Social media is changing the way we relate to each other and how we relate to the organizations that serve us. Global social media outlets have become the new approach to marketing products and services in this fast-paced and growing worldwide market. So what are these global social media sites and how can you integrate them into your international marketing plan? Social media outlets are blogs, vlogs, podcasts, and user created content as well as social networks. However, the specific forms are not as important as their effects, and most importantly their ability to share and interact with each other. All social media sites, such as YouTube, Facebook, or Digg, are based on the idea of peer-to-peer content exchange. This concept offers businesses the opportunity to build a relationship between a brand and its consumers.
The idea of social media is generating a lot of buzz in the U.S. but even more so in international markets. This is understandable because about 80% of the world’s Internet users are outside of the U.S. In fact, while our population of Internet users is beginning to plateau Internet use in most other countries continues to grow. While overall Internet usage continues to increase, so does the use of these social networking sites. Social networks like Facebook and MySpace have more users in Asia and Europe than in the U.S. and they are growing at faster rates. Facebook reports that over 70% of their 175 million users come from countries other than the U.S.
What does this mean to you? International brand awareness. By involving your business in these social media sites you can help build your brand and consumer base on a personal, emotional and lasting level. Because international markets are becoming oversaturated due to globalization, simple advertising methods are no longer sufficient. Companies must learn new marketing tactics to maintain a competitive advantage. Capitalizing on the benefits of social media outlets can be as easy as adding a blog or comment section to your website thereby inviting consumers to comment in their native language. Also, you can connect with your consumers on a personal level by translating your profile within various international social networking sites. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to allow your consumers to develop your brand and company by promoting it themselves through various global social media sites.
The first step is to identify your countries of interest. Then classify the top regional social media outlets. Various social networking sites, such as Hi5, decided to establish themselves overseas first rather than compete in a saturated market such as the U.S. And many countries have home- grown social networking sites, such as Mixi in Japan and Skyrock in France.
Foreign Translations, Inc. will assist with your social media translation ventures and allow you to effectively target specific audiences in their native languages. Foreign Translations, Inc. can help you achieve your global reach by localizing your product reviews, helping you participate in discussion boards, and post blogs in other languages and regions that you otherwise would not have been able to access.