Build a Multilingual Social Media Presence With These 6 Tips
English
remains the most popular language on the Internet with 1.1 billion Internet users speaking English. Over 860 million people on
the Internet speak Chinese and 344 million speak Spanish. These are the top
three languages of the Internet.
If your
demographic speaks Spanish, you don’t want to promote to them only in English.
When
building a social media presence that is multilingual, these tips can keep
followers while also appealing to a larger audience:
1. Double Post in a Different Language
You can
manage multiple social media accounts, each in a different language, but that’s
a massive undertaking. One tip that’s recommended is to treat the same
demographic as two languages.
If you’re a
lawyer in Los Angeles that caters to both English and Spanish speakers, you may
want to use a post title of: abogados de accidentes de carro instead of “car accident lawyers.”
Double posting is a very good idea for bilingual accounts, but pay close
attention to how many followers drop off after a Spanish post.
When
followers leave because of posts in another language, it may be best to open a
separate account for each language.
2. Visual Content Works Well
Broad
messages are a great option, and visual content is able to speak to followers
of many languages. But you do need to be mindful of social norms and what may
insult some followers and not others.
If you post
visuals that are taboo, you may insult the followers you’re trying to appeal to
online.
3. Professional Translations Only
If you have
to use Google Translate, you shouldn’t post in another language. Native
speakers will know the difference, and you may say something that is improper
or even rude to some speakers.
You’ll want
to keep to professional translations only.
Professional
translations will be able to convey your message properly without insulting the
audience you’re trying to appeal to the most.
4. Utilize Ad Filtering
If you’re
using Facebook Ads, for example, users set their account to their desired
language when opening their account. Twitter does the same, and this allows
advertisements to target these users specifically.
You can run
ads for Spanish speakers in LA specifically rather than the ads being shown to
English speakers.
5. Translations in One Post
If you don’t
want to double post or you find that your account is bleeding followers due to
posting in another language, offer translations in one post. This would allow
you to cut down on social media resources and target both demographics without
anyone being turned off by a single language post.
6. Pay Attention to Time Differences
Different
demographics are often in different time zones. You may want to post at 11 am
in the US, but the same post is being seen in Italy at 5 pm if you’re in the
eastern standard time. Adjust your posting times so that you can target your
demographic at the ideal posting times.
You may also
be able to stave off losing followers if you adjust posts to the time zone of
your international demographic.