Should I post in another language when English is the lingua franca of the Internet and social media?
While the English language is still the most widely used language online, Web Technology Survey found that 63.5% of all websites online use English language content, its dominance is dwindling. Roughly 75% of the world does not speak any level of English and as more and more people around the world become internet users, they are bringing their own languages into the mix.
Recent studies have confirmed that bilingual populations are also looking for online content in their mother tongue as well as content in English.
A study of more than 500 U.S.-based Hispanic people commissioned by Facebook found that 80% of people surveyed said that seeing ads in Spanish rather than English increased their interest in purchasing products and their trust in brands. Another survey by Google and KPMG in 2017 found 73% of India’s internet users would prefer to use local languages over English online in the next 4 years.
If you are bilingual (or you’re a polyglot,) you should absolutely be posting in another language online and that includes your LinkedIn content. LinkedIn supports 23 languages and you can create your profile in two languages simultaneously. Why is this so important?
Why post in another language? It engages your audience directly
Creating online content as an immigration or global mobility professional that can be posted in multiple languages helps establish trust in your brand, attracts attention from prospective clients, and separates you from competitors in your field.
The most important part of using social media is identifying your audience and posting content that engages them directly. Creating content in a particular language shows the folks who speak the language that you’re speaking directly to THEM. I don’t think you could ask for a better first impression than this.
Another important part of LinkedIn is its power as a global connector. LinkedIn has 706 million users from 200 countries and 72% of users are not from the U.S. With content in another language, you can attract new clients and connections from around the world in a much more powerful and meaningful way that is authentic to your brand.
Looking for a way to start posting in another language without alienating any English-speaking clients? Here’s my advice for incorporating multilingual content as an immigration professional on LinkedIn without adding on hours of work.
A little trick for when you post in another language on LinkedIn
If you want to post in another language that doesn’t mean you have to do separate posts in English. On LinkedIn, you can translate your post directly back into English below the original content in your first language!
If you go this route, the one downside is that you will, effectively, only have half the characters of a regular post. That’s because half will go to your original content in the non-English language and the other half will be your English translation. So figuring out your message in a concise way is key.
Still, the double language post is an easy way to create inclusive content that will engage all of your audience, create content that confirms your brand identity, and (maybe most importantly) doesn’t create a lot of extra work for you!
