How to reach a wider audience through different languages
Expanding your market to people who speak different languages from you comes with its own peculiar challenges. Hence, it would be logical for your advertising campaigns to be in such languages.
However, most customers won’t learn a new language to understand what you’re telling them. And rightly so, as the competition is thick, they can always switch to other brands that speak their local languages. Hence, you would need to have your campaigns fit in with their native language instead.
Nonetheless, understanding multiple-language marketing isn’t as straightforward as translating your marketing strategies into different languages. You would have to rearrange your marketing campaigns, put money into substantial research about target customers, and sometimes spice up your products and services to attract new audiences.
All of these get difficult if the target audiences speak different languages and have a different culture from your current audience. This is primarily true for businesses operating in many countries or functioning in multilingual communities. This article provides you with a solution for reaching a new audience.
Tips on how to reach new audiences through different languages.
Listed below are some key tips for reaching people through different languages to increase sales and awareness.
Translate your content.
To attract people who speak a different language, you must convert your content into the language they understand and speak. You must nevertheless be careful not to use machine translators.
If you have ever translated content using online translation tools, you will figure out that it probably didn’t flow well; some terms were incorrect. This is what your target audience will experience if your content is translated by machines.
It is advisable to work with a professional translation company to interpret your content in different languages. These companies are vast in distinct industries, so they can customize your content to fit your niche. They also offer simultaneous interpreting services, so they know the terms and slang that will fit in well with people.
Hire people from these populations.
People like it when they can connect with you online in their own language. However, it would be much better if you had a representative speaking their language. They can ask questions and find it clearer from someone they can communicate with.
Consider having a representative who speaks the language of the people, ideally a native, to portray your business in every language you are targeting.
It might sound hard, especially if the new customers are worldwide. However, with the help of an expert employer organization, you can easily hire a representative without needing to establish a company for it.
Know the social media platform they are regularly on.
When reaching your specific audience, you do not want to address a “deaf” crowd. It is easy to think your target audience is present on popular social media sites in your location.
However, not every online platform is accepted globally, so it is essential to know which social platforms to use to find your new customers.
You may have to post twice on the same social platform for multilingual consumers, but in different languages. If you have customers in the US and France, you will need to create separate Facebook or Twitter posts for each language.
Localize your content.
Translation will not achieve much unless the entire marketing campaign is defined for the target audience. Your ads should rotate around local cultural angles. For instance, Chinese audience might not understand your content if you put prices in US dollars instead of Yuan.
Localization is also the use of formats for dates relating to the target audience’s choice, such as local phone numbers and addresses. It also means researching keywords in vogue and optimizing them for your content.
Even as you optimize your content in different languages, the visual content should be culturally acceptable for every customer you target. If you decide to run ads, too, take notice of the local culture.
Be updated on local news.
Always pay attention to what is happening in the new market and use it to your advantage. If there is a political event within the community, you are focusing on it. You need to know how to come up with a politically impartial message.
For instance, when targeting South Korean or Japanese customers, you should be cautious not to appear to be taking sides with the two rivals.
Benefits of reaching a wider audience through different languages
When carried out well, a multilingual marketing campaign can help a business enjoy the following benefits:
It boosts brand awareness and increases business reach.
Advertising your products in different languages can help you reach larger audiences who speak different languages from you. This, in turn, opens new markets for your company.
It doesn’t matter if these markets are found in the same local region or a separate geographical region. You even stand to grow your audience on an international level!
It improves the experience.
When people understand what your product or business is about, they will have a more pleasing experience viewing your products.
Contrarily, when people can’t understand your marketing material, they will likely get frustrated or annoyed and stop engaging with your brand.
It increases sales.
The more people you can reach with your marketing campaigns, and the more satisfying their experience is with your brand, the more sales you are likely to make.
This way, you will earn more revenue and even make sales from repeat purchases if the people you have marketed it to become loyal consumers.
Conclusion
A purposeful business development plan with the risk of improper use of language can limit the international success of your business. Therefore, before you start thinking about language, think about your expansion plan and how you will please the new market once you appeal to it through language.
Having specific consumers in different languages indicates that your business is set for international success. You do not want to make the mistake of getting it all wrong with the language and culture.