Social Media Translations
With nearly 4 billion people on social media worldwide, it's clear that translating your social media content will help you attract new customers and reach new markets.
But how do you use social media to communicate effectively with international audiences? Should everything you post be published? What is the most effective way to express the brand message in another language? We'll briefly cover seven important social media translation tips.
Target Market Planning and Research
The first step is to meet with your marketing team to develop a game plan. Creating engaging social media posts isn't easy. That's why you need a long-term plan.
Which languages/markets will you choose for global expansion? Which social networks are best for you and your target audience?
Remember that although social media is all over the world, not everyone is the same. According to Vinkus, the most popular social media platform in Russia is VKontakte, while QZone has dominated the Chinese market for more than a decade. Before you spend money on a marketing campaign, make sure the campaign has a good chance of reaching people.
Target your account by region
Never use multiple languages on a social media account. One of the biggest mistakes brands make when translating social media content is posting in multiple languages on a single page without proper placement.
Try to target multilingual profiles to each specific audience instead of combining languages. Everyone can visit your page, your followers will understand the content and you will increase the engagement.
Get Hashtags
Hashtags are an essential part of social media marketing. They are essential to any social media campaign, so they are just as important as translation.
When specifying hashtags, do not directly translate them into the target language. Instead, focus on researching the behaviours and habits of your target audience. Do a little research to learn more about the hashtags your international competitors are using.
At Idiomatic we understand that the meaning of a sentence is more than the sum of its parts, which is why we take the meaning of tags into account when undertaking marketing translation projects.
No machine translation!
Incorrectly translated logos and content can seriously damage your brand reputation. Trust is the main factor when a potential customer buys a product or service. Bad translations and heavy-handed marketing materials can turn customers away.
Working with a local translator
As we said, before you start your international marketing strategy, you need to understand the complexities of the new market. The best way to ensure your translations take into account local culture, language nuances and industry-relevant terminology is to hire a native-speaking translator who lives in District
Do you know social media terminology?
English is the most widely used language on social media, so it's important to master slang and slang. Ask yourself and your team this question: What should I translate and what should I not? Phrases like "twitter" or "like button" are now ubiquitous in many languages other than English. Idiomatic Canada understands and has extensive experience in social media translation and will help you plan.
Attention to word limits
All social platforms are different; What works in one place may not work in another. For example, the processes behind Facebook and TikTok are very different. When translating social media content, it's important to keep the character limit per channel in mind. Be sure to do your research and find out what the experts recommend for post length, number of keywords, and more.
Social media content translation allows you to engage with international customers and grow your business. If you're interested in translating your social media content, contact Idiomatic Canada for a quote here.