An increasingly globalized digital marketplace finds businesses crossing borders in their quest for new audiences and ever-elusive growth. For Greek-American small businesses—to say nothing of their counterparts in Greece and Cyprus and the Greek diaspora worldwide—niche content targeting Greek-speaking markets can mean monumental business opportunities.
But wait, it’s not as simple as just translating English into Greek. The Greek language marks the boundary of a decidedly different culture. Cultural content for Greece requires an understanding of cultural references unique to a place whose history spans three millennia.
Furthermore, rapid technological advances both in Greece and abroad have changed forever not only the content consumption habits of historic Greek audiences but also the very nature of what the content itself looks like. In that context, it is vital for any American small business with aspirations to target that mercado to set straight its understanding of content for Greece.
Kinetic Innovative Staffing is a trusted offshoring provider in the Philippines that helps startups and small businesses find the best offshore workers to develop high-performing remote teams. When we say “top talent,” we mean professionals that do great job and save you 60 to 70 percent on labor expenditures compared to hiring people in the US. The outcomes speak for themselves, whether it’s making content, marketing, or helping out in the back office. The work that these offshore pros do is so flawless and on-brand that you’d never believe it was done by someone who lives halfway around the world.
Section 1: The Value of Greek-Speaking Content Marketers for Multilingual Campaigns
Tapping into Greek-Speaking Markets
Markets speaking Greeks offer businesses a one-of-a-kind opportunity. This diaspora spans many countries, including the U.S., Canada, and Australia. Not only does this population represent a high-income segment (a large part of the Greek economy is overseas), but it also has an intense online presence. Take Greece, for example. Our internet penetration rate exceeds 80%. E-commerce in Greece is on fire. Cyprus? The same holds true. And the same online engagement is present across the Greek diaspora. So what does an SEO agency? Time to tap into this opportunity, make our SEO-driven content marketing campaigns sing, and help our diaspora communities across the world understand not only themselves better but also the Greek part of their heritage.
In addition to local markets, the Greek diaspora—numbering over five million worldwide—affords an opportunity to reach bilingual audiences who appreciate content that reflects their culture. That opportunity isn’t just for businesses selling goods and services; it’s also a ripe one for merely cultivating a presence in the local as well as the hemispheric imagination. And there’s no one better positioned to seize that opportunity than Greek content marketers.
SEO and Engagement Benefits
Effective SEO rests on localized content. Search engines such as Google have advanced to the point where they can sort and serve content in ways that seem increasingly intuitive. They understand the user intent behind searches and the cultural and lingual context of the people doing the searching. These engines are good at finding content that speaks specifically to local audiences. That’s why many companies turn to the outsourcing business in the Philippines to access skilled remote content marketers who can create multilingual content tailored to specific markets. If you’re in Greece—and I’ll make the bold assumption that you can produce Greek-language content—you have the chance to speak directly to that local audience and their needs in a way that content written in English just can’t.
What I mean by all this is that a travel agency could optimize content for the term “ταξιδιωτικές προσφορές” (travel offers) better than a similar agency in, say, San Francisco, could. The audience in question is both international and local, so there’s no reason not to do exactly this and speak directly to your audience in their preferred language.
Localization also benefits engagement. Greek audiences trust and interact with content that reflects their language and cultural nuances. Creating content in the Greek language, whether it’s a blog post or a targeted social media campaign, is a way to ensure that the audience you’re trying to reach actually comprehends the message you’re sending. And a comprehended message is much more likely to lead to the kinds of audience interactions that good SEO thrives on.
Cost Savings with Offshore Talent
In the U.S. or Europe, hiring local Greek-speaking content marketers can be prohibitively expensive, with annual salaries often exceeding $50,000-$80,000.
Obtaining overseas talent from the Philippines, India, or Eastern Europe can be done at a much more affordable price. The skills from these countries compare to many we have domestically. Yet, we see savings of sometimes $10,000 to $25,000—that’s 50-75% less than what we pay for the same types of skills here in the U.S.
That’s why many professionals seek opportunities with the best BPO company to work in the Philippines, where they can contribute to global projects while offering exceptional value to international clients.
These cost reductions permit new companies and small and medium enterprises to spend more on producing content, search engine optimization instruments, and outreach initiatives. That is an increase in expenditure with the hope and expectation of garnering an even greater increase in income—namely, that return on investment.
When businesses partner with a BPO provider, they can access Greek-speaking professionals. These workers are pre-vetted, which means businesses don’t have to navigate international hiring. This routing ensures quality and keeps costs low, which is good because many companies are underscoring their resources and looking to scale.
The Role of Language Training
Almost every offshore content marketer can be made to be a near-native Greek speaker with the right language training. That language training bridges the gaps in vocabulary, grammar, and cultural understanding that allow non-native speakers to produce the kind of authentic content that businesses need. So, hire marketers with the potential to be good in Greek, give them training that makes them fluent in the language, and you’ve not only expanded your talent pool; you’ve reduced costs, as well.
Section 2: Defining Your Needs for Greek-Speaking Content Marketers
Campaign Goals
Before you hire, ensure that you have a clear idea of what you want to achieve in the Greek-speaking market. Do you want to increase organic traffic from this part of the world to your website? Then, you might want to hire someone to write localized blog posts. Do you want to increase your visibility and brand awareness in the Greek-speaking world? Then, you might want to hire someone to run localized social media campaigns. Do you want to increase your site’s backlink profile with Greek-language content? Then, you might want to hire someone to write guest posts in Greek. And if you want to do all these things, then I’ll bet inroads to the Greek-speaking world will come via some combination of the above, and these are the reasonable candidates for your Greek-speaking hires.
An e-commerce firm might make product descriptions and category pages its top priority, ensuring that those pages are optimized for Greek keywords. Meanwhile, a B2B company might focus its hiring on the kind of person who can pen insightful thought-leadership articles the way our president does. Each company has clear goals that carry over into hiring.
Required Skills
Content marketers who speak Greek should possess:
- Language Proficiency in Greek: Either native or near-native fluency in Greek, with superior writing and communication skills.
- Expertise in SEO: Knowledge of tools such as Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Google Analytics to conduct keyword research, competitive analysis, and performance tracking.
- Ability to create engaging content that is tailored to Greek audiences: This can include blog posts, social media updates, or outreach emails.
- Cultural Competence: Knowledge of Greek cultural standards, humor, and buying habits, in order to craft genuine content.
Language Training Needs
If there are few native speakers of Greek, think instead of hiring for strong content marketing skills and training those hires in Greek. Use the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to gauge their pre-training language skills. For instance, you might find a hiring pool of people who are at B2 (upper-intermediate) level. With direction, some subset of them will reach C1 (advanced), allowing them to write Greek content that passes for native.
A BPO partner can assist in recognizing training requirements and in devising programs to meet them, making sure your staff adheres to both language and SEO standards.
Section 3: Step-by-Step Recruitment Process
Step 1: Partner with a BPO Provider Specializing in Multilingual Talent
The initial phase involves choosing a BPO company that knows how to find and recruit multilingual talent. Ideally, the BPO has served Greek-speaking markets, either in Greece, Cyprus, or elsewhere—like in the U.S. and Canada—that have sizable Greek communities. This kind of experience broadly extends the talent pool from which the BPO can access your ideal candidates on a reliable basis.
For example, if a business process outsourcing firm is located in Greece or Cyprus, it can staff with native Greek speakers. If it is a business process outsourcing firm with global reach, it can staff with trainable, near-native speakers of Greek. In either case, the administration of the contracts, payroll, and compliance is a task for the business process outsourcing firm in Greece, thereby simplifying the hiring process.
Step 2: Create a Targeted Job Description
A concise job description draws in the right people. List out tasks like writing Greek blog entries and articles that are good for SEO.
- Doing keyword research for markets that speak Greek.
- Writing emails to Greek publications to get links.
Include requirements such as:
- Being able to speak Greek at a native or C1 level.
- Familiarity with SEO tools like Yoast and SEMrush.
- A collection of Greek-language articles or SEO initiatives that worked.
Your BPO provider can assist you make the job description more in line with what the market wants and attract the best candidates.
Step 3: Screen and Assess Candidates
Your BPO partner will screen applications and look for language skills, SEO experience, and cultural fit. Candidates who make it past the shortlist should be interviewed to assess:
- Language Fluency: Ask candidates to discuss their experience in Greek or present a sample content idea.
- SEO Knowledge: Inquire about their approach to keyword research or link-building strategies.
- Cultural Fit: Ensure they understand Greek audience preferences, such as local trends or colloquialisms.
An example question is, “How would you optimize a blog post for the Greek keyword ‘φθηνές διακοπές’ (cheap holidays)?” This query lets you evaluate not only the candidate’s SEO abilities but also their proficiency in the language.
Step 4: Test Language and Content Skills
Practical exams verify the skills of candidates. Think about tasks such as:
- Creating a 300-word Greek blog post that is optimized for a particular keyword.
- An English SEO keyword list should be translated into Greek, with an eye to ensuring the cultural relevance of the keywords.
- Drafting an outreach email template in Greek to request a guest post.
A candidate’s capacity to generate high-quality, localized content is revealed by these tests. Your BPO partner can handle the testing, provide any necessary feedback, and otherwise manage the process for you.
Section 4: Implementing Effective Language Training
Step 1: Assess Language Proficiency Levels
Evaluate candidates’ Greek proficiency using standardized tests like the CEFR. A candidate at the B2 level, for example, may need training in advanced grammar or marketing-specific vocabulary to reach C1. Equally pivotal to their Greek proficiency, though, is cultural knowledge—like understanding Greek holidays or consumer behavior.
Your BPO partner can tailor assessments to not only gauge the present proficiency of your candidates—but also identify the specific areas where they’re likely to need intensive training to truly succeed.
Step 2: Design a Tailored Training Program
Collaborate with your BPO to develop a language training program that encompasses the following components:
- Business Greek: Concentrate on terms pertinent to marketing, such as “SEO” or “content strategy”.
- Cultural Training: Instruct on aspects like Greek humor, dialectical variations, and regional preferences in consumer behavior (e.g., a strong inclination towards family-centric messaging in marketing).
- Practical Exercises: Give them tasks, such as creating Greek-language social media posts or performing content audits on the Greek market.
- Keep it ongoing.
Step 3: Leverage Technology for Training
Use platforms like Duolingo for Business or Rosetta Stone to deliver scalable, self-paced training in Greek. Learn the language of your market through virtual workshops led by native Greek speakers or experts in Greek culture.
For example, a workshop on Greek consumer behavior would be invaluable for marketers trying to reach that demographic. Make your business part of the solution. Add these components to the training mix. Ensure accessibility and consistency throughout your team.
Step 4: Monitor Progress and Refine Skills
Continuously evaluate the progress made in the language by the candidates through either fluency testing or reviews of content. For example, take the early blog posts written in Greek by a candidate and compare them to more recent ones in order to get a measure of their improvement.
Give the candidates that are on your team some good, solid, constructive feedback so that they can refine their skills and get to the point where they are able to write with the kind of clarity and in the tone that you consider appropriate.
Section 5: Onboarding Greek-Speaking Content Marketers
Step 1: Set Clear Campaign Goals and KPIs
Establish precise objectives for your multilingual initiatives, like the following:
- Amplifying organic Greek-language web traffic by 15% in the next six months.
- Acquiring five stellar backlinks from high-ranking Greek publications each quarter.
- Increasing the engagement rate on our Greek social media posts by 20%.
Turn these into measurable KPIs, such as keyword rankings, page views, or social shares. Share these with your team to ensure everyone’s efforts align with business objectives.
Step 2: Provide Brand and SEO Training
Let your team get on board with these:
- Brand Guidelines: Communicate your organization’s voice, tone, and style preferences for Greek content.
- SEO Best Practices: Equip your team with tools like Yoast or SEMrush for localized optimization, training them in core Greek keyword strategies.
- Market Insights: Educate your team with data on Greek audience behaviors. This should cover content preferences, formats, and the reasons behind these preferences.
If you have a BPO provider, they can assist in this training, ensuring your team emerges ready to produce content that is both on-brand and also capable of achieving high search rankings.
Step 3: Establish Communication Workflows
For offshore teams, effective communication is of the essence. When it comes to managing projects and sharing updates, think of tools like Slack, Asana, or Microsoft Teams. Because team members can be spread across time zones—Greece, for example, is 7 to 10 hours ahead of the U.S.—asynchronous workflows rule in the realm of offshore success. Shared Google Docs, Trello boards, and other similar devices allow for the work of the team to move forward while accommodating the unavoidable variations in work hours.
Conduct progress and challenge reviews on a weekly basis. These are best managed by your BPO partner and will ensure the workflows and the people working in them across regions are effectively collaborating.
Step 4: Monitor and Optimize Performance
Campaign use tools such as Google Analytics or Ahrefs to do the tracking. And they keep an eye on the following metrics:
- Organic traffic from Greek-speaking regions.
- Keyword rankings for Greek terms.
- The quality and quantity of backlinks from Greek sites.
And then what happens?
Well, these metrics are shared with the team. Insights are derived. And what might be considered intelligence is also kind of a celebration of success in that the campaign is further refined based on having found areas for improvement.
Section 6: Maximizing Multilingual Campaigns for Link Building
Outreach in Greek-Speaking Markets
Greek marketers can secure local backlinks for SEO through link building. They can excel at this. So train your team to do this better (as in the previous scenario). Alternatively, don’t force your team to do this better. But here’s the thing about securing backlinks from Greek publications: You do it through personalized outreach and excellent pitching; you don’t do it through one-size-fits-all impersonal emails. By now, you should know how to do this. And if you don’t, you really should be doing it. For Greek podcasts, Texas Ghost Tours. For every email, you should be thinking hard about the kind of person who might be reading it.
Use your team’s language skills to tap into niche Greek websites, where you can find less competition than you typically would in English. The target opportunities on these sites are much more likely to lead to securing high-quality backlinks.
Localized Content Creation
Craft linkable content for Greek audiences that looks like this:
Data visualization can be made easier with infographics. For example, using infographics to show statistics about the Greek tourism sector can help people understand more about that industry.
Success Stories: Present relevant success stories that pertain to the Greek market, such as the expansion of a business on a local level.
Timeless Manuals: Create all-encompassing handbooks that attract links year-round, such as “How to Launch a Venture in Greece.”
Concentrate on issues that matter to your culture, such as your Greek festival or your cousin’s amazing spanakopita, to make the content that you share irresistible. Your BPO partner ought to handle this for you.
BPO Advantage
A BPO provider escalates link-building efforts by managing outreach campaigns, tracking responses, and nurturing relationships with Greek publishers. You save time. Your team saves even more time—more than you realize—because we handle the tedium and not-so-tedious-but-still-somewhat-boring parts of running an outreach program.
Section 7: Overcoming Challenges in Hiring and Training
Challenge 1: Finding Greek-Speaking Talent
All over the world, Greek is not a language that is widely spoken. That makes it hard to locate native speakers. Your BPO partner, however, can find candidates not only in Greece and Cyprus but also in a substantial Greek diaspora that stretches across Australia, Canada, and other countries. They can also access near-native speakers with strong content-marketing skills to help with language that needs training.
Challenge 2: Ensuring Language Fluency
Speakers of other languages may not have the kind of fluency that lends itself to professional content. Therefore, we must implement the training programs of Section 4 if we are to assure the kind of content quality that has our customers finding nothing lacking. Content is King. Regular reviews and feedback sessions nearly guarantee that quality remains high and that flubs become fewer and fewer.
Challenge 3: Time Zone Differences
Different time zones can make it hard to work together. Try using asynchronous collaboration tools like Trello or Google Workspaces to manage tasks and ensure everyone knows what they’re responsible for. And if your BPO provider is working across the time zones with you, they can also ensure that the work gets done regardless of what time it is for either side.
Conclusion
Engaging offshore content marketers who speak Greek is a cost-effective and scalable way for startups and SMEs to reach Greek-speaking markets. When you combine the type of skilled talent that a reliable global business services partner provides with the kind of training that ensures truly targeted language use, the result is content that speaks directly to the Greek market. Moreover, everything from SEO to the types of content that are most effective in generating traffic and backlinks guarantees that the Greek market will be in the sights of your startup or SME.
Lesa Smith