How to Reach the Swedish Market With Transcreation
Let’s take a closer look at why you should get transcreation services to successfully reach Swedish customers.
Etikett: swedish market
Digital Marketing and iSEO: Targeting the Swedish Market
iSEO is becoming increasingly important if you want to succeed in the Swedish market. It’s not enough to “translate your digital marketing content to Swedish anymore. Anyone wanting to reach customers in Sweden needs to “transcreate” their digital marketing and focus on iSEO. That means ranking well requires both a real understanding of what goes into Google’s algorithm and some knowledge of the cultural differences that influence how the Swedish live and shop online.
What Google Wants to See from Your iSEO
Before you dive into the SEO work, it’s essential to understand what Google is trying to do when it ranks websites. A lot of SEOs chase after the current algorithm. This leads to the development of short-sighted, low-effort strategies that become ineffective when search engines catch on. At the end of the day, Google wants one thing: happy customers. This is why they regularly update their formulas and use smart technologies to reflect the human decision-making process better.
Above all else, search engines want to reward sites that showcase expertise with well-written content that answers potential clients’ questions. Anything done to avoid providing real solutions, such as opting for straight translation or skipping the research stage, is likely to dampen your results. This is true no matter where you operate—including Sweden.
To ensure a successful digital marketing strategy in Sweden, you need to:
- Do Your Keyword Research: Keyword usage varies from location to location, even in areas where people speak the same language. Individuals in the southwestern United States, for example, sometimes look for “heater repair” when they’re trying to get their furnace fixed. See what terms work in your new market and see if your translator can accommodate them. With almost a quarter of Sweden’s population coming from outside the country, there are many cultural nuances to consider. An iSEO expert with cultural knowledge and linguistic skills can also help you with this.
- Look at Your Competitors: While no one wants to be a copycat, it’s a good idea to examine your competition’s SEO performance in your target market. Are they doing well? How much traffic are they getting? What phrases are they ranking for? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you develop a strategy for entering new markets.
- Hire a Professional Transcreator: When it comes to iSEO, simple translations are rarely enough. Just because a term works well in your home country doesn’t mean it will work abroad. For example, Americans are more likely to use the word “running shoes” for athletic footwear, while the British would be searching for “trainers.” This difference becomes starker when you cross the language barrier.
Things to Consider When It Comes to Sweden and iSEO
I’ve run into clients that thought they already had an SEO strategy for the Swedish market. Some of them had already spent on a subpar translation and a .se domain. But when I looked under the hood, the content was not up to par. They were using terms in ways that no Swedish speaker ever would. Or, trying to rely on fluffy, flowery language to make a sale—something that doesn’t work well in a country known for being upfront and moderate.
To help make things easier, I’ve broken down some key things you need to keep in mind when attempting Swedish iSEO:
- High Internet Adoption Rates: The Swedish people, known for their technological openness, took to the internet like ducks to water. An article from 2019 found that 98% of Swedish have access to the internet, and 95% use it regularly. Furthermore, half of the Swedish population uses a digital mailbox since it leads to quicker tax payments. This has allowed the government to reap efficiency gains and reduce paper consumption. It also makes things like spam mail less effective. So, you can’t afford to skimp on virtual marketing when it comes to capturing their wallets.
- Sweden’s SEO Industry Is Now Beginning to Fracture: Like the US, Sweden has had companies working with iSEO since the beginning. These juggernauts of digital marketing still make their voices heard, but their grasp on the market is slowly loosening. Many website companies are now including SEO in their digital marketing packages. But it’s important to note that not all of them do it well—especially when the content has to be translated. It’s often best to hire a transcreator with knowledge of iSEO instead of first doing the translation and then reach out for web services after the content is done.
- Flowery Messages Aren’t Effective: Swedes tend to prefer factual information to marketing fluff and banter. We don’t care about the useless buzzwords that clutter your content and aren’t convinced by pretty, contrived slogans. Instead, we emphasize practical information like battery capacity, measuring size, and verified studies.
- Their Profile Is Worth Looking At: The average Swede spends about 150 euros a month on online shopping, according to Delante. Before making a purchase, 53% of Swedes carefully analyze the information permitted to them. Almost one-fifth of them go so far as to visit a brick and mortar store. When investigating, they value transparency and demand high-quality products. Things hidden behind a paywall or demo aren’t likely to entice them.
- They Google First: Almost 97% of Swedes use the Google.se website to conduct searches. While Bing and Yahoo do have a presence, it’s minimal at best. So, to keep yourself from being too scattered, it’s often best to focus solely on Google and its algorithm. The work you put into Bing and other smaller search engines is usually not worth the return.
- Mobile First: Even before mobile phones became extensions of our arms, the Swedes used them to make regular purchases. That means that sites should not only be optimized for mobile but designed with it in mind. Enable AMP and speed test regularly to ensure your products are visible on slower connections. With how many Swedes have access to fiber-optic internet, this is likely to become less of a concern.
- Unique Demographics: While you might go to Sweden looking to capture the attention of natives, around a quarter of the population is from outside the country. Additionally, residents of Norway and other Nordic states often visit Sweden to find great sales offers. This means that you must take a locational approach to iSEO in Sweden—not just a language-based one.
Are You Looking for an English-to-Swedish Transcreator to help you with transcreation and iSEO for the Swedish market?
Though both the US and Sweden are technologically forward countries with a high mobile adoption rate, you won’t succeed in the latter if you cut corners and rely on cheap translation or localization. You need to take the time to analyze the market and find the perfect keywords for your target persona. With my certificates in “SEO Fundamentals” and “Mobile, International, and Local SEO” from SEMrush, I’m qualified to help you do both. I can also take things a step further and provide transcreated Swedish content that aligns with your marketing goals.
To discuss this further or get a quote for your Swedish iSEO solution, please reach out to me by email.
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Top Reasons for Exporting to Sweden
As businesses grow, many owners begin to consider expanding internationally, yet it can be difficult to determine the best country for expansion. One country that businesses should consider is expanding and exporting to Sweden, which the World Bank Report says is the 14th easiest country for doing business.
There are several reasons why companies in the United States find it easy to do business in Sweden, with one of the most important being that English is widely spoken in the country. However, there are some things to understand before deciding to expand your business by exporting to Sweden.
4 Key Reasons for Doing Business in Sweden
1. Economic Growth
Sweden was able to avoid the financial problems that many other countries suffered during the recent economic crisis. Growth remains strong and economic experts predict that the gross domestic product (GDP) in Sweden will be at 2.6 percent in 2015. Unemployment is at 8.5 percent and industries expected to grow over the next few years include advanced manufacturing and engineering services along with information communications technology.
2. Market Opportunities
There are many market opportunities for US companies that export to Sweden. The country has had a long tradition of expertise in shipbuilding, mining, life sciences as well as engineering. There is an ongoing demand for products and services that increase productivity, such as IT products, safety, security equipment, and, like many countries, cyber security. Sweden is strongly committed to sustainability, so there are many opportunities for earth-friendly innovations. Sweden is an excellent test market for new technologies as citizens are open to new technology. English is widely spoken and the Swedish kroner is strong, making products produced in the US price competitive.
3. Business Challenges
Despite the fact that Sweden is ranked as one of the best countries for expansion, exporting to Sweden does not come without challenges. There is strong competition from developing countries for market share in Sweden, mainly because as members of the European Union, developing countries are given significant duty reductions in order to promote economic growth in those countries. The Value-added Tax Rate (VAT) is 25 percent on items exported into Sweden. In addition, Sweden has a high cost of living, resulting in much more expensive labor and high individual tax rates. In fact, individual tax rates and labor costs in Sweden are some of the highest in the world.
4. Business Culture
The Swedish put a significant amount of credence in punctuality so it is critical that those doing business in the country be on time for meetings and social engagements. If you must be late, it is very important that you call and let the person you are meeting know as tardiness is considered poor etiquette in Sweden. Swedish people tend not to be spontaneous, preferring to schedule and plan their activities. If you are invited to dinner at the home of a business colleague while working in Sweden, gifts are expected. Flowers, wine, cake or chocolate are appropriate gifts. If there are young children, small gifts should be brought for them as well.
Swedish companies have less hierarchy than other countries so that managers are more accessible to employees. With less chain-of-command, it is not unusual for an employee to take questions or concerns directly to the head of the company. Employees are permitted to take frequent breaks, known as “fika” throughout the day. Those breaks are sacred and it is not unusual for employees or managers to be unavailable during those times.
Even More Reasons to Sell to Sweden
1. Sweden itself has 9 million inhabitants, but if you include its neighbors and the Baltic Sea region, you end up with about 100 million consumers. Sweden’s central location makes it attractive as a base for call centers and distribution centers, as well as direct marketing activities.
2. Sweden has among the top standards of living in the world.
3. Sweden is known as a country of early adopters, both for products and trends. Many companies are using Sweden to try out new products and services before launching them on a larger scale.
4. US Foreign Policy has ranked Sweden as the top three most globalized countries in the world, using examples such as Volvo, Saab, Ericsson and IKEA.
5. Ever since the Vikings, the importance of trade is firmly engrained in the country.
6. Sweden is committed to exploiting new technology and the country invests a lot in research and development. This makes Sweden a good center for collaboration, research labs and innovation.
7. The country provides excellent opportunities for international networking and collaboration with its enormous pool of technical talent and excellent educational system.
8. Sweden ranks among the top recipients of foreign direct investment, with the majority being technology based.
9. Sweden has been called the most wired and wireless nation on earth where most people have a computer and use the Internet daily.
10. The following sectors are popular opportunities for exports: Computer Software, Travel & Tourism, Computer Hardware, Biotechnology, Automotive parts, Telecommunications services, Renewable Energy Equipment, Pollution Control Equipment, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, Telecommunications Equipment, Security and Safety Equipment, Sports and Leisure Products.
Choose Sweden for Your Next Market Launch
For companies considering expansion globally, Sweden offers many excellent opportunities. However, it is important to know some of the challenges you may face and to understand the culture of the business people you will work with should you decide to begin exporting to Sweden. Swedish Translation Services can help you with your marketing message, website and product info to reach the Swedish customer.
Photo Credit: Stuart Miles – freedigitalphotos.net
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Translation Industry Trends in Sweden – an Interview, Part 2
This is part two of my interview with Anne-Marie Colliander Lind, a Swedish translation industry specialist. She has worked in the translation industry since 1989 and is now running her own consultancy business, Inkrea.se. Part one of the interview was published in my last post, so check it out!
How much do you think the public knows about the translation industry or translation in general?
I have been working in the translation business for over 20 years and I am still greeted with a quizzical expression when I meet new people asking what I work with: Translation… what? Followed by: How many languages do you speak? I think many of our colleagues in our business have experienced the same thing. My feeling is that the public does not know that this is an industry that gives many, many people work, not only linguists and translators, but also project managers, technical engineers, sales people, accountants, business managers and more. But when I start talking about it many see the need for translation everywhere in our lives, especially in a country like Sweden, a multicultural country with so many international brands to be proud about.
How are you involved in the translation industry and how did you get there?
I started working in the translation industry in 1989, as a project manager for Interverbum, one of the largest translation companies at that time. Five years later I started working from the customer perspective, as a buyer of translations for a company in southern Sweden, before starting at Trados Scandinavia in 1998. I stayed at Trados for almost 10 years, a very exciting period with lots of developmets. When I started there, CAT-tools were more an exception than an industry standard, and 10 years later the product was a world leader in its niche. After that I returned to the translation company side again and helped Semantix to consolidate and develop its sales strategies, after the company had grown rapidly through purchases and mergers. Semantix was then a customer of the research company Common Sense Advisory, and after some prompting from CSA I decide to accept their offer to become their European representative. Two years ago I founded my own consultancy agency and now I am helping translation companies with strategies, sales and management. I also bring knowledge to the buying sector, e.g. to the companies that buy translation services, most often in regards to investments in technology or new buying processes and choice of strong partners, etc. I am a proud co-organizer of NTIF, the Nordic Translation Industry Forum, the second annual forum took place in Copenhagen in November 2012. As if this is not enough, I am also a volunteer for Translators without Borders, where my main task is to find company sponsors, and represent the organization at different industry conferences.
What do you think is most important for a customer when they buy a translation, when thinking of the value triangle (time-cost-quality)?
The most important for the customer is to receive what they expect, when they want it, e.g. the right quality, at the right time and price. The importance of these parameters can vary substantially. Time is probably the most important factor most of the time. If a translation job arrives late, the consequences can get very expensive for the project at large. Then it does not matter what price was agreed upon – “Better good enough in time, than perfect but too late” – so to speak. It is a different story for texts that will get published though, where quality is vital. Thankfully I am convinced that the price always comes in second or third place if we put it in relation to time and quality.
Do you think that translators will be replaced by machines some day?
Machine translation is here to stay – no one can slow this development down. I recently read that there are companies that have achieved a level of quality in machine translation where the error margin is less than 1.5 percent. With some simple-post editing they have achieved a good translation with minimal involvement by a translator. But still the answer to your question is no, there will always be a need for professional translators. The amount of information that we have access to increases exponentially and only a fraction of what should be translated gets translated. I believe (and hope) that companies will realize that you can get large amount of text translated at a lower price per unit with the help of technology, and that you can spend the rest of the budget on the texts that really make a difference and where the artistry of a professional translator is required in order to produce top notch results. I also hope that they then can afford to pay reasonable compensation for this. The more globalized we become, the larger role the local languages will play – I am convinced of that.
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Translation Industry Trends in Sweden – an Interview, Part 1
I recently had the honor to interview a friend and specialist in the translation industry in Sweden, Anne-Marie Colliander Lind. She has worked in the translation industry since 1989 and is now running her own consultancy business, Inkrea.se. Here is the translation of my interview with her below!
What does the translation industry look like in Sweden today?
The translation industry in Sweden is very fragmented, just like in the rest of the world. We have some really large companies that dominate the industry and supply translation services to both the public and private sector in most subject areas, and then we have a large group of small to medium sized companies with more or less specialized services. The Nordic countries have great spending power and it is no coincidence that there are no less than eight Nordic companies on the list of the 50 largest translation companies from 2011 (according to Common Sense Advisory).
Do you see any trends?
More and more customer relations are established by public tenders. This concerns primarily the public sector, which is governed by LOU (a Swedish law for public tenders), but we also see this for customers from the private sector. Businesses and institutions are increasingly looking for a partner that can offer a long term, close relationship, with integrated working methods, rather than aimlessly searching for a translation provider in the Yellow Pages. I see this as a sign of maturity. When it comes to price trends, the price to the end customer has decreased a bit, mainly due to the strong competition in the buying processes, and the price pressure naturally affects the price per unit for the subcontractors. It is interesting to see that for 20 years, the prices were higher the further away from Sweden you went (Japanese, Chinese, Korean etc.) but today it is the opposite, the most expensive languages to buy are the languages spoken for example in our neighbor country Norway, into and from English.
Who buys translation services the most?
In Sweden, the Swedish state is among the largest buyers of translation services. There is a constant demand for translation from Swedish authorities, thanks to, for example, Sweden’s generous immigration policy. Examples of authorities are the Swedish Migration Board, The Swedish Tax Authority, the Police and the Swedish Social Security Agency. Many of the Swedish translation companies receive a large part of their income from contracts with Swedish authorities. The EU Commission is also a big buyer of translations and provides many Swedish suppliers with large translation volumes. In the Swedish economy large international companies are dependent on multilingualism and we can mention several brands with documentation and websites in more than 50 languages, in order to be competitive internationally. Here, the demand is driven by separate marketing strategies for globalization or by legislation.
Stay tuned for part two soon.
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