Local Slang & Local Culture = $$$ (9)
Hey guys, I've just released Volume 7 in my Premium Post series. It is called The Empire Strategy and it's all about creating an online business that lasts.
I thought I'd give away a post on here, so I chose a topic that should be relevant to your international CPA campaigns - local slang, and local culture. Enjoy!
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For a long time, I have been singing the benefits of taking our affiliate marketing skills in to new markets.
You can avoid the bottleneck of competition by targeting demographics that other affiliates don’t have the confidence to pursue – most notably, those that involve a different language or a foreign culture.
Whether you are advertising home or away, domestically or internationally, one of the best tools at your disposal is the knowledge of local slang.
How do people talk in your target market?
How do they communicate in words?
If the matter sounds trivial, let me tell you that I have seen campaigns jump 180 degrees from pathetic flop to profitable winner through no other change but the use of a familiar slang.
We trust what sounds natural and authentic to us.
Fumbling For Words in America
This post is written in English.
But is your English the same as mine?
We can use the same language, and yet our vocabularies may be worlds apart.
To give you an example, if I’m filling out a form in pencil and I make a mistake, I might turn around to you and ask, “Can I borrow a rubber?”
If you are British, you will no doubt understand that what I’m asking for is an eraser.
If you are American, the meaning of the term ‘rubber’ is not so clear-cut. It is more commonly used to describe a condom.
The reason I use this example is because it actually happened to me in America.
The lady serving me – or rather sleepily waiting to process an identification form - could easily have mistaken my eraser request as a candid invitation for some wild shenanigans in the parking lot. And by the look on her face, I think that’s exactly what happened.
A 19 year-old soliciting a fourty-something for contraception in an insurance shop. Wouldn’t you look like you’d seen a ghost?
Since that moment of embarrassment, I have never forgotten the wonders (and dangers) of local slang. A word may have multiple meanings, and it usually does.
If you are travelling to a foreign country, you make an effort to learn the local customs. Common sense, right? It’s good tourist etiquette.
Similarly, if you are advertising to 250,000 natives of a foreign market, you damn sure better know what your message is actually saying.
Better yet, you should adjust your message to familiar language. I call this homebaked marketing.
Some affiliates are happy so long as their campaign translates in to readable prose, but I would go one step further. Immersing yourself in local slang is one of the best ways to improve the authenticity of your message.
Authenticity breeds likeability, which breeds conversions, which breeds a very happy you.
Learning Local Slang
Slang is good for marketing. Nice to know. But how do we use it correctly?
Where do we even start?
Stock up on Useful Slang Resources
Here are some of the best sites for homebaking your prose:
http://www.slanguage.com/ - An entertaining slang database that spews phrases from cities from all around the world.
http://www.coolslang.com/ - Covers 13 countries with lots of filth for adult marketers.
http://localspanish.com/ - Spanish is spoken in many countries, but the local slang can be different. Fatally different. If you were unaware of this, there's a good chance it has been silently hurting your ROI. This site provides Spanish slang terms for each country that uses the language.
Note: Treat the site like Google Translate. It's a good starting point for translating single words, but phrases and sentences can get lost in translation pretty quickly.
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/ - A dictionary of UK slang. Peevish is the first resource in the history of the Internet to recognise my use of the term ‘wank biscuit’.
Beautiful.
I can see those Match.com ads already, “Are You Sick of Dating Wank Biscuits?”
http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml - Another excellent hub of popular UK slang. This time simplified in to an American’s Guide.
http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/ozatwar/aussieslang.htm and http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html - These two Australian slang dictionaries have been very useful for my campaigns. The Aussies are extremely creative and unique in their choice of words. American English may look professional, but you’ll lose points for coming across as a Pom!
http://www.orbilat.com/Languages/Fre...ncensored.html - Uncensored French. If you do adult dating in France, you need this. There are some phrases in this list that are pure dynamite for your banner CTRs.
http://german.about.com/library/blvoc_avoidA.htm - A similar resource for German. About.com cutely refers to this glossary as “German Words to Avoid”. Translated in to affiliate slang, that means, “Likely to jar eyeballs. Learn immediately.”
http://www.urbandictionary.com/ - If you are ever confused by a slang phrase (in English), Urban Dictionary does a great job of putting them in to context. I know of several readers who can’t process my blog without this site.
The Role of Slang in Adult Dating
It’s tough to think of a niche where the effort of learning local slang is so richly rewarded as the adult dating market.
If you are going to run ads on Traffic Junky, Exoclick or Juicy Ads (recommended for newbies) – local slang is a must.
In fact, you need only look at the CPA offers on the market…
While I am familiar with the term slutty (it’s my middle name), I had no idea that ‘Sheila’ was Australian slang for a female. Thank you, adult dating.
Shagaholic somehow cracked America, presumably on the coattails of Austin Powers.
I had several amusing conversations at the Adsimilis Meetup about the place of ‘slags’ in the hierarchy of offensive terms for a loose British woman.
It was decided that slags is not as bad as slut or whore, but decidedly more offensive than wench (which on a good day can be directed playfully towards girlfriends and wives if you’re feeling ballsy). I’d put slag on par with slapper.
One particular affiliate refused to believe that I could ever use the term wench with a straight face. Well, I beg to differ.
Even my puppies get called wenches, and only one of them is female.
What may seem like a generic pirate insult to you might just be the UK’s next smash hit porno site.
All I’m saying is that in the adult dating world, the money rains for whoever can use the most explicit local vocab (although you’ll get nowhere fast without equally explicit imagery).
The authenticity of your sordid language is a proven CTR gamechanger.
One look at a porn website through a proxy in a different country and your mind will be blown with all kinds of explicit new nouns and adjectives that even my dogs would blush at.
Fair Warning…
While a few carefully chosen slang words can do wonders for your CTR and the message of your landing page, there is a catch.
Translating your entire prose in to local slang is not natural, it is not cool, and it is certainly not profitable.
Avoid landing page copy that looks like this:
“Allo Guvnor’, Fancy Shaggin’ Some London Broads?”
• Search online
• Bring ‘er back to your Drum & Bass.
• Take her up the Apples and Pears.
• Give her a mint Donald Duck
I repeat:
Your intention should be to write like a normal articulate person, with a couple of carefully chosen slang terms to catch attention (mainly in your ad creatives).
Replacing your landing page copy with Cockney Rhyming Slang (see here for more) is a recipe for hilarious disaster.
Please do send me your landing page if you are foolish enough to try. I love a good snortle over breakfast.
Local Landmarks as Campaign Angles
Slang is a great way to bridge the cultural divide. But it’s not the only method.
Some cities have distinct landmarks that are ripe to be targeted.
Just recently I ran a successful dating campaign targeting women of New York City. I used the gimmick of a Broadway date to make my ads super-relevant to their city.
“A hulking stud wanting to take me to dinner and then the hottest musical in town? Well, how can I refuse?”
Not only are you manipulating her desire to date, but you are also appealing to her desire for a free pass to whatever’s hot in the magazines.
Two birds, one stone.
Tip: Keep an eye on the most popular trashy gossip rags for trends and events. They can often make for good crossover material in your dating ads.
I've used similar tactics on prestigious buildings and town squares, as well as local sports stadiums. This is not restricted to the dating niche. All verticals are fair game.
Many affiliates are aware that matching daily deal offers to local attractions can provide an instant CTR and CVR boost. Try it and see.
CONTINUED BELOW
Remember Local Currencies!
If you are writing a sales pitch for a product that will be available worldwide, I recommend you feature the product's price in the user's native currency – even if it means creating multiple pages. This is especially important if you are targeting the older demographic.
Older users tend to prefer dealing in their own currency.
If currency is a big deal, why does Finch sell his products in dollars? What a hypocritical little sh-
It’s fine.
Affiliate marketers are used to dealing in dollars. A foreign currency is not likely to distract us or raise a red flag.
However, when you target an older demo or the less ‘worldly’ kind, there is a slight performance advantage to using local currency.
How About Some Local Flags?
I had an interesting conversation with Be2 last month about the effectiveness of using a national flag in a dating ad to suggest national relevance.
For example:
(Yes, that is my own face. And no, it will not improve your CTR)
What I found interesting from our conversation was that the only country to show a marked jump in CTR performance was Norway. Some countries performed worse with their national flag on display.
Are Norwegians really more drawn to their national flag? Could it be explained away that the red and blue acts as a visual eye-jerker?
Admittedly, a better variable to judge by is the CVR.
Note: While national flags are not always effective, local symbols and badges typically are. POF’s Ben made a good point about this at the Adsimilis meetup. Symbols, badges and icons draw attention to images. Try it next time you’re creating ads for those ‘date a doctor, soldier, fireman and other themed campaigns’. Stick a badge on it.
My own tests have led me to believe that some countries respond well to offers branded with their national flag (and a patriotic message), but the product has to be considered difficult to obtain.
For example, the world famous acai berry diet pills... Now available exclusively in Azerbajhan!
That’s going to sell.
An online dating site… Now available exclusively in the UK!
Probably not so effective. It’s just not a strong hook.
The idea of a world famous product being imported 'at long last' is a good gimmick as long as you target the right markets where the novelty is genuine.
A product that is considered easily attainable is not likely to benefit from national branding - unless the branding is directly related to the product.
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In Summary
Local slang, and knowledge of local culture, can help you devise ads that cut right to the heart of a market. It’s all about creating relevancy.
Before you enter a foreign market, do your research.
When I’m getting my ads translated, I use native speakers over professional translators. Technical translations are better than Google Translations (what isn’t?), but it’s your knowledge of the local lingo that will give you that relevancy boost.
It’s the reason why a brand like Local Slags turns heads in the UK, whereas Slutty Sheilas works better in Australia. Same language, different people.
Make an effort to immerse yourself in the marketplace and speak like a local trader would.
Know your market before you shove your balls in it.
Am I doin it right?
Great post man. My family is from another country and I've spoken the language since birth (not gonna say what cause I'm running it right now) but I always test competing ads and kill their CTRs just by changing the wording of the headline and copy because often times they're just worded so awkwardly.
Haha, it's unfortunate, but that ad would probably convert like dynamite in my part of London.
I'm seriously digging the use of "wench" in this post. From my experience, calling your date a tavern wench is always profitable
Yeah big time, awesome post Finch. I see it everyday talking on Skype I have pretty loose lingo and heaps of the time you yanks don't understand what I say 
One prime example of Australian culture, this ad crushed 
That's our prime minister and Centrelink is basically our welfare support
Bahahahaha that's great, ya hard up straya cuz.
Originally Posted by maynzie
One prime example of Australian culture, this ad crushed
That's our prime minister and Centrelink is basically our welfare support
Good reading, thanks. I would add that in addition to slang issues we need to recheck ads' translations as well because I see plenty of dating ads for my country with spelling and grammar mistakes
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