In
the last decade the rapid growth of platforms such as Skype, WhatsApp,
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter has provided governments with the opportunity to
increase the global recognition of their services and to engage with their
international workforce and customers.
Local
Does Not Translate
However,
online communication can also bring challenges when organizations export their
social media marketing plan overseas. Tactics that work well at
home will not always have the same degree of success in overseas markets and
marketing teams need to find the right balance between a consistent global
approach and adapting to the trends and preferences of each local market – in
other words they need to glocalize.
Choose
the Right Platform
First
and foremost digital marketers need to do their research as social media use
may vary from country to country. To engage with as many customers as possible
they need to make sure they are using the right platforms. It is well
known that the Chinese government blocks access to a number of western social
networks such as Facebook, Twitter and all things Google. Relying on these
networks alone rather than exploring platforms such as WeChat or Weibo would
mean missing out on the 618 million internet users in China. The same is
true of other countries such as Russia, Japan or South Korea which all have
powerful social networks almost unknown in the West.
Lost
in Translation
Language
is also paramount. English may be considered the language of the internet
and is widely understood worldwide. However, you will engage much more
fully with your international customer base if you can speak their language.
Translation can take a lot of time and money but be wary of automated
translation tools as while they may have come a long way since their early days
they are still far from perfect.
Make
the Message Fit
Glocalizing
your
communications’ strategy can ensure a more appropriate approach to the
diversity of consumers you are appealing to and make all the difference between
successful market penetration and a failure to make a significant impact on
your target customers.
Great post! Thanks for you insight and sharing it with us! I like this blog and I will be here again. mississippi social media experts
ReplyDelete