Recently, I happened to briefly mention an annoyance of mine on the Warrior Forum, and was rather surprised that it didn't irritate many other people.
It's related to the whole international aspect of Internet Marketing which often seems to flow straight past others.
And, in this case, it's related to the annual calendar.With it being the New Year it seems a sensible time to think about 2010. Most English speaking countries use the Gregorian Calendar, so generally you wouldn't expect to offend too many subscribers to your mailing list by mentioning Happy New Year. Of course there are still a few thinks that confuse mails (Australia, for instance, will celebrate the New Year almost a day before the United States), but generally you can work around that.
More likely to confuse are national holidays, which, quite frankly, don't often have an equivalence around the world. For instance, how many e-mails do you receive wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving? If you're outside the relatively small market which is North America you're probably having a normal working day, with nothing particularly happy to celebrate. Even worse, consider being a Brit and being wished a Happy Independence Day. That kind of thought does make you wonder if people know what they're celebrating independence from!
Even some seemingly innocent holidays can differ greatly from country to country. Sure, many countries have a Mother's Day and a Father's day, celebrating the special place of parents in our lives. But the dates for these aren't the same across the world. In the United States, Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June. In New Zealand it's celebrated on the first Sunday in September.
So, what's the solution? Just think before sending out e-mails and just assuming that everyone celebrates the same holidays that you do, unless your market is all based in the same country as you.
Otherwise, you can often turn off more subscribers that will appreciate the good will that you're trying to communicate.
Do you agree, or am I barking mad for suggesting this? Reply below and let us know.
4 replies on “Are You Aiming at a World Market?”
In my experience, many people tend to forget about the global community within the internet. I am a freelance writer who tells others how to get started in the business. Not just those from the U.S, but from other parts of the world. One of my most popular blog posts was about freelance writing sites for international writers.
Personally I feel that the different holidays around the world are slowly become more known. Although I am British when its Independence Day I still wish people "Happy Independence Day," on forums as I never understood why the different holidays around the world were not celebrated by everyone.
Although I do totally agree that some people are blind to the fact that the internet is a whole, not a single.
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