Digital marketing is now the magic wand of successful businesses everywhere and online campaigns have become the most effective stimulator for consumers’ purchase decisions all around the globe. Latin America is a perfect example of the rise of digital and social media marketing in the light of a growing economy and strengthening purchasing power.
Amid positive economic sentiment, global businesses running or expanding into Latin American countries are now aware that social media is such a powerful tool to attract more customers and drive further purchases. As Latin Americans started to use the social networks more immensely, global brands began to conduct extensive social media advertising campaigns in the native language of their target market.
For that reason, companies of different scales are increasingly finding themselves in need of adequate social media translation services and seek out fruitful deals with the best language vendors.
Hereinafter, LatinoBridge offers a glimpse into the current and expected hiking growth of social media usage in Latin America, while delving into the benefits of marketing content localization and social media translation services.
Booming social networks (facts & figures)
Given the soaring number of internet users in addition to the still-growing smartphone owner penetration rate, digital marketing and social media popularity has seen screaming increases in the past couple of years. As of June 2019, there were nearly 454 million internet users in Latin America, up from around 300 million in 2013.
Backed by its large population and flourishing economic conditions, Brazil took the lion’s share of the internet usage rates in the region, followed by Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. The number of active social media users all across the region reached around 370 million by January 19, with expectations of continuous increases.
These referential figures make clear that the Latin Americans are heading intensively toward the usage of social networks, while companies are increasingly reinforcing their digital presence to generate extra leads and create larger revenues.
As a global business, you need to get a deeper grasp of the weight every social platform represents in your target market as well as the reasons why people use different social media platforms for various purposes.
The number of Facebook active users in Latin America hit 284.5 million in 2018, and is predicted to continue rising, according to emarketer’s compiled data. Data also showed that the Facebook user penetration rate, relative to total social media users, reached around 95% by 2019 in countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, while remaining above the 90% benchmark in most of the region’s countries.
The giant social network acts as an entertainment vent and easy social communication tool among Latin American residents, which marks an ideal opportunity for businesses to address many Latin Americans in different classes and age groups.
The photo-sharing application’s penetration rate is relatively lower than Facebook, yet it is expected to score exponential growth in the upcoming years. Brazil had nearly 70 million monthly active instagram users in June 2019, while Mexico came second with about 21.8 million.
Instagram, which is now recording an estimated user base of 115 million, is more popular among younger generations and is a perfect spot to place your product ads. Many Instagram users in Brazil, Mexico, and other Latin American countries have already made purchases through the app. If your business targets Latin America, advertising on Instagram should be part of your social media strategy.
- Youtube
It is no wonder that Youtube has gone viral in Latin America during the recent period, especially as more households started to have quick access to data and broadband internet connections. Over 233 million Latin Americans are reportedly watching multimedia content on a regular basis through the video-sharing platform.
This popularity reflects directly in the myriad subscriptions famous Youtubers have across multiple countries in the region. Influencer marketing seems to have a lot to do with this fact. It is enough said that the channel of Chilean video blogger Hola Soy German had over 40 million subscribers by the time this article was written, while female Mexican vlogger Yuya had nearly 25 million subscribers.
Twitter is more concerned with celebrities’ updates and politicians’ declarations. The number of Twitter users is also expected to inch up in the few coming years. This is now shown by the number of followers of cinema and soccer stars, as well as political leaders.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had 6.7 million followers by the time this article was written, while his Argentinian counterpart had 5 million followers.
Some other platforms like LinkedIn and snapchat are used less frequently by Latin Americans, yet mark good marketing tools. Linkedin, for instance, remains a useful way to communicate with businesses all over the region.
Social Media Localization: the wild card
Not only does relying on social media marketing work wonders, but also speaking in the mother tongue of your target audience doubles the odds of your success. Here comes the role of social media translation services which turn your message more appealing and efficient.
The majority of social media users worldwide are communicating in their native languages, and Latin Americans are no different. In fact, localizing your business and marketing content over social media platforms reaps multiple benefits to your business. These are a few reasons why you should localize your social media content, especially in Latin America.
- Tailored branding message
Social media content localization means that your message is altered based on your target market language and catered to its specific needs. The more you take care of the subtle language and culture nuances, the more your content resonates with your audience. Providing customer-centric social media content has been a favorable approach to many giant brands; some multinational companies have even created different social media accounts for different markets.
- More culture relevance
When it comes to social media, marketing involves multimedia content and multiple visual elements that need to be localized. Paying attention to things like religion and cultural heritage is crucially important to adapt your messages to the new market and make sure it does not include any cultural inconvenience. Simply put, social media translation services are supposed to consider culture sensitivity and provide more culture-relevant content.
- Interactive engagement
Social media is all about engagement and interaction, and localization will guarantee more of this. Once your posts are in the same language of your target audience, you will receive more comments and shares. Furthermore, you will be able to keep track of your customers’ feedback and communicate with them more effectively.
- Formidable brand reputation
Consumers of Latin America tend to identify more with brands that speak their native language. Social media localization helps businesses build up formidable reputation quickly in the target markets. Additionally, loyal clients will eventually turn into brand ambassadors who speak for your brand and spread your message further among their circles and social communities.
- More leads, higher revenues
After all, both social media marketing and social media localization are aimed at generating more leads and higher revenues. As Latin American social media users prefer to see content in their native languages and are more likely to react to it, running localized social media campaigns results in higher conversion rates, and consequently more leads as well as higher financial revenues.
Localized Social Media Campaigns, how can latino bridge help!
Since 2010, Latino Bridge has been providing world-class social media translation services and competent marketing localization solutions. Backed by a team of adept native linguists and localization experts along with several assistive technologies, we bridge you to the local market of Latin America. Our services have been trusted by many global brands, including Google, Apple, and Amazon.com. Partner with us now and localize your social media content at the highest quality and most competitive prices.
Latino Bridge can play a crucial role in supporting localized social media campaigns in Latin America. Here are some ways in which Latino Bridge can help:
Cultural and linguistic expertise: Latino Bridge can provide cultural and linguistic expertise to ensure that social media campaigns are culturally sensitive and resonate with the target audience in Latin America. They can assist in adapting the content, messaging, and visuals to align with local customs, traditions, and language preferences.
Translation and localization: Latino Bridge can offer translation and localization services to accurately convey the campaign’s message in different languages spoken in Latin America. This includes translating the content, adapting it to local dialects or variations, and ensuring cultural nuances are appropriately reflected.
Social media strategy and planning: Latino Bridge can assist in developing effective social media strategies and planning campaigns that are tailored to specific Latin American countries or regions. They can provide insights on local social media platforms, user behaviors, trends, and preferences, helping to maximize the campaign’s reach and impact.
Community engagement: Latino Bridge can help facilitate community engagement by connecting the campaign with local influencers, community leaders, and organizations. They can identify key stakeholders who can promote the campaign within their networks and communities, helping to amplify its reach and message.
Monitoring and analytics: Latino Bridge can monitor the campaign’s performance on social media platforms, track engagement metrics, and provide analytics and reports on the campaign’s effectiveness. This information can help evaluate the impact of the campaign and make data-driven adjustments to optimize results.
Cultural sensitivity training: Latino Bridge can provide cultural sensitivity training to campaign teams or social media managers who may be unfamiliar with the cultural nuances of Latin American countries. This training can help them understand and respect local customs, avoid potential pitfalls, and ensure that the campaign is well-received by the target audience.
Local insights and trends: Latino Bridge can offer insights into local cultural trends, social issues, and current events relevant to the campaign’s objectives. This knowledge can be valuable in creating content that is timely, engaging, and aligns with the interests and concerns of the target audience.
By collaborating with Latino Bridge, organizations can benefit from their expertise and understanding of the Latin American context, ensuring that their social media campaigns are impactful, culturally relevant, and resonate with the local audience.
