Localization is nothing new, but social media localization? What’s all that about then?
Internet marketers will be well aware of the importance of tailoring a website’s content to specific target markets, and doing so is more complex than it sounds. Localization is not merely a case of translating a website and hoping for the best, there is far more to it.
A website not only has to be understood by the target audience, but it also needs to appeal to them. And perhaps even more importantly, it must be culturally appropriate (i.e. not causing offence!) for those it is directed to. As such, web localization involves a combination of translation, careful content creation, design aesthetics and imagery in order to make that site as appealing as possible in the country it’s intended for.
Why Social Media?
So why do we need social media localization/translation? Because, let’s face it, a website is nothing these days without a carefully coordinated social media campaign. Social media does more than just drive traffic to a website – it helps companies to establish their brand in new markets, providing a vital outlet for communication with customers, and allows them to build a community of loyal followers.
SociaLingo
When expansion into foreign markets is the goal, companies are going to need local expertise to get their message across. Products such as SociaLingo, which offers a comprehensive social media translation and management service, are the future of global outreach. Social media is the future of advertising, and SociaLingo and services like it are set to become vital marketing tools for all small-to-mid sized businesses.
SociaLingo is far superior to using tools such as Google Translate, Babylon and Babel Fish, which up until now have been the only choice for businesses trying to reach out to foreign markets via the social sphere. Machine translations, for all their developers’ good intentions, remain an inferior choice compared to the human-led translation management of SociaLingo.
It’s not just poorly translated messages we have to worry about with these services – the cultural impact is also a consideration, and at present, Google Translate and the rest have no way of telling us just what is and isn’t an appropriate colloquialism in other languages. What may seem humorous or amusing in English has the potential to be downright offensive when translated into another language.
SociaLingo means that campaigns are handled by local, native speakers who are experts in social media outreach. They can provide convenient, real time translations of Facebook posts, tweets, comments and more, or they can take full control of a social media campaign for maximum efficiency, tailoring various content and promotions/discounts to a language that maximizes their appeal.
The benefits of social media localization will become immediately apparent. It’s not just an effective tool to reach out to a wider audience; it will also bring companies closer to their audience as well. Fans and followers will genuinely appreciate a company or service that makes an extra effort to communicate with them in their own language, and that appreciation is sure to translate into business success.
