5 Reasons Why Translated Content Is So Important in 2024

Where are your customers based?

Today, to relate to your customers' problems is to understand where they are coming from, and we mean, quite literally– from where?

Why? Well, because you can be one step closer to feeling like a local brand to them by translating content into their native language.

Asking this crucial question will help you gain a deeper glimpse into your customer's world and subsequently help capture their attention in a language that makes sense to them.

What does your customers' location have to do with your business?

Only 26% of active internet users are English speakers. In fact, according to The Guardian, English's share of the internet has shrunk to around 30% as French, German, Spanish and Chinese have grown to become more dominant players in the online content marketing world. 

Depending on who finds your content, your most valuable customers may very well be browsing in underserved markets and on platforms you don't even know about, searching for your solution in a language you don't speak. 

Translated content can be an effective solution.

If you want to create compelling content that converts users into customers, you need to be thinking global and taking advantage of international markets by creating translated content. 

So, where do you even start?

‍Become more searchable with multilingual SEO

‍We all scroll right past words we don't understand in search of content that's effortless for us. In most cases, effortless means understandable. 

While your customers may have a grasp of your native language, the comfort found in browsing in their own language goes a long way when it comes to purchasing decisions. 

According to Shutterstock, 60% of consumers say they 'rarely or never' buy from English-only websites. What's even more interesting is that 80% of consumers are more likely to do business with a company that provides a personalised experience. 

This sort of personalisation can start with simply offering translated versions of your content. Very few brands take advantage of the ease with which translation can improve their web traffic and positively impact their SEO. 

Perhaps due to the previous lack of easy-to-use solutions, however, with automatic translation tools like Subly, creating global content has never been simpler. 

Implementing simple tools for quick translation can be the real difference in boosting your website traffic.‍

Increase conversions with localised campaigns ‍

Marketers say that 86% of localised campaigns produce higher conversions than English-only campaigns. That's something.

Meeting your customer when they are by ensuring your content is translated to more than one language is crucial for growing your business and capturing more conversions. 

In fact, 71% of marketing decision-makers see an increase in sales when they implement a localised content strategy to reach new markets. 

If you're looking to expand into new markets, hoping that your English content will be a hit, you can ensure that it will be by offering translated versions alongside every post. Whether that is translated subtitles on a paid video ad for your social media or a translated blog post about your latest products, it can go a long way when finding new customers. 

Compete in underserved markets 

Over a billion hours of videos are watched on YouTube every single day.

YouTube is also localised in 100 countries and available in 80 different languages.

India, Brazil and Mexico rank in the top 5 countries for YouTube views.

How many competitors compete for these international views? Probably very few.

This is an incredible opportunity to seize an underserved market. Translating content has never been easier, cost-effective and time-efficient. Simply adding translated subtitles to your content can improve your chances of ranking higher. 

Reach new audiences on new platforms  

Social media platforms are abundant.

Knowing where your customers are in the world can give you a hint about where they are online, too. 

When you know what is popular with your audience, it is easier to build an effective social media approach.

Let's talk about China. While Twitter is effectively banned, many users access it via a VPN. Despite this hack, Weibo (a Chinese alternative to Twitter and Facebook) still boasts over 516M monthly active users compared with Twitter's 300M users. 

Perhaps, if you're already posting on Twitter in English, exploring how to translate and repurpose your content in Chinese on Weibo could save you time and make localising posts to reach new audiences on new platforms simpler.

Improve team engagement with translated announcements 

How many languages are spoken at your organisation? Quite a few, right?

By far, enterprises are some of the largest video producers when it comes to marketing. However, in recent years, companies have been creating video as a form of internal communications, too. 

Improving language accessibility and globalising your communications can also have a very positive effect on your company internally. 

Offering ways to communicate and engage with coworkers in their native language improves morale and makes it easier for employees to understand each other. 

All in all, there are many benefits for using translated content in 2024, expansive beyond this list. But, the key takeaway from this is that strategising for global content can be a powerful way to reach your audience in a way your competition most likely isn't.

Creating globally inclusive content can be the big breakthrough moment your content has been waiting for.