Digital marketing for companies exporting from Türkiye to Spain

For a company that wants to export from Türkiye to Spain, digital marketing stands on four legs: a Spanish website written by a human, reaching the right decision makers on LinkedIn, Google ads targeting Spain, and a distributor search backed by trade fairs. A Spanish buyer first gets to know you on Google and on your website; if trust isn't built there, they won't stop by your booth either. As someone who does business in Türkiye, Spain and the USA, in this post I walk through, step by step, the points where exporters struggle most in the Spanish market.

Spanish website and hreflang

An English site may seem enough for Europe, but many people who make purchasing decisions in Spain, especially at small and midsize businesses, do their research in Spanish. A Spanish site makes you visible on Google and also sends the message "this company is ready to work with us."

What to watch on the technical side:

• Use a separate URL structure for each language, for example a /es/ folder. Setups that switch languages on a single page can cause problems on Google.
• Set up hreflang tags between pages. That way Google shows the Spanish version to users in Spain and the Turkish version to users in Türkiye. If you specifically target Spain, you can use the "es-ES" code; if you also target Latin America, a general "es" version is worth considering.
• Product pages, technical data sheets (ficha técnica), certificates and the contact form should all be in Spanish. Translating only the homepage isn't enough.
• Units of measurement, date format and currency should follow Spanish conventions: metric system, day/month/year, euros.

I build sites for Spain with this approach, from design to content, in my Spain web design service. I cover the language and region strategy for search engines in detail in my post SEO in Spain: Spanish and Catalan.

Don't neglect site speed either. If your server is in Türkiye and your images aren't optimized, pages opened from Spain may load slowly. Using hosting with servers in Europe or a content delivery network improves the first impression, especially on mobile.

Why machine translation undermines trust

Translation tools have come a long way, but a B2B buyer still spots machine translation: wrong technical terms, sentences built on Turkish structure, a mix of "usted" and "tú." When a Spanish purchasing manager sees this, they question not your product but how serious your company is.

My recommended approach: do the draft translation with a tool, but always have it corrected by a native Spanish translator or editor who knows your industry. Collect your technical terminology in a glossary file so your website, catalog, LinkedIn and ad copy all use the same terms. Also remember there are vocabulary differences between Spain Spanish and Latin American Spanish; if you're targeting Spain, your editor should know Spain's usage.

Reaching B2B decision makers on LinkedIn

If you're looking for a distributor, importer, retail chain buyer or project company in Spain, LinkedIn is one of the most efficient channels. Here's the routine I follow:

1. Add Spanish to your company page. You can add a second language to a LinkedIn company page.
2. Polish the export manager's profile. State clearly in the headline that you're focused on the Spanish market and what product you sell, and add a Spanish version of the profile summary.
3. Build a target list. Filter by industry, city and job title (director de compras, responsable de importación, gerente).
4. Add a short, personal note to your connection request. Instead of sending a catalog in your first message, show that you understand their business.
5. Post content regularly. Production process, quality control, certificates, trade fair appearances. This builds trust with buyers who check your profile after your first message.

LinkedIn ads can also reach specific job titles and industries, but the cost per click is usually high; I recommend getting organic and direct outreach working first.

Generating demand from Spain with Google Ads

The moment a Spanish company searches for "proveedor de [product] Turquía" or "fabricante de [product]" is when purchase intent is at its peak. Google Ads lets you show up in those searches. What to watch during setup:

• Set Spain as the location, and under location options target only people who are physically there.
• Choose Spanish as the language; the ad copy and landing page should be in Spanish.
• Add irrelevant searches like "gratis," "trabajo" and "minorista" to your negative keyword list.
• Track quote request forms, catalog downloads and email clicks as conversions.

I explain the setup in detail in my post Google Ads in Spain. If you'd like me to manage it for you, take a look at the Spain ad management page.

Marketplaces: Amazon.es and industry platforms

For brands selling direct to consumers, Amazon's Spanish marketplace, Amazon.es, is an option. Selling in Europe brings tax, product safety and labeling obligations, so clarify these with an accountant and a customs advisor before joining the marketplace. Success there depends on Spanish product titles and descriptions, good photos and review management; machine translation causes the same problem here too.

On the B2B side, there may be online platforms and directories specific to your industry. The most reliable way to find out which ones Spanish buyers actually use is to ask your target customers.

Trade fairs and finding distributors

In Spain, industry trade fairs are still one of the most effective ways to meet distributors face to face. Two examples from food and agriculture:

• Alimentaria: an international food and beverage fair organized by Fira de Barcelona at the Gran Via venue in Barcelona. According to its official website, it isn't held every year but periodically; check the current dates on the official site.
• Fruit Attraction: an international fruit and vegetable fair co-organized by IFEMA MADRID and FEPEX, held at the IFEMA venue in Madrid, usually in October.

If you're in a different industry, the IFEMA MADRID and Fira de Barcelona calendars are a good starting point. The digital side of a trade fair is often neglected. Before the fair, prepare a Spanish landing page, send your booth details on LinkedIn to the people on your target list, and follow up on the business cards you collect at the fair with a Spanish message within a week. Without post-fair follow-up, most of the investment goes to waste.

When choosing a distributor, look at their regional coverage, the other brands they represent in your industry and their digital visibility. Regional differences in Spain are big; you may need different distributors for Catalonia, Madrid, Andalusia and Valencia.

Spanish content plan

Exporter websites are often little more than product lists, which is why they perform poorly in search. A few content pages that answer the questions Spanish buyers ask while researching your product boost both Google visibility and the quality of sales conversations. Example topics:

• Your product's technical specs and which EU standards it meets
• The delivery process from Türkiye to Spain: lead times, shipping options, minimum order
• Private label (marca blanca) or custom manufacturing options
• Your product's applications and who it's right for
• FAQs: payment terms, sample requests, certificates

This content also makes your sales team's job easier: when a buyer asks a question, you can send a link to a Spanish page instead of writing a long email. By turning the same content into LinkedIn posts and newsletters, you get value across several channels from a single effort. Even one or two pieces a month, kept up consistently, will turn your site into more than a catalog within a few months.

Trust signals: do you need a local presence?

You don't need a Spanish phone number or address to sell in Spain. But a local point of contact lowers the perceived risk for the buyer. Trust signals that work in practice:

• A Spanish-speaking sales rep or customer contact
• Certificates on your site (ISO, CE, relevant documents for food) with explanations in Spanish
• Reference customers, with logos and short case studies if you have permission
• Real photos and videos of your production facility
• Delivery times, minimum order quantities and logistics information stated clearly

If you're thinking about setting up a company in Spain down the road, I've gathered the digital side of the process on the digital guide to setting up a company in Spain page.

Where to start

If you're starting on a limited budget, the order should be: first a human-written Spanish site and catalog, then your LinkedIn profile and target list, then a small Google Ads test, and the trade fair last. Following this order, when a buyer you met at the fair looks you up, they find a convincing digital presence. You'll find the services where I've adapted our digital brand agency work at Digitalent to the Spanish market on the Spain digital brand agency page, and the overall framework of all my Spain services on the Spain digital marketing page.