Cancelled trade shows, expos, and conferences. What is next?

Trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences annually involve >1.5Bn participants across 180 countries, employing 26M people supporting $1.5Tn of GDP. By May 2020 COVID-19 shuttered >2,600 such events, with 1,000’s more to come, and no-end in sight. You probably were one of those participants, and contributed to these numbers. Well, it is all over now, in this social-distance imposed new online normal!

Digital alternatives have stepped in to fill the gap transforming in-person events into online viewing rooms through digital events. This is, yet again, the moment of Social Media as all the main platforms have benefited from huge user surges, in total members and engagement. Looking forward, this trend looks likely to grow as the future leans more on our digital experience, in lieu of in-person events. Digital experiences were facilitated by platforms such as Zoom (blossoming from 10 million to 200 million daily users in just three months), Facebook LogMeIn (GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar…) for online meetings, training, webinars, conferencing and so much more. At Alpha Omega Translations, we have been providing virtual interpreting services in several languages for international conferences, translating videos, webinars, tutorials helping organizations sustain their international outreach.

Make it easy for international clients to find you.

Finding the right in-market partner is key to growing sales internationally. But once that relationship is established, distributors and clients need to be nurtured, maintained and managed. All this was challenging enough before Covid-19, but in this age of social distancing, as trade shows, frequent air travel and face-to-face meetings all get pushed back, companies are looking for digital alternatives. Exporters today need innovative online solutions that help them identify, recruit, and manage their international distributor and client networks. That is where localized websites come in.

But the best way to increase sales, reach new markets efficiently and reinforce the existing business relationships is to provide effective communication. With the assistance of professionals and the correct use of technology, this barrier could almost disappear, generating an important increase of revenue and also making the comfort zone considerably bigger.

Building a localized website for your target international market is the first step. Great translation is a must, but that is only one aspect of a localized website that works hard for you. It also needs to be optimized for the local search engine (SEO), with the right keywords, hosted optimally, with the right URL.…All combined to ensure your international websites are visible, relevant and ranked highly in the local environment.

Be sure to promote your website through the right social media platforms (especially LinkedIn and similar B2B networks in your industry) to gain credibility and generate inquiries. Some countries use their own version of social media. Make sure you use them.

A localized online presence shows the investment that your company has made in that country and the long-term commitment your company makes to international markets. Your company will then stand head and shoulders above those without localized online solutions ready-made for a local market.

To learn more about website translation and localization, download our e-book.

Category: Alpha Omega News