Social Media and Multilingual
Marketing
The Internet has changed the way
people live and interact and it has certainly changed the way people do
business. A myriad of business activities- including advertising, market
research, recruitment, finance and communications- are conducted via the web.
Internet access has become ubiquitous in the developed world and is becoming
increasingly so in the developing world; The UN and several countries have
argued that Internet access should be considered a basic human right. Clearly
the Internet will continue to shape the business landscape for decades to come.
The Internet was initially developed with a focus on facilitatin
g English-language communication, which has resulted in the
English-dominated Internet we use today. Many of the barriers to multi-lingual
communication on the Internet no longer exist, however: numerous advances in
non-English software have made on-line multilingual communication affordable and
efficient. Businesses who choose to communicate with their customers and
stakeholders in English alone need to ask this question: What is our English
only communication strategy costing us?
While Australia is obviously an
English speaking country, it has Report on Migration program 2009-10, Program
Year to 30 June 2010 Australian Government, Department of Immigration and
Citizenship.
Australian businesses need to recognise that effective
online communication strategies need to reflect the linguistic consumers are
increasingly only presented with search results that match their preferences.
Online organiser Eli Pariser has dubbed this phenomenon a diverse, and
growing immigrant population.
The chart below demonstrates that while some
Australian Immigrants come from English speaking countries, many do not.
Australian businesses need to recognise that effective online
communication strategies need to reflect the linguistic diversity of their
national and global markets.
As Internet search engines race to
customise user-interface experiencesonsumers are increasingly only presented
with search results that match their preferences.
Online organiser Eli
Pariser has dubbed this phenomenon the “filter bubble.” If search engine
customisation prioritises non-English web materials for NESB (Non-English
Speaking Background) people, businesses that communicate online in English only
risk being shut out of NESB Australians’ “filter bubbles” and losing visibility
to potential markets. MMM believes that online social media such as Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube and blogs are key channels for delivering flexible,
cost-effective, multi-lingual online communication strategies.
We have
created a multilingual blog of our own to illustrate our multilingual
communication abilities and to allow our services to be visible toNon-English
speaking potential clients.
This blog also allows us to maintain a strong
relationship with NESB community leaders throughout Australia by communicating
to them in their own language and by demonstrating our commitment to
multilingual marketing.
We have created multilingual online
communications strategies for our clients that have used multilingual blogging,
YouTube videos, Twitter feeds and/or Facebook accounts.
Our
Experience
MMM was hired by
Surf Life Saving Australia to develop and disseminate multilingual rock fishing
safety information.
MMM focused on key online channels by producing a
YouTube video, a multilingual blog, and translated reading materials available
for download in Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese.
This award-winning
project helped increase the rock fishing safety awareness of NESB rock fishers
throughout Australia.
MMM has helped another client, Lifetime Health, to
disseminate information through two of the most influential social media tools
available: Facebook and Twitter.
The Oznaturallife
Facebook page conveys information in English, while the Oznaturallife Twitter
feed posts tweets in a number of different languages, including English, Chinese
and Korean. By appealing to non-English speaking Twitter users, Lifetime Health
has invested in the potential to reach tens of thousands of potential NESB
customers.
Chinese and Japanese Food Cultures and Fine
Dining
We would like to
take this time to introduce you to MMM’s exciting new offering called Food
Culture and Fine Dining. We offer fine dining and cultural learning experiences
for Chinese and Japanese cultures.
These guided cultural dining
experiences are ideal for business people who will be moving or travelling to
China or Japan for work, but they will also be highly enjoyable to people who
love food, culture, or both! Chinese and Japanese Food Cultures and Fine Dining
are fun and relaxed activities designed to intro duce you to Chinese or Japanese
food, etiquette, and culture. Please visit us on our blog if you are interested
in learning more.
Multicultural Marketing & Management (MMM)
Suite 12, 27 Hunter
Street, Parramatta, NSW, 2150
Ph: (02) 9687 6788 Fx: (02) 9687 8689
Email:
info@multiculture.com.au
www.multiculture.com.au
