This blog post was updated on 7 February 2023.
The Italian market is wealthy and digitally mature, making it very attractive to businesses wanting to expand internationally.
But, if you decide that you want your business to enter Italy, how do you get started? Launching in a new market is tough, especially when that market has a whole different language, culture and digital landscape.
Never fear, we have written a full-length guide to digital marketing in Italy, and in this blog post I will pull out some of the key points!
1. Be aware of “Made in Italy”
One thing you should be aware of is that many Italians prefer to buy “Made in Italy” products, as opposed to foreign brands, when given the choice. “Made in Italy” is a merchandise mark that denotes that a product is designed, created and packaged exclusively in Italy, and it is regulated by Italian law. It is seen as a synonym of luxury in Italy.
The sectors most affected by “Made in Italy” are food, wine, fashion, design, craftsmanship, manufacturing and engineering. If your products fall into any of the aforementioned categories, you should therefore be aware that competition in the country may be very fierce.
Do not let that put you off, though; so long as you have a unique selling point that sets you apart from the crowd, there could well be a place for you in the market.
2. Tailor your content to specific regions of Italy, if appropriate
When targeting Italy, it is very important to remember the regional nature of Italian culture, whereby regions play a central role in people’s identities and customs, and they vary a lot from one to the other.
If you are only targeting a specific region, it may be worth tailoring your content to that region, for example by using some regional dialectal terms or introducing region-specific references.
This will be extremely beneficial when targeting Italy, but remember that it is only advisable to follow this practice if you are targeting a specific region or area, especially if in the southern part of the country.
3. Optimise your Italian website for speed
Internet speeds in Italy are slower than in most other European countries. The Italian government is aware of the slowness of the country’s internet speeds, and plans to improve its broadband network to provide gigabit connectivity to all by 2026.
Given the relatively slow internet speeds in the country, it is crucial to optimise your website for speed. If your website is too heavy and loads too slowly, this will result in higher bounce rates, meaning you could lose potential customers before they even have a chance to see what you have to offer.
Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool is very useful for diagnosing any speed problems with your website and suggesting what you can do to make it faster.
Want to learn more?
I hope this blog post has given you a useful introduction to digital marketing in Italy. For more in-depth information and advice, read the full-length guide here. The guide covers:
- the current digital landscape in the country, including internet penetration rates
- the typical Italian internet user, including their gender, age, location and online activities
- device usage breakdowns and internet speeds in Italy
- search engine marketing in Italy
- how to localise your website for Italy
- social media marketing in Italy
- the local culture and language in Italy
- e-commerce in Italy
Elin Box
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