The power of social media for business today is undeniable – on Instagram, as an example, 80 percent of people follow at least one business account! With 3 billion using social networks, you can literally allow half of the world to see your content.
Engaging international costumers is not that easy, though.
Companies often operate under the mistaken belief that what works at home will work everywhere, ignoring the importance of working with a global mindset, that is, the ability to adjust to different environments and cultures internationally.
Adopting a multilingual social media presence and a well-planned translation strategy is decisive to avoid cultural missteps and ensure successful communication with global employees and customers.
Cultural Awareness to avoid Marketing Failures
There are many cultural references and business practices that people in other countries may not understand – or might even find offensive. Some symbols, icons, images and colors may have different meanings in other countries.
The key is to identify whom you are targeting with your social media marketing strategy and modify your advertising accordingly.
Personalization means Better Customer Experience
While sellers are willing to cater to other languages, buyers want to speak their native language. Tailoring your content to each user’s language, region and culture is invaluable to establishing familiarity and trust with current and prospective customers. Besides, using relevant hashtags in the targeted language is useful to distinguish between your different profile specific regions and can help you reach 40 times as many people.
Localize to meet Cultural Expectations
Localization means you’ll need to provide different content for Argentina, Mexico and Spain, even though these countries have Spanish as their official language. It goes beyond translation because it adapts your message to local audiences. When localizing your social media content, the local public feels as if you’ve built the content especially for them.
Used the right way, social media translation can be a highly effective way to increase brand awareness and bring in customers from a lot of different places and backgrounds. When your content is relatable to your audience members, you are better able to reach your business goals!