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Each episode of GAIN Momentum focuses on timeless lessons to help grow and scale a business in hospitality, travel, and technology. Whether you’re a veteran industry leader looking for some inspiration to guide the next phase of growth or an aspiring executive looking to fast-track the learning process, this podcast is here with key lessons centered around four questions we ask each guest.
GAIN Momentum episode #10 - Localization of Communications in a Globalized World
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Jason Emanis: Welcome to the Gain Momentum podcast, focusing on timeless lessons from global industry leaders about how to grow and scale a business in hospitality, travel, food service, and technology. I'm Jason Emanis here with my co host, Adam Mogelonsky. How are you, Adam?
[00:00:25] Adam Mogelonsky: Doing great.
[00:00:26] Jason Emanis: Good. Our guest today is Anne Bleeker,
[00:00:30] Gain advisor, co founder, and managing director of Into Consulting, a business communications agency. So, Adam, why don't you take it away?
[00:00:40] Adam Mogelonsky: and we structure this podcast around four key questions for any business that wants to scale and learn from your expertise and avoid some pitfalls along the way. So we're going to start right with in with the first question, which is when it comes scaling a business, what is the
[00:01:01] single piece of advice you would give entrepreneurs as a professional in hospitality?
[00:01:07] Anne Bleeker: Thanks, Adam., yes, I'll look at this question from a communications perspective with my comms hat on. I'd say you have to really consider communications early. And for many, that means earlier than they do today. And that's both internal as well as external communications. I suggest don't wait until you really need it.
[00:01:25] Don't wait until you need that bio written, you need that investment deck,, developed. Or, new partnership being announced in the press. Start, early on,, really build, build momentum, no pun intended there., but over time, these things do take time. You want to start early. You want to build it up strategically.
[00:01:42] Um, you want to feed your content. that once you need it, you have it all ready to go and you have, you've built a digital presence. similarly for internal comms, you can never start too early enough. Yeah, I even talk to startups about starting internal comms right when they're even just the two founders.
[00:01:56] Um, or, , a single founder and a number of,, a number of employees. Because once you get too big,, you might not have the tools and the channels to actually,, manage that culture when you're in that phase of growth. So, yeah, consider it early is going to be my number one piece of advice.
[00:02:11] Jason Emanis: Do you see a lot of startups in hospitality that, that hold off on this? And they don't know where to start? They don't know where to go? It's like, where? A, are they hesitant to create their own press release, for example? Oh, I got to have somebody write it, or, and, or B, where do I put this thing?
[00:02:29] Anne Bleeker: Yeah, no, absolutely. I think there's a couple of factors that are really making, making organizations hesitant. It might be that they don't, know they don't know where to start. So they don't know exactly know what's what's required. But it also is sometimes pushing it off because they just don't really have the right tools internally to do it.
[00:02:44] And there might not be budgets to engage professional in getting this done so it can, you could do this as little building blocks like Lego. Thank you. Is you start with little bits on thought leadership, start by getting your bios right, start by getting your website up and running. so you don't have to do everything at the same time.
[00:02:59] That's why I say consider it really early so you have the time to build this up over time. It's a sustained effort rather than, an instantaneous, , campaign that you do once and then you never look back at. you're right, and I think this is a,, a lot of founders might, especially in hospitality technology where I see it.
[00:03:16] Is they're very focused on their product and getting that to market, but they're not necessarily communicators just because , you have a product doesn't necessarily mean you're a confident communicator. And that's why I say seek help early.
[00:03:26] Adam Mogelonsky: On that note, companies, they do prioritize product and then probably sales and marketing. How do you convince them to prioritize communications?
[00:03:36] Anne Bleeker: hard. Let me, let me tell you that., but I always say that PR is not a standalone function. We're really here to help drive business. So when I ever approach anyone in hospitality technology, whether it's looking on, , developing and launching a product, I'd say, how can communications support the launch of your product?
[00:03:55] How can it support market entry into different, different, different geographies that you're looking at? Or maybe you're reaching different target audience that are not initially within the founders network. So what I do is, is really try and link it back to business and organizational strategy. What is it that you want to.
[00:04:09] But I need, what do you need to do? Do you need to launch? Do you need to drive leads to your website and make it quite technical, but then link it back to the strategic goals and see how communications can support them in their business, rather than looking at it, , just get, , a bunch of noise out there to, to get you well known, that's not what this is about.
[00:04:28] It really is about driving business and doing that in a sustained way.
[00:04:31] Adam Mogelonsky: Well, when we're talking about goals, we're also talking about KPIs as well. And companies these days, it's data everything, but we're almost have too much data., so what KPIs would you look at from a communications perspective to evaluate success and growth?
[00:04:48] Anne Bleeker: There are a number of things that you can do,, and it really, again, it really depends on the type of business that you are and where you are in the purity of that business. So it will be very different for a startup as it will be for a scale up or what it would be for a corporate organization., some of the key things to look at if you're looking to generate leads is to track those leads.
[00:05:05] So if you're looking at,, using LinkedIn as a vehicle to generate leads for your website, you could track directly what the traffic is. To specific pages or to a specific blog post or to a specific press release that you've put out But that is one way to really link it back, that's still quite technical, we work with organizations that we're looking at we wanted to be we wanted to be proactively approached by specific partners or sponsors That was their goal.
[00:05:28] then again, it's something that you can count, kind of literally afterwards, after you've done a sustained effort on getting content out, this is how many proactive approaches have we had for potential partnerships and sponsorships. And if we're looking at because specifically at media and public relations, then reach is a really, really good way of looking know how far your content goes, whether that's LinkedIn reach eyeballs on the content that you're that you're generating.
[00:05:53] And then within that, I would say specifically, is looking at the right titles. We have a lot of people that will still say, I've got X number of clippings for you. To me, that doesn't mean anything. those clippings are all in magazines or portals that, , your target audience doesn't read or doesn't access.
[00:06:09] , what's the value of that? But yeah, I'd rather you have one blog post that gets read by two or three people that are key to the decision making for a product that you're looking to launch or a magazine that your stakeholders reads, even if it's just one piece of coverage,, that's all that matters.
[00:06:24] So reach, visibility in the right titles with the right publications that fit your audience. then looking at kind of like more tactical cycle, lead generation. Or, perhaps it is that you put content out because you're trying to get a speaking engagement on a specific topic at a specific conference.
[00:06:39] If that's your goal and you're able to achieve that by, , getting, getting some PR out there,, then I would say that's one way to track it.
[00:06:46] Jason Emanis: with all that, and it's, I think you got to be broad, I think you have to force yourself to look broadly and to dive down in deep like an engagement LinkedIn post, for example,
[00:06:58] . who's engaging with you? Like
[00:06:59] Anne Bleeker: Exactly.
[00:07:00] Jason Emanis: is it the right title? Is it the right people? Like, is it your cousin engaging? Okay, great,
[00:07:06] Adam Mogelonsky: Could be
[00:07:06] Anne Bleeker: Yeah.
[00:07:07] Jason Emanis: but,
[00:07:07] Anne Bleeker: Could Could be really interesting. Who
[00:07:08] Jason Emanis: he sells vacuum cleaners. , and then you can start, is your message resonating?
[00:07:17] Anne Bleeker: Absolutely.
[00:07:19] Yeah. And then LinkedIn
[00:07:24] is a lot in the B2B space. Then LinkedIn is one of those key, key channels that people will use. And all of those analytics are readily available. They're freely available., and I always encourage business owners to really look at those analytics. What is working well? What are some of the posts that are doing not so well when it comes to reach? many new followers did you gain as a result of a particular post that you've put out there?
[00:07:44] And then just make one little, deviation from that is that followers are not everything., and especially when we're looking at B2B, I'd rather you have the right followers and you only have a few, then you have countless followers,, that, , that you're just, , putting content out to that really doesn't resonate with them or they'll never end up being converted into a bio of your product or service.
[00:08:03] Adam Mogelonsky: quality over
[00:08:03] quantity.
[00:08:04] Anne Bleeker: A hundred percent.
[00:08:05] Adam Mogelonsky: All right. I'm going to move on to the second question here.
[00:08:08] What are some of the common pitfalls or failures you have witnessed that business owners should look to avoid when
[00:08:14] scaling?
[00:08:15] I would
[00:08:16] Adam Mogelonsky: , don't call them failures. It is learning
[00:08:18] Anne Bleeker: It is a learning
[00:08:19] opportunity., so I've got a few,, that I've kind of collected over the, over the last couple of years. I think the first and foremost,, kind of pitfall that I see is that people dip in and out of communication. So going back to my earlier,, kind of answer on what is your, , one recommendation is a sustained effort and considering comes early.
[00:08:38] Don't dip in and out. I, if you, Once you open your communications channels, make sure that you're consistent, that you're regular. And if that regularity is once a month, stick to the once a month, if you're committing to once or twice a week, stick to once or twice a week, but what don't do is, , go to an event.
[00:08:54] Um, you have a speaking opportunity to do five or six posts on LinkedIn,, where you say that you're at the event, and then the next time I look at your LinkedIn profile, that event was five months ago. So even if you do something just once a month, be, be regular. And that dipping in and out happens, and it is not out of,, that will, a lot of the time, it's just people don't have time or they simply forget and suddenly weeks have gone by, but by doing this strategically, by putting, putting some content pillars together, looking at what you want to do, setting yourself goals and the number of pieces of content you want to put out there, you will be able to stick to that as much as any other part of your marketing and communications or your, even your business development strategy.
[00:09:31] So I'd say dipping in and out of comms don't create a communications hiatus. And the other reason I say that is that your online presence is really your online reputation. It's your online business card. So if you need someone, you're sending out a proposal, they're going to look you up. They're going to go to your LinkedIn profile.
[00:09:46] They're going to go to your website., they're going to go to your LinkedIn page for your organization. And if they see that that last post was made three, four months ago, what does that really say? said either it could be, , a hint on professionalism, but it might be that even after COVID, I've seen that because, Oh, they must've gone out of business.
[00:10:02] if something was from a week ago or even two weeks ago, that's okay., so we're not saying you have to go on there seven days a week, but just be regular and don't dip in and out, try to avoid that as much as you possibly can.
[00:10:12] Jason Emanis: You and I had a talk a few weeks ago about a pitfall that I experienced and I've been doing this a while
[00:10:20] and I had told you, I'd never historically been super strong on PR because I've been burned, not just not getting a return and I was part of a startup. That had no strong releases, no strong communications.
[00:10:36] I think the marketing was very solid. I think the activity within the company was solid, and a competitor, got one of the big hotel chains. Put a press release out and it was everywhere and then I'm telling you a few days later we would get leads in the website and I would always ask them.
[00:10:57] How'd you hear about us? Oh, well, I I saw competitor XYZ Is, is doing business with, , whomever and so I'm, I'm checking out, , I'm checking out everybody, , and I was just like dumbfounded. It's like six or seven, eight days, the same communication.
[00:11:16] And I'm like, Oh my God, what do you think?
[00:11:20] Anne Bleeker: No, and it's, it's, it's common. It's very, very common., and think the other side to that is that people might feel that their news or what they have to say is not important enough, or it might not carry enough weight yet, or maybe they feel that they're too early stage. That's something I get a lot.
[00:11:35] Or too early stage startup, because you're never, you're never really too early to put yourself out there. If you're looking for even, , an angel investor or a little, a little bit of funding to get you going, then even just some PR on you as a person, you as a founder, going to be really critical.
[00:11:51] And that could be, again, it's a quality over quantity. It might be that one press release. It might be that one piece of thought leadership content on a topic that you're super passionate about, or that really links well with what you're offering., it can go a really, really long way. it is, it is about engaging a professional to know where to place it.
[00:12:06] It's, it's hard to do this on your own, unless you're using just your own channels and your own channels, like,, your website, for example, or a blog, a blog that you might have, or, channels like social media. But if you want to go a little bit further, , it might be worthwhile, , engaging someone to help you to help you get that out there.
[00:12:24] Jason Emanis: Especially for the big ones. You get a big
[00:12:26] win, you probably ought to engage somebody like Anne. And say, look, I got a big one here, what do I do with it?
[00:12:33] Anne Bleeker: Yeah. And then, and don't be shy. I think, especially when we're looking at hospitality tech companies, for example, there is, there's all, I always see power for joint PR and communication. So if you did manage to tie up with that big hotel chain or, or, , that cruise organization., ask for permission.
[00:12:50] Is there a way that we could do something together? If if the customer is happy, let's see if there's jointly something we can put out there. And not necessarily a commercial endorsement type press release, but more about how has the deployment of this particular technology really helped that organization achieve their goals?
[00:13:04] That's valuable content., but then it is all about just investing the time and in fostering that relationship with that, with that hotel group or that particular client that you have and see if they're willing. And able to do something with you and that way you might be able to use their PR resources or not usefully the wrong word here, but, , you can join up and see whether you could do something together that that's a win win for everyone.
[00:13:26] Adam Mogelonsky: Well, I've seen it that a lot of startups and scale ups, they'll get a partnership with a much larger client, whether it's public or not, and they want to do a joint press release and it gets held up by the larger company's PR
[00:13:40] entity. Do you have any tips for getting to the front of the line in those sorts of situations?
[00:13:47] Anne Bleeker: There's a couple of things that you can do. And of course there are, , everyone has their own policies and procedures around commercial endorsement and doing joint PRs and that's, , in its value., and even I, , in my background of being in half of the hotel group we had a lot of those approaches and we would be very selective as to who we would work with.
[00:14:04] I think what's really important is that you try not to be too commercial about it. don't try and kind of, yeah, you can again use, use the word use,, that story to really get your name out and see if you can get other hotel groups, for example, to, to, to buy into your technology simply because you want to kind of do it on the back of a successful story with a client.
[00:14:24] But if you do something like more of a case study or something that's a bit more data led or maybe a research led,, that you've done for the customer, that might be something that could really be a way in,, to say, well, maybe we could, , add some value to your audiences as well. And there's there's, some value in it for them too.
[00:14:38] And then,, the other side to it, and I've done that quite successfully with, with tech vendors in the past. It's due to work, so don't rely on them, but see, , put an outline together and say, we're thinking of a story, but , these and these aspects and then the time you get introduced to the PR person on the other side, they know that you're serious, you're not just asking for permission to use their logo or permission to use an image or, or, , the fact that they, that you have worked with them.
[00:15:01] Um, but you've really thought out what it is that you want to say. What are some of the strategic elements and to a PR person having sat on both sides of the table, that is really valuable. So put, put in some of that work, dedicate some time to maybe drafting a, , doing a draft or putting an outline together, will be my, , kind of my tips.
[00:15:17] End that relationship. Don't ask at the end. I think a lot of the time when you're, when you're especially in your first clients is really build a good relationship. Maybe, , just kind of put some discovery conversations around this early on and say, Hey, what about if we were to do a case study and in a year's time after we've successfully deployed this, would this be something that you're interested in?
[00:15:37] Not saying that you're trying to lock it in that way, but more just having that kind of open conversation. think it's useful too.
[00:15:44] Adam Mogelonsky: Very good points. I'm going to dive into the third question
[00:15:47] Anne Bleeker: I would have had more. I have more pixels. Yeah.
[00:15:54] Adam Mogelonsky: What do you see as the key opportunities and challenges for hospitality companies in 2023 and beyond?
[00:16:01] Anne Bleeker: I think it will have to be AI., I really want to understand and even get my comps hat on is how will AI impact the way we market, the way we publicize, the way we position our business, the way we add value our wider audience., that is something that, , hasn't been done before. It's happening as we speak, but that is definitely one to watch.
[00:16:22] Um, I think we're also, as a result of AI, I think we're going to see a bit of a content revolution. If we're thinking about how difficult it is to cut through the clutter today, with all and everything that's been written today, all the blocks that are out there in the social media posts and the feeds on all social media channels, it's nothing until, , AI starts developing that content on its own.
[00:16:42] that's, and then again, it becomes really important about how are we going to use the tools strategically. What can we do to really stand out from the crowd? And really cut to that clutter even further So that the more strategic we are and that I think is something I at least for now can do It will i'm sure.
[00:16:59] Um over time, but for now if we're if we're being smart about it, we're staying kind of very Concentrated on adding value and kind of putting whatever our personal recommendations, our personal insights and really,, kind of relating that back to what's happening in the industry. That's where I really feel that we could, do that even using AI tools.
[00:17:19] Um, so I'd say that's probably the number one challenge or, , it's actually a challenge and an opportunity. If you do this well, it'd be an opportunity. If you don't do it, I think you're going to be, , you'd be left behind,, pretty quickly. And I think the other side to this is really consider communications for the new ways of working.
[00:17:36] Whether that's the gig economy, whether it's remote work, whether that is working globally as opposed to nationally. A lot of, , hospital tech companies are going to go global, , probably before they're even that big., but how do you really use communications to foster the right culture?
[00:17:52] How do you make remote work work? do you effectively communicate cross cultural?, so I think that is another challenge and an opportunity that businesses see because that the world has become smaller that way. have we done enough from a communications perspective to really make that happen this year and for the years to come?
[00:18:09] Jason Emanis: I think you're dead on on it's going to be a marketing job descriptions. And especially if you think about startups, or you think about small companies, let's say you're 10 million a year in your marketing departments, two people, well, what can two people get done? , so there's going to be an explosion of very average communications,
[00:18:29] like, we've actually been dealing with that.
[00:18:31] And so it is going to get
[00:18:32] worse, but there are going to be those who rise above the top because they've figured out how to be different. And this is, this is where I think small, marketing and communications organizations, departments, could leverage someone who understands how to communicate super effectively, focusing on your different, focusing on what is the most important thing for your audience.
[00:19:04] And a lot of times a two person marketing department can't do that, or they're so busy with the day to day. You just, you got to have some outside input. And, I think it's wise for, for marketing communications people to be playing with AI, learning how to use it, learning how to be, just augment who you are.
[00:19:26] And then, also understand how to communicate and if you, if you think you struggle with that, go talk to somebody or go work with, , even if it's ad hoc, it's like, , Hey, I've, I know I've got this big thing coming up for the, and it's, it's something that could last, , two months, , for the next eight weeks, I think we can really lean in on this, but I really need help on rising above all the noise,
[00:19:51] Anne Bleeker: And I think the side of it is that your content is one thing and really looking at how you can differentiate. But it's actually absolutely said, I think for startups and, and actually growing organizations as well is what I,, AI tools can you use to maybe automate some of those processes in marketing, whether that's your analytics, whether that's your reporting,, , for us in PR, it will be around active media distribution,, , monitoring, but also looking at sentiment tracking.
[00:20:16] There is a lot more that can be done that can be automated through effective AI tools that will make our jobs a lot easier and then allow us more time to focus on, , really making that difference and writing that really, , cutting edge piece of content that is really going to, is going to make a difference.
[00:20:33] we, yeah, we have to, work smart in getting that and getting that,, as part of our job description, I guess, over the next couple of months, sooner rather
[00:20:40] than
[00:20:41] later. Please do.
[00:20:43] Jason Emanis: Can I, can I tell you a secret? I use it, I use it
[00:20:46] Anne Bleeker: Sing.
[00:20:48] Jason Emanis: I have to use it because what it will do is synthesize, like a large, like a, if it, if it's a, a conversation on a video that I've got a transcript, I can synthesize that transcript, just like that. And then the magic happens, like we've been talking about, is the editing.
[00:21:06] It's like the brain, the person. Has got to take that you went from here to here really quick now You've got to figure out how to weave this together appropriately because it's AI is not sophisticated enough to do it eloquently enough to rise to the
[00:21:22] Anne Bleeker: Yeah. Yep. Yeah. We'll keep this between us then.
[00:21:29] Jason Emanis: Don't tell Adam
[00:21:31] Adam Mogelonsky: Yeah, there's, there's so much with this AI conversation. On my end, when you talk about something like a content explosion, it really, it's kind of scary because on the one hand you can create content so easily. But on the other hand, what I'm finding is that we're, we're training our customers and our, our viewers and our readers to basically ignore anything that isn't
[00:21:55] the cream of the crop that isn't immediately engaging and very insightful. So how in this new workflow process that we're, emerging into with AI, would a marketing or PR team go about using AI to create content that is actually engaging and rises above this, this noise that's happening?
[00:22:20] Anne Bleeker: Yeah, I think that actually touches on one of the pitfalls that I've seen is that people focus a lot on their own messaging. This is what I want to say about my product. This is what I want to say about my solution. This is how I'm different., but what is far more valuable is obviously looking at the solution side that that's kind of a given in terms of your actual value proposition, but also looking at the news agenda.
[00:22:40] Um, and And that's what very few organizations do effectively. And sometimes there's no time, sometimes that expertise doesn't sit within that team,, or or it's not a priority. But if you can effectively use content to really tune in to today's news agenda, something that happened on the news today, you could have it out on a blog, on a blog post or a social media post today.
[00:22:59] if,, you, you could offer those views to journalists, if you're, if you're able and willing and you really want to invest time and get your spokespeople available to really tune in. And if there's a new piece of regulation that comes out that is pertinent to your business, offer that view to someone in radio broadcasting or, or someone who's doing, who is doing a podcast series.
[00:23:19] Um, but you have to be timely. You have to do this. This hour, or maybe, , if it's not this hour, then at least today or tomorrow. so focus less on what you want to say, but also kind of looking at what is being talked about, and where can you really add value to a larger audience. And that's, that's a skill.
[00:23:36] That's a skill that not everyone has. But if we're talking about that content revolution and really kind of cutting through,, I believe that that's where the focus will be. And again, it goes back to quality over quantity. It might be that one piece of commentary that you give that will become, I hate the word viral, but , something that gets talked about or something that gets noticed by people that matter to your business.
[00:23:57] Um, at the end of the day. It's about reaching the people that matter most to you and your business, but do that by, by, yeah, seeing if there's opportunities for you to contribute to these types of issues.
[00:24:09] Jason Emanis: that's a great point because Hospitality technology is so broad I struggle with it all the time and I know like you both of you I think And, and a handful of others that I know have such a stronger handle on context of a news, a current news story or an impact, if you will, an event that has an impact.
[00:24:35] And you guys seem to understand how this particular technology fits into this new thing. And when you're spending, , let's, , when you're a founder and you're heads down, , product, product, product, you gotta get the product, right? Because it's an, it, , it's constant. How do you lift up and look around and understand contextually how your solution is fitting in the current, today, , that's tough.
[00:25:05] Anne Bleeker: It is tough.
[00:25:06] And then, , that's where sometimes, , engaging someone that can do that for you helps. But at the same time, I'd say, don't over rely on,, on external providers as well. At the end of the day, communications is in my view, and I'm not talking myself out of a job here, because I really believe this,, is that, You need to start building up communications capacity in house,, and whether that is for someone that does it maybe a 10th of their time, if it's written in their job description for, , day every month, it doesn't matter, but if you do that early and start really, , whether that's training, whether that's education, whether that's, , mentoring or coaching,, is built that capacity in house because the closer you are to the business, an agency will never be able to be on that same level unless they're literally working side by side in the office, which,, , let's be honest.
[00:25:52] This is pretty rare. can build a capacity by getting the help from an expert, but also looking at are there any talent, , people within your own team,, that could get a handle on that. Maybe that's, , using one of those AI monitoring tools and looking at sentiment on out on social media.
[00:26:07] You will have plenty of young people that are coming into the workforce that besides great, , technical capabilities will have that intuition. And if they can feed that back and someone else is a great writer or happens to be a great with visuals, there's a lot that you can do in house that you might not consider as actual, , professional skills.
[00:26:24] But that's, that's what's happening now. A lot of people have those, have those skills, but, , combining them and then maybe getting some help,, from an expert on,, kind of what that strategy should be. I mean, you've come a long way, sourcing, sourcing that in house and developing it over time.
[00:26:37] Adam Mogelonsky: We've covered so much ground already, we almost don't really need the fourth question, but, and here it is. What are the key things innovative leaders and entrepreneurs should prioritize and focus on to gain traction for their business?
[00:26:54] Anne Bleeker: I think the number one point of focus should be develop your story and own your story. So write your narrative, really spend time on what it means. And it's not just your net, not just your elevator pits, not just your investor, like not just your tagline. It really is your, your, the overall narrative of your organization.
[00:27:14] And then you need to own it and share with everyone else in your team. And as you grow, that narrative needs to be shared with those internally as well. So everyone can, can tell that story effectively. that I think is the number one. And then the number two, I'd say as we become more global and people are considering different markets, really tailor your communications to whom you're speaking with.
[00:27:35] If you're, , national in North America and you're looking to branch out. Make sure you consider whether that's Europe or whether it's Asia or whether it's the Middle East, where I'm based, is looking at market specific factors for communications, nuances that are important to your audiences, different channels that you might need to use,, and so changing your narrative.
[00:27:56] It means not changing your story, but adapting it for the market that you're that you're communicating in really critical if you're looking to grow beyond your national borders
[00:28:05] Jason Emanis: Well, what, what might that be, Anne I talk with people in Europe who want to come to the States and I kind of understand Yeah, I mean, I kind of understand that move, , you talk to people in the States, , who want to go down into Latin America, for example, which that hotel environment for example Is is kind of different than , it's just different ownership down there than it is in the States, than it is in Canada, than it is in Europe.
[00:28:30] Like, I mean, just a couple examples or one,
[00:28:33] Anne Bleeker: I think one is actually in your, in your question already, the landscape is different. So who you will be selling to will be different., so that means your order, like your whole. Yeah, well, it's part of it's your audience segmentation and who are you actually in the reach? Are decision makers the same?
[00:28:47] Um, ,
[00:28:47] Anne Bleeker: are they at the same level, states versus Europe? I think the other,, point to consider is absolutely language. Europe is not one market, and that's not just because of geographical borders, but that's languages, but it's also culture, the way you communicate in Northern Europe or in Holland, where I'm from is a very, very direct business culture is very different from you looking at kind of the Mediterranean countries where, , relationships are just, just the way business is done is very different and that should be reflected in your communications. If you then go to the Middle East is that, , that they're, they're doing their new ones is there too. yeah, partly language, partly culture of doing business, but I think very importantly is actually mapping your landscape in some Oregon geography is like a sales first,, approach my work whilst in other markets, I'd say maybe a marketing or consulate approach will be, you will be better off doing it that way.
[00:29:36] Um, but it's very market specific and depending on where you are in your, in your maturity. it's super, super important and often overlooked. I get a lot of people wanting to come into the Middle East. I'd see, , a lot of content that just doesn't resonate here.
[00:29:50] And I tell people, you need to localize. And I don't mean translating things into Arabic. That's, language is one side. But it really is localizing the story. If we're going out here, for example, with a press release,, that only has North American or European or any other market for that matter,, data points.
[00:30:05] , we're going to question the relevance here. So is there any way that you could localize this for relevance in this market? Is there research, , the same when we're looking at, , specific audiences, that sort of localization is, is important to, or we're looking at case studies. If we're having only case study references from outside of the market, it's difficult.
[00:30:23] that, I think that, relates to any market, not just the Middle East.
[00:30:27] Adam Mogelonsky: Localization in a globalized world.
[00:30:30] Anne Bleeker: Yeah, kind of. And I know, and that's, it's almost like adding a complex layer to it, but really a lot of it can be done. Especially people say, Oh, don't I have to do, , all these different editions of my content. And it's not like that. If we, if you have someone to create great content, let's say in the U S and you want to use it in other markets, it is about just adjusting that content or, or making firm decisions.
[00:30:51] I will have worked with organizations that I'll say that PR is just not for this market. as a professional, that's my duty to tell people and say, that will just not work. You're not going to get the traction with that. So sometimes it is repurposing. Maybe it's sometimes it's localizing a little bit.
[00:31:05] And sometimes you can take something as is. it's just that consideration, that extra consideration that you're Taking the effort to really look at, , getting the right message across to the right audience, the right channel. and even just looking at social media in some markets, , Twitter is more, is more widely used than in other markets.
[00:31:23] Um, , all of these little nuances are important to just map out as part of your overall kind of analysis of the market that you're communicating in.
[00:31:31] Adam Mogelonsky: can you use generative AI to guide that localization?
[00:31:36] Anne Bleeker: I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure you can, but I would always say, that precaution. And I think Jason, your example of that kind of, it's the finesse and the human touches to it. So you might use a base and you might get some great knowledge out of that, out of that AI. use it wisely, make sure you double check, make sure to talk to people in the market,, as to what it is that you're doing is, is correct, because there's, , there's a lot to lose by not doing it correctly.
[00:32:01] So I wouldn't just automatically assume that whatever you get is going to work,, but use, use intellect, use, use the people around you, use the local experts in the market, just even as a sounding board, to test your messages, for example, in addition to using those, using those tools.
[00:32:17] Adam Mogelonsky: Anne. Fantastic answers and we could have gone on for a full hour but we're gonna wrap things up here to keep things pretty short and concise for the for the listeners so I can't thank you enough for coming
[00:32:31] Anne Bleeker: No, thanks for having me. That was awesome. Enjoy that.
[00:32:34] Jason Emanis: I could talk to Anne all day.
[00:32:36] Adam Mogelonsky: can too.