If you’re looking to branch out your business and begin attracting new customers, consider becoming a bilingual business. Even if the majority of your customers are English speakers, the opportunities waiting for your business in other demographics can be astonishing.
As a bilingual business, you can expand your customer base, improve your product, and find new niches to deal in, all in a manageable way. By implanting small bilingual changes through out your business development strategies, like social media and blogging, you can start finding new customers and they can start finding you. Take a look at the following tips that can assist your business in reaching the next level through a bilingual approach.
Ask For Feedback
The best way to start your new bilingual strategy is to connect with your customers first. Use the various form of communication you’ve already established between your business and your customers (email, website, social media) to hear their take on turning your business into a bilingual one. You might even find that you already have customers that have been waiting for a business like yours to reach out to their communities. From Hispanics to Haitians, your business can easily identify a niche to cater to. Also, look into bilingual businesses in your area. If you’re finding a lot of Korean supermarkets, then it might be a good idea to start advertising to Korean locals. Don’t be afraid to ask people what cultures and languages they wish businesses would get more into, if anything, it could really set you apart from the competition.
Be Mobile
Mobile accessibility should be on every business owner’s mind, but especially for company’s planning to reach out to non-English speakers. Smartphones are becoming more and more popular and it seems as though just about everyone has one in their pocket. Furthermore, when you consider statistics like 65% of Hispanics are using mobile phones to get online (Nielsen), it’s easy to see why a mobile-friendly website could be a big hit. Therefore, giving your website a mobile partner, or even developing your company’s own app, could give you a big advantage in certain demographics. And not only will you be able to reach more of your targeted audience, but you’ll be more user-friendly to the customers you already have. Going mobile is a win for everyone involved.
Bilingual Websites
Take a look at websites for popular retailers like Ikea or Apple. They realized a long time ago that English speakers weren’t their only consumers. And even if you’re not about to open three new stores in China, there’s no reason why you can’t appeal to non-English speakers who may be in your area. Have your website professionally translated into the most popular and dominant languages of your region and then make sure those versions can be easily found. A visible flag icon that shows consumers you offer the same information in their language can keep them on your site longer and improve the user’s experience of shopping with you. Eventually, these kinds of details can lead to more business coming in and a larger consumer base. Your company will be struggling to keep up!
Bilingual Blogs
Non-English speakers want to read good content just as much as English speakers do. If you’re serious about turning your business into a full-blown bilingual business, your blog is a great place to start. Write about topics that would hit home for the particular demographic you’re aiming for, that would appeal to their culture. And if you don’t want to spend the time or money on a professional translator, there are many tools online that can translate content for you. Keep in mind, however, translation software is performed by a computer and not a native speaker. Therefore, you have to take your translation with a grain of salt. Regardless of how you translate your blogs, it will improve your search engine optimization efforts and attract non-English speakers to patronize your business. A bilingual blog could be just the thing your business needs to kickstart a new marketing strategy.
Bilingual Social Media
Finally, ignoring social media for any marketing strategy would be a foolish move. Pump up your social media efforts to appeal to your bilingual demographics and you’ll have them liking, sharing, and retweeting in no time. Look for topics that are relevant, follow leaders that are already popular in designated demographic, and consider tweeting and posting in different languages. The easier it is for all types of consumers to understand your message, the more your message will be heard.
Even a successful business can find new opportunities by expanding into a bilingual company. From having various versions of your website to blogging in other languages, your business could easily attract non-English speakers and win their trust, confidence, and loyalty. Start turning your business into a bilingual one, and watch your consumer base grow.