One of the many unexpected opportunities brought to the world by the pandemic was multi-lingual marketing growth.

Traditionally, immigration communities rely on a powerful sense of belonging and seclusion. Therefore, how to directly engage communities with a foreign background has always been a significant challenge for marketers working in regions with a broader immigration population.

Interestingly enough, as quarantine rules encouraging consumers to go digital, businesses finally have the opportunity to create a powerful brand identity among immigrations by leveraging multi-lingual marketing.

Multi-Lingual Communication Under Current Landscapes

Immigration communities tended to be more secluded, meaning members have a stronger sense of belonging due to the natural segregation created by differences in primary language and culture. According to a recent study, the amount of content in a foreign language and the population speaking a language other than English is severely out of balance.

Also, messages delivered in their first language have a higher acceptance rate. The idea that because many immigrant communities consist of younger, US-born members, one language and one message would fit across demographics is not only naive but extremely harmful.

Therefore, with consumers turning towards the digital space to make purchase decisions, reaching a diverse audience using different languages could positively impact your marketing ROI.

MULTI-LINGUAL MARKETING ≠ INTERNATIONAL MARKETING

Many small-to-mid-sized businesses cringe at the sound of multi-lingual marketing. “We are not there yet.” One might argue, without knowing he or she has fallen the victim of a common misunderstanding.

Because here’s a fact:

Multi-lingual marketing and marketing to international markets are entirely different topics.

While correlation exists between the two, multi-lingual marketing falls into the category of marketing localization. In other words, it is no different compared to when a marketer create two campaigns targeting two demographics.

The only difference? This time you are not only using different messages to attract your target audience but also several languages.

What Industries Can Benefit from Multi-Lingual Marketing

So, who benefits from multi-lingual marketing? A quick answer is everybody. However, some industry does see a higher ROI in multi-lingual marketing compared to the others.

Some of these industries include:

• Real estate, mortgage, and banking

• Home improvement and home maintenance services

• eCommerce

• Food delivery services

In short, any business that provides universal value to a diverse audience should consider investing in multi-lingual marketing. The logic is simple: if you want a full pipeline, shouldn’t you talk your audience’s talk first?

Secrets to Quality Marketing Localization

Marketing localization is different from direct translation. Localization focuses more on conveying a core message in a way that suits your audience’s cultural background. Therefore, marketing localization requires a high command of both the target language and your audience’s culture.

A classic example of localization was the famous slang, “even the best wife couldn’t make bread without flours.”

Initially, the words read “make rice (the food) without rice (the grain).” The localizers realized how confusing this phrase would be for readers in the west semisphere. Therefore, they tweaked the sentence to fit Western customs.