Ok, so we all know that social media is a global phenomenon and that brands all over the world want to have as strong a presence as possible in whichever channels their consumers are.
No doubt many companies are jumping onto channels like Facebook, Google+, Twitter and YouTube without a clear idea about why they are there (other than everybody else seems to be), what they want to accomplish or how. A hot-off-the-press report by Sociagility has just provided tangible evidence of why it’s a good idea for companies to embrace social media, when it found a correlation between brands’ performance in Social Media and their actual value in the stock market.
Surprisingly, some well-known global brands, such as Nike, only stick to English when interacting with followers on their social media channels. There are possible budgetary reasons for doing so, and English-speaking regions still hold an important share of the business-to-consumer e-commerce pie, but if we have a look at the latest figures from the Internet World Stats you might be surprised to find that only 2 of the 10 top countries for Internet usage have English as their mother-tongue. China is number 1, but among the top ten we also find Japan, Brazil, Russia, Germany and France, so there is a sizeable portion of business to be made in non-English-speaking regions. These regions are teeming with potential customers that would undoubtedly much prefer being reached out to in their own language.
Using English for social media outlets outside of English-speaking regions is really only useful for brands more interested in broadcasting than engaging in two-way conversations. The focus on localising is clearly visible in the best-known global networks which are available in scores of languages to match the communities they serve and even YouTube has recently rolled out automatic subtitles in additional languages, recognising that communities are more likely to engage in their own language.
Looking at the 20 most popular social networks in the world we can see some networks that might not be as well-known to a worldwide audience, but clearly do matter in their respective regions. Apart from the predictable chart-toppers, there are some high-ranking local networks, like Chinese networks Renren and Weibo, or Google-owned Orkut, which exceeds Facebook in popularity in Brazil and India. These, of course, are only the 20 biggest networks on a global scale, but there are plenty of established regional favourites like the above, Tuenti in Spain or Vkontakte in Russia which are also forces to be reckoned with for any brand hoping to engage with its customers in these regions.
Language, then, is a crucial tool to tap into these networks and markets, but general cultural awareness and a good knowledge of the local culture are also vital. Misunderstandings can be damaging and antagonise the very community you’re trying to reach out to. I recently saw an incident on Facebook when a digital content provider announced a special deal allowing “Orange customers” to rent the film “Fifty Dead Men Walking” for free. For those of you who don’t know the film, it follows an informer who infiltrates the IRA during the worst of the troubles in Northern Ireland between Protestants (associated with the Orange Order) and Catholics. Needless to say there was a fast-paced backlash from users who are typically quick to show outrage and offence across channels such as these.
An in-depth understanding of the culture is also essential in getting to grips with what makes a local audience tick. Publishing re-purposed and translated content that was meant for a different market might be efficient, but not always as effective. Creating local content shows that you’re really making an effort to connect with the audiences that can help to feed your brand.
Mara has been working as Community Manager at Tempero for 2 years. She originally comes from sunny Southern Spain and has been in the UK for 15 years, working as a language teacher and a translator before embracing the crazy world of online social media.
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