The world is a big place, and many businesses want to sell to it. The problem, however, is that they don’t put the effort in to trying to relate and convey their message and their values to their foreign customers. Instead, they rely on the lingua franca to get their message across. This can work, of course, but it isn’t the best way to do business. People want to use companies and services that they feel comfortable using, and for many, this means being able to understand and to communicate in their native tongue. To help you become a global entity, use these marketing tips:
- Know Your Demographics
There are hundreds of countries and languages out there, and it is not feasible to communicate to every single one of them. Instead, try to figure out who your demographics are, and work from there. Use analytics on your social media pages and on your website, and try to determine what the top five nationalities are that interact and are interested in your product or service. If you have limited resources, do this one-by-one. Knowing your demographics can help you expand and develop relationships with your demographics.
- Update Your Website
Once you have the top five countries who use your company, it is time to update your website. While you can, of course, go for the budget option of an automatic translator, it is much better to hire a translator. That way when your customers in your top demographics access your site, they can focus on your product and brand, not on the poor grammar and incorrect phrasing.
- Add More Social Accounts
Social media isn’t quite as flexible as your website, which is okay. There are a few ways you can address the multiple language issue. If your brand is big, you can add more social media accounts. That way a French-speaker can follow you on your French accounts, for instance. If you are a small business, however, you can instead have the translations on top of each other, starting with your native language.
- Rely on Automated Services
There is no down time when it comes to an international audience, which is why you need to rely on automated services to keep pushing content throughout the day, and throughout the night. That way your customers around the world can see you and any new products or deals you have on offer.
- Multi-Lingual Customer Service
When you are a small business, it is a good idea to learn a few extra languages so that you can provide great service to your global customers. Language Trainers can help you learn a new language with ease, so sponsor your employees or go yourself. Being able to communicate with your global customer base will ensure you can provide stellar customer service no matter what.
The internet and online selling means you need to put more effort in providing value to your customers around the world, not just those who live in English-speaking countries. Good customer service in their native language can make you a huge hit, so it’s a worthy investment.