We’ve asked the question, “What’s your Local IQ?” hundreds of time and we always get a different response: I don’t know, what’s that, it’s good, I’m good, and stop bothering me. What we find is that regardless of who we talk to, Local IQ™ is relatable and applicable across all industries. At it’s core, Local IQ™ is the only framework that will localize your product and service offerings in new markets. It expands the definition of localization.
Changing Your Local Mindset
Traditionally, businesses and marketers think of only language when the concept of localization comes to mind. Don’t get us wrong, it’s extremely important that businesses get their messaging right when targeting any market. However, our years of experience shows that localization goes much deeper that that. In fact, what you see in visuals and experience in technology also plays a huge influence in decision making.
Because of this, we wanted to take a more complete approach by developing Localization Intelligence (Local IQ™). It’s a simple model that benchmarks three criteria that are easily understood; each criteria represents a branch in localization where high IQ increases the likelihood that users will adopt your business offerings while low IQ reduces those chances of adoption. We typically find that business offerings that fail are a result of low IQ decisions. We’ve organized these thoughts in our Local IQ™.
Your Local IQ™
Benchmark your localization efforts against our three key framework areas: Communication, Technology, and Visual.
Criteria | High IQ | Low IQ |
Communication | The intent of your messaging was not lost and is clearly understood by your end user: - Customers understand the intent behind your message | Messages are worded awkwardly and aren’t crafted for the target audience: - No action is taken after viewing your message |
Technology | Your product offering becomes an extension of user or current workflow: - The UI/UX is appropriate for the given market | Your product offering is seen as just another product: - The UI/UX is foreign to end users |
Visual | When your customer sees your product offerings, they understand the context of your business: - Images were thoughtfully selected for connecting with customers | Your product offering does not get realized when viewed by your customer: - Images are offensive or do not relate to the customer |
What Is Your Local IQ™?
Local IQ™ is meant to guide decisions around localization projects and ensures the most effective results from localization. So, where do you fall in the above spectrum? If you find yourself operating in the Low IQ region for one or more criteria, then maybe it’s time to revisit your localization strategy.
If you need help with localization or have any questions, reach out to Uplancer, the experts in localization services here!
