SEO

Influencers Drive Global B2B Content Marketing Success

Published

1 year ago

July 12, 2023

Influencers Drive Global B2B Content Marketing Success

With the mountain of competition in B2B, establishing trust with potential buyers is no easy feat.

Unlike in ecommerce, where transactions are typically swift, and purchases are at far lower prices, B2B sales cycles are lengthier and involve much higher stakes.

With endless opportunities to choose from, community has become more crucial than ever, as people search and check social media but ultimately rely on trusted peers for advice when making important business decisions.

So how can B2B businesses ensure their content stands out and gets noticed – and most importantly, trusted – by their target audience?

This is where influencers, or subject matter experts (SMEs) in the B2B realm, play a pivotal role – particularly in the context of expanding to international markets that speak multiple languages.

By harnessing the reach and reputation of well-known SMEs in the local markets, B2B companies can amplify their international content marketing efforts, ensuring that their message resonates with diverse international audiences.

Over time, SME collaborations enable B2B companies to cultivate a strong community around their brand, which then drives inbound leads and growth across international markets.

Why Involving Local Influencers & SMEs In International B2B Content Marketing Campaigns Is Crucial

Extensive research plays a hefty role in the B2B buying process, in that:

B2B buyers complete up to 70% of their research prior to even contacting a sales team.
87% of B2B buyers say online content has a major or moderate impact on vendor selection.
78% of B2B referrals create viable customer leads for the business.

What do all three of those points have in common?

B2B buyers are looking for a trustworthy source to confirm information found during their research.

As such, partnering up with SME influencers is key to building up this crucial brand trustworthiness, especially if you’re a global brand expanding into diverse international markets worldwide.

In fact, up to 86% of B2B brands have reported some measure of success with highly targeted influencer marketing.

But selecting the relevant influencers for the right market is key for content to resonate with local target audiences.

For example, a highly knowledgeable SME from New York City is unlikely to have much sway or influence if you’re targeting customers in Tokyo, on the other side of the world.

This is because:

An English-speaking influencer has little effect on a primarily Japanese-speaking audience.
Perceptions towards B2B products and services vary by location because buyers’ needs differ by region.
Cultural tendencies of buyers in niche markets have significant sway over purchase decisions.
If influencers lack shared cultural values with the local target audience, their recommendations will fall flat on that audience.

How To Identify And Build Relationships With Local B2B Influencers And SMEs

So, how do you identify the right SME collaboration to expand the authority of your own business in a new market? And how can you build a relationship with them in order to incentivize the SME to collaborate with you?

Let’s now take a deep dive into the process.

Step 1: Research People Who Matter To Your Local Target Audience

It all starts with researching who your audience cares about. A free tool like SparkToro is one of the easiest ways to get started.

Based on your search filter, SparkToro identifies who your target audience follows and trusts as a source of credible information.

You can then curate lists of relevant SMEs for the market you’re looking to expand to, which should ideally also include lesser-known yet still highly credible SMEs whose audiences tend to be more engaged.

To give you a concrete idea, here’s an example of a SparkToro search for a company that provides consulting services and a SaaS tool for document automation. Its goal is to expand into the German market.

I set the filter for “my audience frequently talks about,” typed in “document automation,” and selected Germany for the location.

SparkToro then summarizes the list of influencers, websites, and lesser-known destinations that earn engagement with that buying audience:

Screenshot from SparkToro, May 2023

In this case, there is a mix of English-language and German-language influencers and relevant publications. Ideally, you’ll want to focus on gaining credibility within the local language, so SparkToro is the just starting point.

You’ll then need to dig deeper into what and who is relevant to contact, as well as invest time into building relationships with SMEs, depending on the relevance of their followers.

Step 2: Identify Ways To Involve Them That Require Little Effort On Their Behalf

Once you’ve conducted the research and identified the relevant SMEs to collaborate with within the local market, the next step is to determine how best to approach them.

Keep in mind that the most effective outreach strategy is one that makes it as easy as possible for SMEs to see the value in a partnership. Don’t just beg for their time and offer up nothing in return.

For example, you can offer for them to attend a panel discussion on a highly relevant topic for their industry and local market.

Here’s an example of how you might contact an SME for collaboration via LinkedIn or email:

Image created by author, May 2023

This type of message prompts a response from SMEs for a few reasons:

They know they’ll be advertised without paying.
They don’t have to spend tons of time preparing, especially as it’s a panel discussion, so their time commitment is minimal.
They have a chance to network with and learn from well-known people within their industry, bringing back benefits for their personal and company brands.

Step 3: Nurture Relationships And Provide Ongoing Value

Finally, once you connect with an SME and convince them to collaborate together, you want to maintain and deepen that working relationship, because this increases the chance of future collaboration opportunities.

In fact, if the relationship becomes a strong one, the influencer is likely to refer your B2B business to their network, or even come back to you themselves as a customer.

This is actually the long-term strategic value of such partnerships because it directly impacts high-quality inbound lead generation.

Ways to strengthen ongoing relationships with SMEs include:

Regularly engaging with their own content, such as by commenting on or sharing their updates to support their efforts and keep your brand top-of-mind as they continue producing new content for their own audience.
Offering to mention them and/or link to their content in future content you create.
Offering to meet up for a coffee at in-person conferences and get to know them.
Develop a partner referral agreement so you both can refer potential customers and generate inbound leads.
Continuing to collaborate on marketing efforts together where both brands are promoted.

How To Apply B2B Influencer And SME Data To Both Global & Local Content Marketing Efforts

Now that you’ve got the process in mind, what are some direct examples of how to apply SME collaborations across content marketing efforts?

I’ll cover this in further detail in the below section for various types of content marketing applied both globally and locally.

Panel Discussions & Co-marketing Webinars

As mentioned in the message example from the how-to section above, panel discussions are a highly effective method for beginning engagement with SME influencers because they require little to no preparation time for the participants.

Plus, in nearly every market, industry titans enjoy conversing with their fellow experts to share insights and recommendations to listening audiences.

Panel discussions can be both live or virtual events, but regardless of the format, they’re a great resource that elevates the authority of your own brand to your audience due to the SMEs who attend.

Global Approach

To give an example that works globally, here’s an example of a live panel discussion about the secrets of successful influencer marketing and content creation.

Screenshot from The NAMM Show, May 2023

This topic applies globally because it’s a question that brands all over the world struggle to answer.

When applied to your own content strategy, ideally, the SMEs invited to such a discussion should come from multiple markets, particularly those that you plan to expand into internationally.

An important point to note: global in-person events should be treated as annual affairs.

Creating a one-time event that pools together the biggest influencers in an industry is a special occasion, so it’s not something to do regularly, as they come with higher resource costs for both you and the participants.

Local Approach

When applying the concept of a panel discussion within a local market, you can go much smaller in scale and ideally virtually, which provides more flexibility to create recurring panel discussions throughout the year.

Start by selecting a topic that is relevant to the local market and the target audience.

For instance, if you’re an IT company and are targeting German businesses, you could host a panel discussion on “How German Companies Can Finance Digital Transformation” (but in the German language equivalent).

Then, use your SparkToro account to identify the biggest German influencers in the IT industry and invite them to participate in a special panel discussing tips to scale digital transformation across Germany.

Here’s an example from a similar event:

Example for financial collaboration with influencer

Screenshot from germany-finance.com, May 2023

By hosting a panel discussion with local SMEs who speak German, you present valuable insights to your buying audience in Germany in that localized setting and context.

You can then deepen relationships with key players that your target audience already follows, and follow up by creating localized content that resonates with those same local market buyers to guide them further on their buying journey with your brand.

Whitepapers

Whitepapers are one of the most valuable resources in B2B content marketing when they include original data and information that isn’t available anywhere else.

You can make whitepapers with unique data by gathering information from SMEs.

Plus, SMEs typically appreciate being cited in whitepapers because their personal brand is attached to that in-depth report, which automatically elevates their own standing and credibility with their followers.

Global Approach

A global approach to this strategy is to select a topic that has a more universal appeal.

Again, digital transformation is a subject that impacts brands all over the world, so creating an in-depth whitepaper on the topic has global appeal – but only if it’s backed with information from highly credible SMEs.

A great example is the “Data and Digital Transformation: Insights From Shipping Leaders” whitepaper created by S&P Global Market Intelligence. It includes insights from six of the leading SMEs from various international markets.

In the same manner that S&P Global Market Intelligence has done here, ensure in your content strategy that the SMEs included for global content also appeal to your international target markets.

Local Approach

When it comes to the local approach, the main difference from the global is that you want to target the analysis and present the whitepaper findings within the context of a regional point of view.

Paralleling the global subject matter, you can create your own whitepaper explaining the ideal digital transformation journey for the shipping industry in one particular market.

As an example, let’s use the Port of Los Angeles, which continues to struggle with supply chain issues in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your whitepaper can answer many of the questions that have ground supply chain businesses in Los Angeles to a halt by inviting SMEs with experience managing those ports to contribute information.

Although the example is in English, the concept applies across markets that speak other languages, too.

With a more localized approach, you gain specific insights to publish in your content and establish your brand as a thought leader in that particular market.

This also increases your opportunity to build relationships with key local players and generate leads and referrals from the target buying audience.

Podcasts

Podcasts are a heavily growing medium for B2B content marketing.

By collaborating with influencers and SMEs on a podcast, you can tap into their expertise and reach new audiences through audio content that millions of people stream throughout their busy days.

Global Approach

When building your podcast, start by identifying global influencers and SMEs with a strong following in your industry.

For example, if you’re an HR consulting company, you could collaborate with a senior HR specialist.

Choose a topic that would be of interest to both the global audience and the local influencers.

For instance, you could create a podcast episode on “The Future of Work in a Post-Pandemic World.”

You can follow examples from the HubSpot team that manages their podcast, “Culture Happens.” In this particular episode, they discuss the future of remote work.

You can even reach out to those same presenters and invite them to participate as guests on your own podcast discussing the topic in a similar but unique manner.

Through this collaboration, you tap into their wider audience, build your brand credibility, and generate new leads and referrals through your podcast.

Local Approach

The localized podcast approach involves identifying SMEs who have followings in particular markets and that speak the language that your business intends to target.

For instance, to localize the podcast example from above for France, you could do an episode around “Streamlining New Employment Regulations Around Remote Work in France” and invite an HR specialist from the French market to speak about their experience with handling these changes.

This helps you build a loyal following in concentrated local markets, which translates into higher volumes of inbound leads that grow your business internationally.

Collaborate with SMEs to Win and Global and International Content Marketing

In the highly competitive world of B2B, where trust and reputation are paramount, leveraging the expertise and influence of SMEs is a powerful strategy.

As you strive to make your mark in international markets, remember that collaborations with trusted and local influencers can help your content shine, resonate, and ultimately drive success in your B2B endeavors.

Over time, these partnerships with SMEs not only help you create valuable and trusted content but also cultivate a strong community around your brand.

By providing informative and practical content, you can position yourself as a B2B industry thought leader and trusted source of knowledge.

And most importantly, by tapping into the networks of global and local influencers, B2B businesses can drive inbound leads and foster growth in international markets.

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Featured Image: Chay_Tee/Shutterstock

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Related Topics:B2B Content Drive Global influencers Marketing seo success

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SEO

WordPress Announces New Executive Director

Published

6 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Max

Automattic CEO and WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg announced a new Executive Director for WordPress.org after the previous director’s resignation. Social media reactions, while generally positive, were notably subdued, with many comments focused on the recent WordPress controversy.

New Executive Director

Mullenweg announced that Mary Hubbard, was hired as the new Executive Director. Hubbard was formerly the Chief Product Officer for WordPress.com from 2020 and will begin her new position on October 21st. She recently resigned as the Head of TikTok Americas, Governance and Experience.

The Executive Director position at WordPress.org opened up after the resignation of 8.4% of Automattic employees, including the previous Executive Director Josepha Haden Chomphosy. Mullenweg offered employees who wished to leave $30,000 or the equivalent of six months pay, whichever was higher. The severance package was offered after the recent issues between Automattic, Mullenweg and WP Engine (WPE) which resulted in WPE filing a federal lawsuit against Mullenweg and Automattic, alleging attempted extortion.

Muted Response To Announcement

A post in the popular Dynamic WordPress Facebook Group generated 21 responses within seven hours, with most of the comments a discussion about the recent drama and the Mullenweg’s ownership of WordPress.org and other similar topics (view the discussion here, must join the private group to view).

The response to the official WordPress.org announcement on X was muted, with about equal amounts of people posting welcomes as those who were taking the opportunity to post their displeasure and opinions about recent events.

Seven hours after posting the announcement there were only 15 responses, 21 retweets, and 117 likes.

Screenshot Of Tweet

Typical Expressions Of Welcome

Welcome!

— Robert Jacobi (@RobertJacobi) October 8, 2024

Welcome Mary!

— Michael Potter (@Michael_6of7) October 8, 2024

Typical Other Responses

What does the E.D. do for https://t.co/sbi8NmJkOL? Is https://t.co/sbi8NmJkOL part of the Foundation? Part of Automattic? Something else? Unlike WPEngine, the differences between these organizations, their ownership, and governance are incredibly confusing.

— Jeff Severson (@jeffseverson) October 8, 2024

“Our”? I thought Matt owns this establishment, with foundation having nothing to do with https://t.co/Duw3H6Qbg3. 🤨🤷

— Viktor Nagornyy (@V1ktor) October 8, 2024

Fire @photomatt

— Shay Grafdelver (@shaygrafdelver) October 8, 2024

Read the official announcement on WordPress.org

Please Welcome Mary Hubbard

Featured Image by Shutterstock/michaelheim

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SEO

Pro-Tech SEO Checklist For Agencies

Published

1 day ago

October 8, 2024

Max

This post was sponsored by JetOctopus. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

When you’re taking on large-scale projects or working with extensive websites with hundreds to thousands of pages, you must leverage advanced technical SEO techniques.

Large websites come with challenges such as vast site architectures, dynamic content, and the higher-stakes competition in maintaining rankings.F

Leveling up your team’s technical SEO chops can help you establish a stronger value proposition, ensuring your clients gain that extra initial edge and choose to continue growing with your agency.

With this in mind, here’s a concise checklist covering the most important nuances of advanced technical SEO that can lead your clients to breakthrough performance in the SERPs.

1. Advanced Indexing And Crawl Control

Optimizing search engine crawl and indexation is foundational for effective technical SEO. Managing your crawl budget effectively begins with log file analysis—a technique that offers direct insights into how search engines interact with your clients’ websites.

A log file analysis helps:

Crawl Budget Management: Essential for ensuring Googlebot crawls and indexes your most valuable pages. Log file analysis indicates how many pages are crawled daily and whether important sections are missed.
Identifying Non-Crawled Pages: Identifies pages Googlebot misses due to issues like slow loading times, poor internal linking, or unappealing content, giving you clear insights into necessary improvements.
Understand Googlebot Behavior: Know what Googlebot actually crawls on a daily basis. Spikes in the crawl budget may signal technical issues on your website, like auto-generated thin, trashy pages, etc.

For this, integrating your SEO log analyzer data with GSC crawl data provides a complete view of site functionality and search engine interactions, enhancing your ability to guide crawler behavior.

Next, structure robots.txt to exclude search engines from admin areas or low-value add-ons while ensuring they can access and index primary content. Or, use the x-robots-tag—an HTTP header—to control indexing at a more granular level than robots.txt. It is particularly useful for non-HTML files like images or PDFs, where robot meta tags can’t be used.

For large websites, the approach with sitemaps is different from what you may have experienced. It almost doesn’t make sense to put millions of URLs in the sitemaps and want Googlebot to crawl them. Instead, do this: generate sitemaps with new products, categories, and pages on a daily basis. It will help Googlebot to find new content and make your sitemaps more efficient. For instance, DOM.RIA, a Ukrainian real estate marketplace, implemented a strategy that included creating mini-sitemaps for each city directory to improve indexing. This approach significantly increased Googlebot visits (by over 200% for key pages), leading to enhanced content visibility and click-through rates from the SERPs.

2. Site Architecture And Navigation

An intuitive site structure aids both users and search engine crawlers in navigating the site efficiently, enhancing overall SEO performance.

Specifically, a flat site architecture minimizes the number of clicks required to reach any page on your site, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content. It enhances site crawling efficiency by reducing the depth of important content. This improves the visibility of more pages in search engine indexes.

1728370563 412 Pro Tech SEO Checklist For Agencies

So, organize (or restructure) content with a shallow hierarchy, as this facilitates quicker access and better link equity distribution across your site.

For enterprise eCommerce clients, in particular, ensure proper handling of dynamic parameters in URLs. Use the rel=”canonical” link element to direct search engines to the original page, avoiding parameters that can result in duplicates.

Similarly, product variations (such as color and size) can create multiple URLs with similar content. It depends on the particular case, but the general rule is to apply the canonical tag to the preferred URL version of a product page to ensure all variations point back to the primary URL for indexing. If there is a significant number of such pages where Google ignores non-canonical content and puts them in the index, consider reviewing the canonicalization approach on the website.

3. JavaScript SEO

As you know, JavaScript (JS) is crucial in modern web development, enhancing site interactivity and functionality but introducing unique SEO challenges. Even if you’re not directly involved in development, ensuring effective JavaScript SEO is important.

The foremost consideration in this regard is critical rendering path optimization — wait, what’s that?

The critical rendering path refers to the sequence of steps the browser must take to convert HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into a rendered web page. Optimizing this path is crucial for improving the speed at which a page becomes visible to users.

1728370563 875 Pro Tech SEO Checklist For Agencies

Here’s how to do it:

Reduce the number and size of the resources required to display initial content.
Minify JavaScript files to reduce their load time.
Prioritize loading of above-the-fold content to speed up page render times.

If you’re dealing with Single Page Applications (SPAs), which rely on JavaScript for dynamic content loading, then you might need to fix:

Indexing Issues: Since content is loaded dynamically, search engines might see a blank page. Implement Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to ensure content is visible to search engines upon page load.
Navigation Problems: Traditional link-based navigation is often absent in SPAs, affecting how search engines understand site structure. Use the HTML5 History API to maintain traditional navigation functionality and improve crawlability.

Dynamic rendering is another technique useful for JavaScript-heavy sites, serving static HTML versions to search engines while presenting interactive versions to users.

However, ensure the browser console shows no errors, confirming the page is fully rendered with all necessary content. Also, verify that pages load quickly, ideally under a couple of seconds or so, to prevent user frustration (nobody likes a prolonged loading spinner) and reduce bounce rates.

Employ tools like GSC and Lighthouse to test and monitor your site’s rendering and web vitals performance. Regularly check that the rendered content matches what users see to ensure consistency in what search engines index.

4. Optimizing For Seasonal Trends

In the retail eCommerce space, seasonal trends influence consumer behavior and, consequently, search queries.

So, for these projects, you must routinely adapt your SEO strategies to stay on par with any product line updates.

Seasonal product variations—such as holiday-specific items or summer/winter editions—require special attention to ensure they are visible at the right times:

Timely Content Updates: Update product descriptions, meta tags, and content with seasonal keywords well before the season begins.
Seasonal Landing Pages: Create and optimize dedicated landing pages for seasonal products, ensuring they link appropriately to main product categories.
Ongoing Keyword Research: Continually perform keyword research to capture evolving consumer interests and optimize new product categories accordingly.
Technical SEO: Regularly check for crawl errors, ensure fast load times, and confirm that new pages are mobile-friendly and accessible.

On the flip side, managing discontinued products or outdated pages is just as crucial in maintaining site quality and retaining SEO value:

Evaluate Page Value: Conduct regular content audits to assess whether a page still holds value. If a page hasn’t received any traffic or a bot hit in the last half-year, it might not be worth keeping.
301 Redirects: Use 301 redirects to transfer SEO value from outdated pages to relevant existing content.
Prune Content: Remove or consolidate underperforming content to focus authority on more impactful pages, enhancing site structure and UX.
Informative Out-of-Stock Pages: Keep pages for seasonally unavailable products informative, providing availability dates or links to related products.

Put simply, optimizing for seasonal trends means preparing for high-traffic periods and effectively managing the transition periods. This supports sustained SEO performance and a streamlined site experience for your clients.

5. Structured Data And Schema Implementation

Structured data via schema.org markup is a powerful tool to enhance a site’s SERP visibility and boost CTR through rich snippets.

Advanced schema markup goes beyond basic implementation, allowing you to present more detailed and specific information in SERPs. Consider these schema markups in your next client campaign:

Nested Schema: Utilize nested schema objects to provide more detailed information. For example, a Product schema can include nested Offer and Review schemas to display prices and reviews in search results.
Event Schema: For clients promoting events, implementing an Event schema with nested attributes like startDate, endDate, location, and offers can help in displaying rich snippets that show event details directly in SERPs.
FAQ and How-To Pages: Implement FAQPage and HowTo schemas on relevant pages to provide direct answers in search results.
Ratings, Reviews, and Prices: Implement the AggregateRating and Review schema on product pages to display star ratings and reviews. Use the Offer schema to specify pricing information, making the listings more attractive to potential buyers.
Availability Status: Use the ItemAvailability schema to display stock status, which can increase the urgency and likelihood of a purchase from SERPs.
Blog Enhancements: For content-heavy sites, use Article schema with properties like headline, author, and datePublished to enhance the display of blog articles.

Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool tool to test your pages’ structured data and identify any errors/warnings in your schema implementation. Also, use Google’s Rich Results Test to get feedback on how your page may appear in SERPs with the implemented structured data.

Conclusion

Considering their long SEO history and legacy, enterprise-level websites require more profound analysis from different perspectives.

We hope this mini checklist serves as a starting point for your team to take a fresh look into your new and existing customers and help deliver great SEO results.

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by JetOctopus. Used with permission.

In-Post Images: Image by JetOctopus. Used with permission.

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SEO

Best Practices For Keyword Localization

Published

2 days ago

October 7, 2024

Max

As brands expand into new international markets, the challenge of running successful PPC campaigns becomes increasingly complex.

Navigating the differences in culture, language, consumer behavior, and market dynamics requires a more nuanced approach than simply translating ads.

For PPC marketers using platforms like Google or Microsoft Ads, it’s critical to adapt campaign strategies for these global audiences.

This article will cover best practices for optimizing international PPC campaigns, with a specific focus on keyword localization.

We’ll explore four key themes that can drive more successful international PPC results:

Keyword localization.
Geo-specific bid adjustments.
Market-specific creative adaptation.
Leveraging automation tools for international scaling.

1. Keyword Localization: Translating Intent, Not Just Language

Keyword localization is a cornerstone of international PPC success, but it’s often misunderstood as a simple translation exercise.

When translating keywords from one language to another, it’s not a “2+2=4” equation most of the time.

In reality, it’s much more complex.

Keyword localization involves understanding the intent behind searches and adapting keywords to match the local language, cultural context, and user behavior.

Steps To Effective Keyword Localization

Market Research: Before diving into translation, research how consumers in the target country search for products or services. This involves understanding search intent, popular terms, slang, and regional dialects.
Translation with a twist: Work with native speakers or linguists familiar with the market. Tools like Google Translate can give you a starting point, but they won’t capture cultural subtleties. Manual keyword research in local search engines is vital.
Use local search engines: Google may dominate globally, but other regions may favor different search engines. Baidu in China, Yandex in Russia, and Naver in South Korea have distinct algorithms and keyword trends. Tailor your keywords to the dominant platform in each market.
Test and optimize: International markets are fluid. What works in one month might need refinement in the next. Regularly review performance and optimize based on search trends, conversion data, and shifting customer behaviors.

For example, in Spain, the keyword “coches baratos” (cheap cars) may seem like a direct translation of its English counterpart.

However, further research might reveal that “ofertas coches” (car deals) or “vehículos económicos” (affordable vehicles) performs better depending on user intent.

2. Geo-Specific Bid Adjustments: Tailor Bids For Performance By Region

International campaigns are prone to fluctuations in performance, driven by differences in local competition, purchasing power, and user behavior.

Geo-specific bid adjustments allow you to tailor your bidding strategy to the realities of each market, maximizing return on ad spend (ROAS).

Below are some best practices for geo-specific bidding:

Analyze Regional Performance: Use data to assess performance on a country or even city level. Look for patterns like higher conversion rates in certain regions and adjust bids accordingly. This is especially important in diverse markets where sub-regions may perform differently, like the UK or Canada.
Adjust Bids Based on Currency Value and Buying Power: Regions with lower purchasing power or fluctuating currency values may require different bid strategies. In some markets, a lower cost-per-click (CPC) approach could help maintain profitability.
Consider Time Zone Differences: Adjust bids based on peak performance hours in each time zone. A broad international campaign can benefit from time-based adjustments that ensure ads show during peak periods in each country.

For instance, if your campaign targets both New York and Berlin, you may find that your peak performance hours vary drastically, necessitating different bid adjustments to maximize efficiency.

In this instance, it’s likely worth segmenting your campaigns by region to account for maximum return on investment or ROI in each region.

In larger enterprise accounts, most regions have different audience sizes, which require different budgets.

If your brand falls into that category, it may be worth creating a separate Google Ads account per region, which can roll up into one MCC account for easier management.

3. Market-Specific Creative Adaptation: Speak The Local Language Through Ad Copy

One of the most common mistakes in international PPC campaigns is failing to adapt ad creatives to local contexts.

Just as keyword localization requires cultural adaptation, ad creatives must be tuned to resonate with local audiences.

A few approaches to localized creative to think about include:

Ad Copy and Messaging: Localize ad copy to reflect cultural preferences, holidays, humor, and common phrases. Avoid literal translations that may miss the mark. Collaborate with local copywriters who understand the nuances of language and sentiment.
Visual Adaptations: Imagery that works in one region may not resonate in another. If your ad visuals feature people, clothing, or settings, make sure they align with local norms and expectations.
Calls to Action (CTAs): CTAs should be adapted based on local shopping behaviors. In some regions, urgency works well (“Buy Now”), while in others, a softer approach may perform better (“Learn More” or “Discover”).

For example, a successful ad campaign in the US using a humorous tone may need to be entirely rethought for a market like Japan, where subtlety and respect play a bigger role in advertising.

4. Leveraging Automation Tools For International Scaling

Managing international PPC campaigns across multiple markets can quickly become overwhelming.

Automation tools, both native to ad platforms and third-party solutions, can help streamline campaign management while still allowing for localized control.

Automation Tactics To Help Scale International PPC Campaigns

Smart Bidding: Utilize Google or Microsoft’s automated bidding strategies tailored to individual market performance. Smart bidding leverages machine learning to optimize bids for conversions or ROAS, adjusting bids based on real-time data.
Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs): Dynamic Search Ads can help expand your reach by automatically generating ad headlines based on your website’s content. For international campaigns, ensure that your website is properly localized to ensure the DSAs serve relevant, accurate ads.
Automated Rules and Scripts: Set up automated rules or scripts to adjust bids, pause underperforming keywords, or raise budgets during peak times. For example, you might set rules to increase bids during holidays specific to individual regions, like Singles’ Day in China or Diwali in India.

Automation tools should be used to complement your manual efforts, not replace them. While they can help manage large campaigns more efficiently, regular oversight and optimization are still essential.

A Holistic Approach To International PPC Success

Expanding into international PPC campaigns presents both challenges and opportunities.

Success depends on taking a holistic approach that incorporates keyword localization, tailored bidding strategies, localized creatives, and effective use of automation.

By adapting your strategies to each specific market, you’ll be able to tap into the unique search behaviors, cultural nuances, and competitive dynamics of global consumers.

Remember that the global PPC landscape is constantly evolving, and regular monitoring, testing, and optimization will be key to staying ahead of the competition.

Whether you’re managing campaigns in-house or as part of an agency, these best practices will help you optimize your international PPC efforts and drive better performance across borders.

More resources:

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