Oban Digital and Donald L. Dunnington Publish HYPER LOCAL SEO & MARKETING: How U.S. Marketers Win Global by Going Local

NEW YORK, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Oban Digital, a leading international digital marketing agency specializing in leveraging the local cultural nuances of digital audiences and ad platforms, is offering a free download of a nine-chapter book by online communication authority and university professor, Donald L. Dunnington. Hyper Local SEO & Marketing describes how the hyper local digital market is turning the world upside down for American brands and retailers.

Drawing on his personal experiences and a series of lively case studies, Dunnington demonstrates how successful global marketers—large and small—have learned to understand and adapt to the vastly different ways their target markets find, consume and use online information. He tells the story of a small U.K. bicycle company that conquered Japan's highly challenging e-commerce market by learning how to cater to Japanese consumers' love of the bicycle lifestyle. Many of the world's most highly regarded bicycles and accessories were hard to find and harder to get from Japan's established outlets. Thanks to a highly customized search strategy to connect with the Japanese bicycling community, early customers became advocates and helped build this U.K. brand in Japan.

Throughout the book Dunnington highlights how U.S. marketers from companies of all sizes and a variety of consumer and business-to-business industries have learned that global strategies require local scope. He shows how domestic marketing content and strategies are not easily translated or applied to other markets.

"The first thing I learned in going global," he says, "is that getting language right is far more complicated than anticipated. It's not just foreign languages where translation is a challenge. For native English speakers it can be a shock to learn how hard (and how necessary) it is to adapt U.S. English to other English-speaking markets."

Dunnington tells the story of a U.S. company that enjoyed a thriving market in Canada before the Internet. "Canadians accepted U.S. offerings because that's all that was available," he says. "But now they want personalized information and products specific to Canada. And while Canadians might accept your U.S. word-choice, the search engines won't be as forgiving. If you get your search terms wrong, people in Canada won't find you."

He cites experts who warn America's marketers that the Internet has made it easier for foreign brands to compete in the U.S. "For example, Charlie Hollander, CEO of Gemstone King, describes how Chinese manufacturers who white-labeled products for U.S. retailers are now developing their own brands to sell directly in America. Kent Allen, principal at The Research Trust and co-founder of the Global E-Commerce Forum, says a company's best defense for its domestic market is to go after the international markets that are starting to target your market."  

Dunnington says, "It's only natural when you have home field advantage in what may be the world's best market, to keep your focus on the U.S. But if you want to grow where the growth markets are, if you want to develop your foreign marketing competence before the competition brings the battle to your door, then it's time to get serious about global digital marketing."

"What Don has done is draw a roadmap for how companies can expand into global markets most successfully by understanding and adapting to local idioms, customs and sensibilities," says Greig Holbrook, the Founder and Managing Director of Oban Digital. "Each market has its own personality and its own cast of dominant players in search and social, which must be mastered for global success."

"The digital world is changing how we market. What used to work in your established markets probably won't continue work for long domestically, and it certainly won't work overseas," says Dunnington. "For marketers, it's like becoming a virtual expat in multiple markets all at one time."

In researching the book, Dunnington says he found fascinating examples of how U.S. and British brands are really grasping the opportunities of borderless online e-commerce. "These companies understand the importance of having local insight inform your website design and digital marketing strategies. Ultimately it's the only way you're going to benefit from entering new markets and grow your revenue streams."

A special edition of, "HYPER LOCAL SEO & MARKETING: How U.S. Marketers Win Global by Going Local" is available at http://www.obandigital.com/us/hyper-local-ebook/.

Dunnington is a member of the Advisory Board for the launch of Oban Digital in the United States, and is an author, speaker and consultant specializing in online communication. He started his online career in 1995 at K-Tron International where he led local content creators and developers in the Americas, Europe and Asia. He is an Adjunct Professor at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, teaching advertising and Online PR. He has been a blogger since 2004 and his work has appeared in U.S. and international publications.

Founded in 2002, Oban Digital (www.obandigital.com/us/) is the leading global multilingual multicultural digital marketing agency optimizing campaigns for markets and people, not just languages, in more than 30 countries.

The agency's team of over 100 talented experts globally advise on and implement campaigns that help brands and organizations expand successfully beyond their borders into new markets. With local specialists, we deliver Multilingual SEO, International PPC, Global Research, Web Training, Global Social Media, and Multilingual Content Marketing that has measurable impact. Oban clients have included Neiman Marcus, Citrix, Expedia, BBC; Deckers, makers of iconic UGG boots; MSN, Hilton, ASUS, Reader's Digest, DELL, Marriott and Hamptons International.

George H. Simpson
203.521.0352
[email protected]

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