Creating a multilingual social media presence is a great way to reach a larger market. By posting localized content, you can speak directly to potential customers worldwide. Luckily, there are many ways to create a localized social media experience for your global followers. Let’s look at some actionable tips for incorporating multilinguality in social media to expand your audience.
1. Lean into Autotranslations
The easiest way to incorporate multilingualism in social media is to use the autotranslation tools built into social media platforms. Some platforms, like Facebook, X, and Instagram, automatically translate text for users whose native language differs from the one used in the post they’re viewing.
Since autotranslations are specific to captions and text posts, graphics and videos are not translated. These content translations are imperfect since they don’t always understand slang and colloquialisms. That’s why leaning into autotranslations is only the first step to creating a localized user experience.
2. Use Subbing and Dubbing
Subbing and dubbing are two ways to make your content accessible to followers who speak another language. If these terms are new to you, “subbing” is shorthand for subtitling, and “dubbing” is a technique that uses a voice double to record translated voiceovers for a video.
Translating video content with subtitles is an effortless way to make content accessible to international followers. However, they must watch the video closely to ensure they don’t miss any vital information.
On the flip side, dubbing allows viewers to consume the content more efficiently since they can audibly hear the script. This is ideal for longer videos that people might listen to in the background while doing other things. Dubbing is also great for content meant to be consumed more mindlessly since it requires less reading and effort.
3. Create Several Profiles
Another workaround for adding multilingualism to your social media presence is to create several profiles to target international users more specifically.
For example, it may be worth creating a second account in Spanish if you want to target an audience throughout Latin America. Your primary account could be @brandname, and your Spanish account could be @brandname.es.
Of course, this requires more effort since you’d need to create and publish more content and manage multiple communities. This option best suits larger organizations with a larger budget and workforce to operate more complex social media.
4. Consider Cultural Relevance
Effective localization in social media requires more than just translating copy. It requires crafting messaging that is culturally relevant to the target audience, which may require pivoting slightly from the messaging you’d use for your primary audience.
With that, remember that neologisms, or phrases that you make up to describe your brand or products, might not translate well. They could be confusing when translated or mean something different in your target languages. Think these things through as you map out your social
5. Hire International Influencers
Another way to increase your multilinguality in social media is to hire international influencers. For example, if you want to reach an audience in the Middle East, you might consider hiring an influencer based inthe United Arab Emirates.
In addition to the multilingual aspect, hiring an international influencer is also great for nailing the cultural nuances in localized social media marketing since they should come naturally to a local native speaker.
5. Use Copy-Free Graphics
Whether leveraging autotranslations or publishing content on several social media accounts, copy-free graphics are an excellent way to save time and resources in your content creation.
With copy-free graphics, there’s no need to translate the assets that take the most time and effort. These assets can easily be repurposed with translated captions, so you get a higher ROI on the resources you put into them.
6. Create Multilingual Carousels
Another way to target multiple languages with one social media profile is to create carousels with the same information in different languages. This way, your followers can read and share the ones in their language.
If you take this approach, ensure the first slide indicates other languages are available on different slides. You can list the ISO language codes of the translations you have on the upcoming slides with an arrow or another graphic representation of swiping.
7. Post at the Right Time
Social media localization also requires posting at relevant times in your target audience’s time zone. Map out the local times you want to post and convert them to your time zone so you know when to press “publish.” A social media scheduling tool comes in handy here.
For example, parts of Australia are sixteen hours ahead of parts of South America. A timely social media post about a holiday may not be relevant at the same time in both locations. That’s why getting the timing right is essential to maximize relevance. To help with this, create timeline that outlines the best posting times for each region, ensuring your content is seen at the optimal moment.
8. Buy Local Followers
An initial boost in followers from a specific region can help the content gain traction with local language algorithms, enhancing visibility and engagement within targeted areas. Some brands might consider buying Insta followers to kickstart localized reach.
However, while this tactic can increase initial discoverability, it isn’t a long-term growth strategy. Genuine, lasting engagement is driven by sustained, authentic interaction. By focusing on regionally relevant content and genuine connections, brands can ensure that early visibility translates into a loyal and engaged community.
Final Thoughts on Multilinguality in Social Media
Creating localized, multilingual social media experiences is a great way to market to an international audience. Using human translators to help bring multilingualism to your social media efforts is crucial. A computer translator misses important cultural context when reaching a multilingual audience.
If you’re looking for professional translators to help you localize your social media content, Day Translations is here to help! Submit an inquiry for a quick quote to get started today.
About the Author
Kelly Moster
Kelly Moser is the co-founder and editor at Home & Jet, digital magazine for the modern era. She’s also the content manager at Login Lockdown, covering the latest trends in tech, business and security. Kelly is an expert in freelance writing and content marketing for SaaS, Fintech, and ecommerce startups.