant is change. The most important skill just might be having the ability to translate the ever-shifting world of marketing and digital to ensure sustainable profitability and growth. Why didn’t they teach us that in B-school? Hmm…

Scott MacFarland is a career marketer with a passion for digital. His perspective is firmly rooted in content marketing, web and social strategies that nurture and convert prospective customers. YourBrandExposed.com is a digital content marketing and strategy consultancy that works with businesses big and small to solve their most difficult questions surrounding digital. Let us know how we can help you.

Scott MacFarland – Chief Content Marketer, Digital Strategist

YourBrandExposed.com

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Photo Credit: CC0 License – Pexels – Pixabay.com

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