Global Calendar a Must-Have Tool for International Search Marketing

To be successful in international search marketing, you must understand seasonality in your target markets. Without this knowledge, you are likely to use what works for your home market in foreign countries, and fail.

Being aware of the global calendar, or the calendar for each target country, is one of the important aspects in understanding the nuances of your target market.

Seasonal Differences

The seasonal differences impact the interests and the demand of your customers. If you are targeting countries in the Southern Hemisphere, such as Australia and South Africa, you need to remember that it’s winter there when you are pushing swimsuits in the North American summer.

For customers in Central America, the need for a heavy coat and a jacket may not come up very often. Even in the same country, like the United States, the type of winter coat you might wear in Vermont would be very different from the one you might wear in Arizona. I remember how I was unprepared for my first winter in Bend, Oregon, after spending 10 years in Southern California.

Different Holidays and Celebrations

Each country has a different set of holidays and celebrations that create business opportunities. For example, Valentine’s Day in Japan is quite different from the rest of the world.

In most countries where Valentine’s Day is celebrated, businesses focus more on the gift-giving from a man to a woman. But in Japan, only women purchase gifts for men on February 14. And it’s not for their husband or boyfriend, either – they purchase small gifts for bosses, co-workers, and friends. In return, men purchase gifts for women on March 14, White Day.

Knowing these dates helps you plan ahead to prepare campaigns for each occasion, which are important for your business.

The differences and the uniqueness of the holidays and celebrations also means that you will need additional keyword research for each country and create ad copies incorporating different offers and the nuances.

Budget Allocation

Having the right budget allocation can get trickier than you might expect. If your campaign budget has the same amount for each month or each quarter, it is difficult to accommodate those high-demand months and seasonality. Rather than to divide the annual campaign budget by 12 or four, allocate the appropriate budget for each month within your annual budget. Having the same amount allocated each month may give your agency steady cash flow, but your customers don’t care. They buy when they need it.

Global Calendar

It is helpful to create a global calendar showing important dates and seasons for each of your target markets. You can then use it to plan for seasonal campaigns. For example:

These lists are readily available on the Internet. Celebrations, events, and travel seasons are trickier to find and if you are lucky enough to have offices or partners in locals markets, ask them to help you to create the list.

*Image via Shutterstock.