Professional translation and localization services can assist your business in many surprising and unexpected ways. If you use social media for your business (and who doesn’t today?), you need localization help for those customers who don’t speak your language. When you have an international brand, it’s critical for your readers to understand and relate to the content you post on social networks. Whether you are using social media to communicate with employees or market your business to customers, consider these tips for ensuring that a global audience can enjoy and interact with your posts.
Know Your Audience
If appealing to residents of overseas countries is part of your business model, first consider your international audience’s composition. Consider not only the locations you market to, but also the age, gender, income, education and interests of your target audience. Naturally, the language they speak is critical, but consider as well what kind of customs are common in their culture.
Once you have an idea of who your audience members are, you can create content that they would like to see. This step can also tell you which social networks are most effective, since each one appeals to a particular audience. So if your target audience is young, for instance, you might consider a Tumblr page for your business. If you hope to appeal to a more general population, Facebook may be preferable. And if your target audience is Chinese, you might post on Sina Weibo. Because not all social media platforms are relevant in every country, a localization expert can help you gain a greater understanding of the social media nuances in your target markets.
Translate Your Content
Once you have identified your target audience’s characteristics and the social platforms they prefer, it’s time to make sure they can understand and relate to your communications. Of course, translating the material word-for-word is rarely the answer. Instead of creating a literal translation that ignores context, engage the services of a professional who can provide an accurate idiomatic translation. This helps ensure that readers will be engaged by your content, rather than confused.
Tailor Your Posts to Your Audience
Localization involves paying attention to multiple details relative to your audience members’ daily lives. For example, you must consider their culture so that your posts do not offend. You may also want to know, for example, which holidays they celebrate, and post about them appropriately, on the right date. And if you discuss any retail stores, sports teams, television shows or other pop culture topics, make sure they are relevant to your target audience. Otherwise, your readers probably won’t care enough to check out your posts or engage with you on social media.
If you are ready to see how effective localization can be for your company, especially when it comes to your enterprise social media activities, contact Verbatim Solutions to learn more. Verbatim Solutions’ translation experts are based all over the world, providing invaluable insight into the cultures of complex overseas markets. Contact them today to learn how localization can improve your global commerce activities.
