Expanding your business is easier than ever in today’s world of social media and digital marketing. But communication problems can arise when your business starts to reach out to customers in foreign countries. Here’s a few ways you can reach potential new customers in spite of language barriers:
Hire Multilingual Staff
Many businesses are starting to request new hires for specific Multilingual speaking positions. Spanish bilingual employees are naturally in high demand, but job postings can be made for any kind of Multilingual speaker. These kinds of positions can not only be for customer contact staff directly, but social media marketing team members that have multi-language literacy can be extremely effective. There are even some translation services available to localize your social media posts for outreach. Some of these are included with the same social platforms you may already be using.
Name Matching Software
Fuzzy Name Matching is a type of software that matches names against potential hits in other languages. This helps to sort through and identify prospective customers by clearing bots or spam, as well as giving guidance on what nationality they could be.
Offer Franchise Opportunities
Depending on the industry your business is a part of, there may be opportunities to franchise through influential locals. Working to establish a presence is often easier by going this route. Translators could be hired or retained to help create the bond, and facilitate further relations between franchisor and franchisee. The franchise location can then overcome any language barrier by having staff and management that are already integrated with the nation’s culture. Some might say this cuts into profit potential. Instead, it should be looked at as tapping into a market that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to.
Utilize Foreign Marketing Services
This is similar to offering franchise opportunities, but is more along the lines of outsourcing a portion of the marketing workload. Every country has businesses that handle marketing functions for other companies. Educating yourself on the countries that you wish to reach potential customers in can help you decide which one best suits your needs. Once communication is established, the foreign marketing group can work with your own in-house team to coordinate a campaign that’s fit for the people you’re trying to reach. Cooperation with outside sources is often the route that has the path of least resistance, and helps create income that is otherwise inaccessible.
Emma is a freelance writer based out of Boston, MA. She writes most often on health and education. When not writing, she enjoys reading and watching film noir. Say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2
