In today's hyperconnected world, businesses are increasingly recognizing the importance of personalization to build a healthy rapport with customers.

According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company, businesses that effectively personalize their customer experiences achieve an average of 15% higher revenue growth.

Personalization is tailoring experiences for individual users, taking into account their preferences, past behavior, and other relevant factors so that they can feel belonged. This can be achieved through a variety of means, such as content personalization, product recommendations, and targeted advertising for as per cultural beliefs.

One of the key parameters to effective personalization is to localize content for global audiences. With users interacting with websites and apps from all over the world, businesses need to ensure that their content is appropriate for each user's location and language.

Contentful localization capabilities make it easy to create, manage and automate the delivery of demography-specific content, helping businesses to personalize their experiences for users worldwide.

To understand how to leverage Contentful’s localization capabilities to create personalization at scale and increase customer engagement, you must read further.

What is content localization with Contentful?

Content localization refers to the process of adapting digital content to suit the linguistic, cultural, and regional preferences of the target audience.

Source: Contentful

Contentful, a composable content management platform with headless architecture, is designed for the modern web to meet the growing demands of personalized content. Contentful’s content localization involves tailoring digital assets such as text, images, and multimedia to resonate with specific locales and cultures. It goes beyond mere translation, taking into account regional nuances, cultural sensitivities, and other factors that contribute to a more personalized and engaging user experience. Thus, offering many features to create an excellent localized customer experience. Here are some:

• Contentful targets different locales which means targeting different variations of a specific language. For instance, the German language has variations based on the different regions of the country. Thus, targeting locales means pairing the language with the specific region. Contentful offers custom locales to allow you to make changes as per your needs.
• Contentful offers intelligent automation to localize content, making the entire translation process seamless. This process takes place through a workflow between Contentful and XTM Cloud. The XTM Connect is an extension of Contentful’s capabilities. It performs automated translation from the Contentful interface and speeds the process by pushing the localized content back into Contentful when it’s ready. Thus, creating an agile enterprise translation management system in one environment.
• Contentful’s another feature is asynchronous publishing. This feature allows global teams to collaborate seamlessly, releasing and publishing content in their time zones without waiting for others. For instance, in the case of a multilingual website, your team can publish the content in languages as and when they are ready, instead of waiting to publish them all together. Thus, creating an async publishing workflow to reduce the time it takes to get localized content to the market. Async publishing helps marketers to publish campaigns in different languages efficiently and market it faster.
• How to localize content with Contentful?
  
  

There are a few ways of localizing content with Contentful but the most useful ones are: Field-level and Entry-level. Each approach has its own benefits and choosing the best one depends on your specific content and workflow.

Field-level: It is a traditional technique of global website content management. If your organization publishes content frequently in different languages simultaneously as your default language, then field-level is a good option for you. Field-level localization involves translating individual fields within a content entry. Each field, such as title, description, or body text, can have translations in multiple languages.

For each field that requires localization, you can add different values for each language you want to support. Contentful provides a user-friendly interface for managing these translations, allowing you to switch between languages and input the corresponding content for each field.

Source: Contentful (Shows multiple translations at once)

Entry-level: If the content must be published in different languages at different time zones, the entry-level localization is for you. Entry-level localization involves creating separate entries for each language. Each entry represents a complete version of the content in a specific language.

Instead of managing translations within a single entry, you create a new entry for each language, duplicating the content and translating it as needed. Each entry is associated with a specific locale, and you can query Contentful's API to retrieve the correct entry based on the user's language preferences.

Source: Contentful (Content published in two different languages.)

Benefits of Contentful localization for personalization

According to CSA research, 76% of online shoppers prefer to buy products in their native language. Thus, the importance of content localization in today's globalized digital landscape cannot be overstated.

As businesses expand their reach to a diverse and international audience, delivering a one-size-fits-all message becomes increasingly inadequate. Content that is culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate not only fosters a stronger connection with users but also increases ROI and enhances brand credibility.

Source: Contentful

Contentful allows you to work with multiple locales to increase scalability.

Here are the top benefits of content localization:

• Streamlined workflows: Content localization streamlines the entire process of adapting and translating content for different regions. It involves creating a structured and automated workflow through XTM Connect that translates content on Contentful’s interface and sends it back automatically as and when it’s ready. Thus, ensuring a smooth transition from content creation to translation and publication. Whether it's content creators, translators, or reviewers, a well-defined workflow ensures that everyone is on the same page, minimizing delays and communication gaps.
• Automation: Automation in content localization through XTM Cloud reduces manual intervention of translating into different languages. Thus, leading to significant time and cost savings. It also helps maintain consistency across localized content. It ensures that standardized processes are followed, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies that may arise from manual intervention.
• Efficient translation management: Contentful's translation management capabilities facilitate collaboration among translation teams. Whether it's in-house translators or external language service providers, efficient translation management ensures that everyone has access to the latest content and can contribute to the localization process seamlessly.
• Centralized content management for multiple languages and regions: Contentful's centralized content management allows businesses to manage content for multiple languages and regions from a single platform. This unity eliminates the need for disparate systems, reducing complexity and enhancing overall efficiency.

Central multisite management ensures that businesses have consolidated control over their global content strategy. It provides the ability to tailor content for specific regions while maintaining a cohesive brand identity and overarching content strategy.

• Personalized content delivery based on user preferences: Content localization enables businesses to deliver personalized content based on user preferences, including language, cultural context, and regional relevance.

Learn how to activate content personalization at scale with Contentful.

The ability to dynamically adjust content based on user preferences ensures that the information presented is not only relevant but also resonates with individual users. This adaptability contributes to personalization causing increased user engagement and satisfaction.

Best practices to follow for content localization with Contentful CMS

Embarking on a content localization journey with Contentful CMS can be a transformative experience for businesses seeking a global footprint. To maximize the potential of this powerful platform, consider the following best practices:

• 1. Create structured content modeling:



Source: Contentful

A well-structured content model is the foundation for successful content localization. It ensures that content is easy to translate and is adaptable for different locales.

Contentful's content modeling capabilities make it easy to create structured content models. You can define different content types, fields, and relationships, and can use Contentful's field validation feature to ensure that content is in a consistent format.

Learn the art of atomic content modeling with Contentful for content reusability.

• 2. Utilize Contentful’s locale features:



Source: Contentful

Contentful's locale features are designed to make content localization a breeze. Define locales for each language and region you're targeting and use them to tailor content to specific audiences. Leverage locale-specific fields to input translated text and region-specific details, ensuring that your content resonates with diverse audiences on a global scale.

Take advantage of Contentful's locale-specific entry and asset settings. This allows you to manage localized content efficiently, providing a centralized location to organize and control each locale's unique elements.



• 3. Leverage content preview abilities:



Source: Contentful

Contentful's content preview abilities are invaluable during the localization process. Preview content in different locales to ensure that it appears as intended before publishing. This visual validation minimizes the risk of errors and allows teams to fine-tune the presentation for each target audience.

It provides a shared space for stakeholders to review and provide feedback on the localized content, fostering a collaborative and iterative approach to content refinement.



• 4. Integrate Translation Management Systems (TMSs):



Source: Contentful

Contentful seamlessly integrates with popular TMSs like Phrase or Smartling, allowing automated content transfer, translation, and synchronization. This integration reduces manual efforts, accelerates the translation workflow, and ensures consistency across all localized versions. Additionally, regularly evaluating and updating your integrated TMS allows you to leverage the latest advancements in translation technology.



• 5. On-board Contentful experts for smooth process: Ensure a smooth content localization process by on-boarding Contentful experts within your team. Having individuals well-versed in Contentful's capabilities enhances the understanding of the platform's nuances and empowers the team to navigate complex localization scenarios.

AContentful expert also provides you with ongoing training and knowledge-sharing sessions to keep your team updated on the latest features and best practices within Contentful.

• 6. Use Contentful’s fallback locale for consistent user experience: Contentful’s fallback locale feature is a powerful tool for maintaining a consistent user experience. When a specific locale is not available, Contentful automatically falls back to a designated default locale. For instance, if your locale is French and the default locale is English then content automatically will appear in the English language in case of any discrepancies.

This ensures that users always have access to content, even if a localized version is not yet available, providing a seamless and uninterrupted experience.

Strategically choose the fallback locale based on your target audience and content priorities. This feature not only maintains consistency but also serves as a safety net during the content creation and localization process.

How to enhance your CMS localization strategies with Altudo?

As businesses navigate the complexities of a globalized digital landscape, it explains the significance of effective CMS localization strategies. In this pursuit, partnering with a certified expert becomes pivotal. Altudo, a certified Contentful Partner, brings a wealth of expertise to the table, offering unparalleled insight into harnessing the full potential of the Contentful CMS platform for localized content strategies.

Following are some advantages of leveraging Altudo’s expertise for Contentful personalization strategy:

• Faster time-to-market: Altudo's expertise and experience with multiple industry leaders help you implement and optimize your personalization strategies quickly and efficiently, enabling you to deliver personalized experiences sooner.
• Strategies aligned to business goals: Altudo's data-driven approach and deep understanding of Contentful's capabilities ensure that your personalization efforts are effective and aligned with your business goals.
• Enhanced scalability and agility: Altudo helps businesses scale their Contentful CMS deployments effectively, ensuring they can handle increasing content volumes and traffic without compromising performance or user experience. Businesses can achieve both scalability and agility with Contentful CMS, enabling them to grow efficiently, adapt to changing market dynamics, and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
• On-going support: Altudo continuously monitors the performance of Contentful CMS and provides insights into content usage, personalization effectiveness, and areas for improvement. The team provides 24/7 technical support to address any technical issues or questions that may arise during the implementation and usage of Contentful CMS.

Conclusion

Content localization with Contentful goes beyond translation, considering regional nuances and cultural sensitivities. This not only fosters a stronger connection with users but also enhances brand credibility in the globalized digital landscape. Whether it's Dr. Smile or Costa Coffee, many businesses are focused on delivering a personalized experience to their customers by adapting to the local culture through effective communication.

As businesses embrace these localization capabilities, several benefits come to the forefront, including streamlined workflows, efficient automation, and personalized content delivery. The implementation of best practices further amplifies these benefits, ensuring that the localization process is not only efficient but also strategically aligned with business goals.

After analyzing the potential of Contentful localization capabilities, partnering with Altudo can be your next move to further accelerate your digital journey. Drop your query at marketing@altudo.co and book your 1:1 consultation with our learned Contentful experts!