Making content culturally relevant in your multilingual
marketing is the key to success when expanding internationally.
Being relevant in the culture you are marketing your product
or service in goes beyond simple translation. It requires localising your
content to fit a country’s values, culture, and expectations.
Understanding cultural nuances and ensuring your content resonates
with people from different contexts shows you have a deeper understanding of
your audience.
1.1.1 Understanding cultural nuances
1.1.1.1 What are they?
Cultural nuances refer to the subtle differences and
unwritten rules within a particular culture when localising marketing materials;
understanding your audience and the nuance of their culture is especially
important.
1.1.1.2 Why are they important?
Cultural nuances are essential for effective international
collaboration, as they affect how your message is perceived and responded to by
others. If you do not understand cultural nuances, you may unintentionally
offend, confuse, or mislead someone. Understanding these cultural differences
will show you are respectful, allowing consumers to trust you more.
1.1.2 Tailoring your content
To succeed with your localised content marketing, creating
content that resonates with your audience is essential!
1.1.2.1 Understanding your audience
Knowing your audience is the number one priority in
marketing. It is crucial to understand the difference between your domestic and
international audiences so you can adjust your content accordingly as it is
translated.
Market research into your international audience will allow
you to understand how they differentiate and give you insight into what you
need to adapt about the content you provide to your domestic audience.
Effective market research will allow you to provide a
tailored experience and give you a deeper understanding of cultural nuances and
consumer behaviour. This will allow you to adapt your communication strategy,
leading to increased customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Ongoing market research will also give you an insight into
the latest consumer and cultural trends in a market. Participating in these
trends will allow you to reach a larger audience.
1.1.2.2 Localisation vs translation
Translation is a process that focuses on accurately
converting written words from one language to another.
Localisation employs multiple techniques to adapt a content’s
full meaning to fit into the culture, considering cultural nuances, idiomatic
expressions, and humour.
Words or phrases that may work in your language may be translated
as inappropriate in another!
Localisation also includes adjusting beyond language, such
as adapting imagery, design elements, colours, symbols, and functionalities to
resonate with the target audience.
One thing to be very careful with using is emojis. Certain
emojis have different meanings in other countries.
Speaking your target audience’s language is essential. Being
sensitive to other cultures and focusing on user experience by localising
content is the most effective way to communicate cross-culturally and expand
your market.
The best way to localise your content to make it culturally
relevant is by using a native speaker!
1.1.2.3 Maintaining brand consistency
Brand consistency in multilingual marketing is essential for
reinforcing brand identity across diverse markets, enhancing brand recall, and
increasing trust.
By maintaining consistency as much as possible through
design elements and values, your brand’s message remains clear and recognisable
to consumers worldwide.
This consistency helps to build strong relationships with
consumers, minimise confusion and strengthen your brand’s global presence.
1.1.3 Encouraging global engagement
1.1.3.1 Localisation
Localisation encourages global engagement in multilingual
marketing. It makes content more appealing by tailoring it for a specific
audience.
Customers will favour a brand that engages with them in their
language and resonates with them culturally, enhancing their overall user
experience.
Understanding and appreciating a culture’s values allows
your brand to build trust, driving greater engagement and loyalty.
Localisation allows businesses to effectively communicate
their brand message in ways that are meaningful and relevant ways to each
target market. This encourages better engagement, leading to more conversions
and revenue.
1.1.3.2 Global campaign coordination
Global campaign coordination is key in your multinational
marketing efforts. It involves aligning strategies, messaging, and execution
across different markets to ensure consistency and effectiveness.
Coordinating marketing efforts and resources effectively
allows you to extend your brand’s reach and impact globally as it increases visibility,
trust, and engagement across your audience worldwide.
1.1.4 Impact on brand perception and trust
Going beyond simply translating content in multilingual
marketing and making it culturally relevant by localising it can enhance brand
perception and increase trust.
Localising content is a powerful strategy that shows your
brand is culturally aware, respectful, and committed to meaningfully engaging
with its audience. It shows your brand is truly part of their culture.
Speaking to your audience in their language and tailoring
your messages to resonate with their cultural values is a powerful way to
create stronger connections. This allows your company to build trust, leading
to greater brand loyalty.
Localising content can also help avoid offending your
audience or misunderstandings due to cultural differences. The meaning of
words, phrases, and colours can translate differently across diverse cultures,
and adapting content accordingly can reduce the potential damage to your
brand’s reputation.
1.1.5 Last thoughts
Going beyond simply translating content in multilingual
marketing and instead localising it to make it culturally relevant will increase
trust in your brand.
Essentially, localising your content reduces the likelihood
of offending your target audience and shows consumers you respect their culture
as you understand cultural nuances and humour.
Take the worry of localising your content out of your hands;
we are a marketing agency with over 15 years of multilingual experience in over
fifteen languages.
Contact us
today to get started with your multilingual
marketing content!
