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German Market... Here I Go!

by Fernando Veloso
16 replies


For real!!

Decided to invest time and money in German market. I don't know ONE word in German, don't even know how many web users Germany has today... but I do know one thing:

German travelers love Portugal... and they seem to get back here every year.

So... German market... Here I go!!

Any fellow warrior wanna drop some tips?

Fernando
#german #market
  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    I have a special interest in posts/threads dealing with marketing (and communication) in different cultures - or, eventually, across cultures - so I have somewhere bookmarked a few threads here in WF regarding other markets. (Other = not Anglo-Saxon...)

    What I noticed from posts made by marketers who either tried those markets or had insider knowledge of them: every market is different and their "internet consumption" habits are VERY different.

    The Germans may return every year to Portugal (and to many other destinations) although that doesn't mean they would buy a travel package online. Maybe they would... I don't know but you have to study and learn about them.

    Last time somebody posted they buy mainly books online and nothing else because they don't trust intern/online merchants... Or they are not comfortable typing in their credit card info...

    Things like that could be the biggest traps when you approach a foreign market without knowing enough about their online habits and behaviour.
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    • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
      Cheers Istvan!

      Some of our network sites are getting hit by German users asking us to help them locally, that's why I will adventure myself in this market.

      But the natural "defenses" by German web users make sense, although I don't intent to sell them anything online, so no worries.

      But as they approach my team reaching for local tips/help/guidance (and some rentals too), I really have to get this going, providing German visitors a better user experience all the way, and possibly creating a new sales channel I don't explore till now.

      Been reading some stuff last hours, already learned some words and just amazed how the language is tricky.

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      People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Santos
      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

      (Other = not Anglo-Saxon...)
      Awww, shucks!

      Regarding the German, I recall an international relations professor I once had who often dealt with Germany. He told me once that, should one meet a German abroad or otherwise, it's rather insulting to ask "What is your profession?" or anything similar. He explained that the German people were very keen on being well-rounded in several fields. Not sure if it applies to you, but thought I'd throw it out there just in case. You'll want to establish a lot of trust, as they're a very proud group of people (much like the Asian peoples).

      German word construction is rather unique in that they can combine a variety of words to form single very descriptive words, so long tail keywords may be worth researching. In fact, I'd bet that the majority of searches are single keywords because of this. Despite these compound keywords, it might also be in your best interest to use the broken forms; if you were targeting "badehose" ("swim shorts," literally "bathing trousers"), you can also try "bade hose" as this vendor does.

      Good luck in your new market!
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      • Profile picture of the author esk
        Originally Posted by Daniel Santos View Post

        Awww, shucks!

        Regarding the German, I recall an international relations professor I once had who often dealt with Germany. He told me once that, should one meet a German abroad or otherwise, it's rather insulting to ask "What is your profession?" or anything similar. He explained that the German people were very keen on being well-rounded in several fields. Not sure if it applies to you, but thought I'd throw it out there just in case. You'll want to establish a lot of trust, as they're a very proud group of people (much like the Asian peoples).

        German word construction is rather unique in that they can combine a variety of words to form single very descriptive words, so long tail keywords may be worth researching. In fact, I'd bet that the majority of searches are single keywords because of this. Despite these compound keywords, it might also be in your best interest to use the broken forms; if you were targeting "badehose" ("swim shorts," literally "bathing trousers"), you can also try "bade hose" as this vendor does.

        Good luck in your new market!
        I never heard of one, who is insulted when asked after his profession! But some oldschool germans are insulted when they get asked "how much do you earn?"
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  • Profile picture of the author KenJ
    Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso View Post



    For real!!

    Decided to invest time and money in German market. I don't know ONE word in German, don't even know how many web users Germany has today... but I do know one thing:

    German travelers love Portugal... and they seem to get back here every year.

    So... German market... Here I go!!

    Any fellow warrior wanna drop some tips?

    Fernando
    Hi Fernando

    I have many friends in Germany and I think your idea is great. I speak a little German and am currently looking at marketing to Germany about UK holidays and holiday guides.

    I do not agree with the sentiment that people in Germany are reticent about ordering things online. They are only a year or two behind the rest of Europe

    Good luck

    Kenj
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    • Profile picture of the author milkyway
      Hi Fernando,

      so what exactly do you have in mind for us Germans?

      If you could give us a little bit more details, it might be easier to give you advice/information.

      Originally Posted by kenj View Post

      I do not agree with the sentiment that people in Germany are reticent about ordering things online. They are only a year or two behind the rest of Europe
      They might not be reticent about ordering online (although I still think they/we are a lot behind compared to e.g. the US), some things like selling ebooks are a different issue.

      There was a recent study by PricewaterhouseCooopers. They conducted a survey among 1000 German online users.

      More than half of them weren't really sure what an ebook is. Only about a fifth knew what an ebook reader is.



      Fernando, until you tell us more details about your idea, we're just guessing about what would be helpful for you to know...

      Cheers,

      Regine
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      • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
        Originally Posted by milkyway View Post

        There was a recent study by PricewaterhouseCooopers. They conducted a survey among 1000 German online users.

        More than half of them weren't really sure ...
        Those are exactly the things that one should try to learn/find out about a new market in a different culture.

        Just for the record: my intention wasn't to discourage Fernando. I just wanted to make him aware about cultural differences that exist - offline and online, as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author tj
    Ok- here are some points you have to deal with it when it comes to the German Market: Payments via Credit Card and Paypal are not that much common like in the USA, more so common is wire transfer. German Banks guarantee a return of the paid money for 14 days. If you have a over hyped sales letter promising everything and guaranteeing everything but the consumer does not get what you are promising right to the letter of your sales letter / product description then return is guaranteed for up to 6 weeks -no questions ask. Consumer rights and protection are much more stronger AND enforced than in the USA. Basically if you say in your sales letter - "No Money Back Guarantee" or something similar - don't try to sell to the German Market. Buying online - only from trusted sources and names.

    Timo
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    • Profile picture of the author Gijsbertus
      I have a german Amazon review blog... brings in a little... (euros) Not to hard to set up ..I went to school for 2 years there. Best of luck 2 u
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    • Profile picture of the author Geolina
      Hi Fernando,

      I am German and I tried the travel niche - didn´t work out too much for me, but I am more a travel writer than internet-savy.

      I think it is hard to sell ebooks and IM-related stuff to Germans, we don´t like any kind of hype and are pretty suspicious I guess. But I am sure there are plenty of people who book plain tickets and hotels online - in fact, all of my friends do it, my dad does it and his friends do it - it is not just the younger generation anymore. There are plenty of affiliate programs available and there are lots of travel related pages who have been doing TV comercials for the last two or three years, so people know them. And Portugal is very popular in Germany, so I think you have a good project at hand, if you kow what you are doing!

      Let me know if you need any specific information, I´ll be happy to help if I can!

      Good luck, Geolina
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  • Profile picture of the author VeitSchenk
    your biggest hurdle in Germany is getting quality backlinks,
    we don't have the equivalent of ezine, squidoo, hubpages, buzzle, ...
    and of course outsourcing is super-expensive because most
    Philippinos don't speak German.

    if you use page-rank as a yard-stick, in the US you're looking at PR6 or higher to compete for terms like "weight loss" or "insurance".

    In Germany you're looking at PR4 or below.

    But: that's not a sign that it's super-easy. On the contrary: it's so low because you just can't get any backlinks. At least not the easy way.

    Then again, the German speaking market is pretty sizable when you include Austria and Switzerland....

    good luck

    Veit
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  • Profile picture of the author TPFLegionaire
    I came across this blog on German culture, It's a riot to read

    Ich werde ein Berliner - How to blend in wiz ze Germans

    25. The internet - Ich werde ein Berliner

    http://www.ichwerdeeinberliner.com/10-soft-drinks


    Goog luck

    nach Berlin!
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    As an aside use the products in the WSO to make tons of cash!
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  • Profile picture of the author ToniMaltano
    One more competitor! Let me load up my guns ...... I have set up an office in
    Germany and I am happy to have great staff that only works on German sites.

    I currently live in Germany again.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    Thanks so much guys.

    Yesterday had some more meetings about this new project - going on really strong and new partnerships are being created by the day - and the words "Germany" and "German travelers" kept popping up. Guess it's a good sign

    We're going to market PT holidays and holiday guides to German market, and your ideas, tips and information are so important for us.

    Appreciated!
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    People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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  • Profile picture of the author RossChops
    Good luck mate! Say you love BMW's and you will be fine!
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