In today’s globalized world, it is important for businesses to have a presence on social
media in order to reach and engage with their target audience. However, simply translating your social media content into different languages is not enough. It is also important to consider cultural differences and localize your content in a way that is relevant and meaningful to your local audience.
But what does it mean to have your social media content adapted into other languages and cultures? This is where the term “ Social Media Localization” was found.
Social media localization refers to the process of modifying your social media content into a way to be suitable for specific local markets and languages. Done correctly, social media localization can help your business tap into new markets and expand your reach.
Effective social media content localization
As we have said earlier, it is not just the matter of putting words into other languages, there are some aspects that should be considered to have a perfectly localized social media content. Here are some expert tips on how to effectively localize your social media presence:
1. Use professional language services
One of the key components of media localization is ensuring that your content is flawlessly translated. This is where professional language services come in. Professional translators and language experts have the skills and knowledge to accurately convey the meaning and tone of your original content into another language.
When choosing a language service provider, it is important to consider their experience
and expertise in your industry, as well as their track record and customer reviews. In addition, It is always a good idea to work with a team of translators, rather than relying on just one individual. This ensures that your content is translated consistently and accurately.
2. Implement translation management system (TMS)
A translation management system (TMS) is a tool that helps streamline the translation
process and ensure that your content is consistently translated across all your social
media platforms.
Some of the benefits of using TMS for social media localization include:
- Improved efficiency and productivity: TMS can automate and accelerate the translation process, freeing up time for your team to focus on other tasks.
- Enhanced quality control: TMS provides you with high quality social media translation across your platforms.
- Flexibility: you are able to easily add or remove languages and update your content as needed with TMS.
It is important when selecting a translation management system to think about some factors such as the platform’s ease of use, integration with your existing systems, and the level of support and resources offered.
3. Localize more than just the text
Localizing more than just the text is an important aspect. While translating the text of your content is certainly important, it is also crucial to consider localizing images, videos and other media in order to make your content more relevant and meaningful to your local audience.
4. Engage with your audience
Building and maintaining relationships with your local followers is an important element in the localization process. Take time to learn about their cultural norms and customs. This will help you tailor your content and interactions in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the specific target you are approaching. Also, you will have a good acceptance by them.
5. Collaborate with influencers
Almost 8 out of 10 buyers make their purchasing decisions out of influencers recommendations. Try to make deals with local influencers – globally if you can- or brand ambassadors to help promote your content and engage with your local followers. Having your product or service promoted by a known influencer increases your potential to reach your goals.
6. An individual page for each language
If you take a deeper look at some worldwide brands and successful businesses, you will find that they have created an individual social media page for each individual audience. The content that BBC uses in approaching their Arab audience is different from the one used with their Britain audience.
7. Choose the right content to be localized
Not all content can be localized to all cultures, some of it does not match a specific audience’s principles and aspects. When choosing the localized content take into consideration cultural occasions, like holidays, independence day, religious events and so on.
8. Localize other media forms
Visual content is an integral part of social media and can have a big impact on how your
content is perceived and received. Localizing images and videos allows you to tailor your content to be more culturally appropriate and relevant to your local audience.
Examples of localized brands
Here are just a few examples of how brands have effectively localized their images, videos, and other media to get a better reach and engagement with their targets. By considering cultural differences and adapting their content accordingly, these brands were able to build a stronger connection with their local followers and increase brand awareness and loyalty in new markets.
- Airbnb’s “Live There” campaign featured personalized content for different cities around the world, highlighting local experiences and cultural landmarks. For example, the campaign featured images of local landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and highlighted local experiences such as sushi-making classes in Tokyo.
- Nike’s ”Run It Your Way” campaign included dealing with local influencers in different countries sharing their own personal running stories and promoting the Nike Running app. The campaign included videos of the influencers running in various locations, such as through the streets of New York City or along the beach in Brazil.
- Starbucks’s “Meet Me at Starbucks” campaign featured personalized content for each country, including local flavors and cultural references. For example, the campaign used images of Starbucks drinks with local flavors, such as the Roasted Rice Green Tea Latte in Japan and the Pistachio Latte in Italy.
Conclusion
Companies work their best to spread globally, but to do so they have to reach and engage with a group of local audiences, trying to speak their own languages and tongues. Using other’s languages is not always the case, it is about saying the words in a way they will understand and appreciate, and social media localization is the best strategy to use to achieve that perfectly.
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