How to Create a Winning Strategy for International Social Media

With 4.9 billion social media users worldwide, the opportunity for brands to reach new audiences and cultures is undeniable. Organizations offering or planning on offering products or services internationally must build a strong international social media strategy to meet these opportunities and stave off the competition.

Read on to learn how your business can craft a winning international social media strategy to identify high-potential markets, expand your reach, and drive engagement.

What is International Social Media?

International social media refers to the use of social media platforms and online communication tools that allow individuals and businesses to connect with people around the world. These social media platforms enable people to connect with others, share information, experiences, and ideas, and participate in global conversations. Some international social media platforms include Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Importance of Global Social Media Usage

Today, it’s essential for brands to have a presence on social media platforms to reach a wider audience and expand their customer base. For users, social media has become a vital part of their daily life to connect with people and brands all over the world. As a result, global social media usage has opened new opportunities for collaboration, innovations, and growth in various aspects of both personal and professional life by enabling people to connect, share information, and raise awareness about cross-cultural topics they are passionate about.  As the world becomes more connected, the importance of global social media usage is only expected to grow.

Top Social Media Platforms by Country

The most popular social media platforms for a target audience can vary from one country to another. Brands must adapt and understand preferences in each market to ensure their target network includes a large portion of their potential customers. The compilation below offers the top social media platforms by country to help brands focus their resources on the most effective platforms for their target audience.

• United States: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn
• India: WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter
• China: WeChat, QQ, Sina Weibo, Douyin (TikTok), Baidu Tieba
• Brazil: WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter
• Russia: VKontakte (VK), Odnoklassniki, Telegram, Instagram, YouTube
• Japan: LINE, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
• United Kingdom: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
• Germany: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, XING
• France: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn
• South Korea: KakaoTalk, Naver Blog, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook

Benefits of International Social Media

International social media is a powerful tool and for good reason. Here are some of the benefits of including international social media in a business strategy.

• Expanding market reach: Reach a global audience to expand business reach beyond the brand’s home country.
• Increasing brand awareness: Leverage international social media to expand brand reach and visibility.
• Driving global sales: Showcase products and services to a global audience, which can lead to an increase in sales and revenue.
• Learning about different cultures: Gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of different cultures.
• Collaborating internationally: Connect and exchange ideas with potential partners to develop new opportunities to expand.
• Language learning: Learn a new language or improve language skills by interacting with native speakers.

Cross-Cultural Communication and Challenges 

When people from all over the world can connect and interact instantly, communication becomes increasingly important to consider. Communication across different cultures and languages can be challenging, yet rich in new learning opportunities.

Overcoming language barriers

The language barrier is one of the main obstacles to cross-cultural communication. This barrier can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretation, and unintentional offensive content. To overcome this challenge, most social media platforms have implemented translation features to help users communicate in their native language. As we will explore below, organizations can also create content in their audiences’ native language to overcome language barriers even further and adapt to colloquial terminology.

Understanding cultural differences

Different cultures have different values, beliefs, and norms that can impact how messages and content are received. For example, a successful and well-received marketing campaign in one culture may be considered offensive, distasteful, or inappropriate in another. To overcome this challenge, organizations must research their target audience’s cultural background and work with local social media teams to tailor their message accordingly.

Adapting content for local audiences

Cross-cultural communication also involves considering cultural context when translating content from one targeted audience to another. For example, visuals and symbols commonly used in one culture might not be relevant or have the same meaning in another culture. To overcome this challenge, brands should research and reach out to a local translator to ensure their social media content will be received as intended by their target audience.

Steps to Create an International Social Media Strategy

A successful international social media strategy can help brands reach their objectives and untapped markets. The following steps will help brands create an international social media strategy and expand their reach globally.

Researching markets and target audiences

Brands must research their market and audience to understand culture-specific references and ensure their content will appeal to and engage their target audience. To achieve this, businesses should focus on in-depth research, including their audience’s behavior, interests, pain points, and preferred communication style to develop content that resonates with them. Focus groups, surveys, and social media listening services can help brands gather valuable insights into their audience’s preferences, needs, and culture-specific references. 

Localizing and translating content

When trying to reach international audiences, organizations cannot simply copy, paste, and translate content from one language to another. There are many factors to consider, such as local spellings, currencies, culture-specific references, measurement systems, local news, and events, to ensure the content is relevant to the intended target audience. 

Hiring local social media managers

Hiring social media managers who are local to the targeted country can help ensure social media profiles are fully localized, as they understand culture-specific references and can reduce translation mishaps. Local managers can also better understand cultural factors and current events, which helps brands localize their social strategies and makes them more effective in engaging with the local audience. 

Developing platform-specific strategies

Platform-specific strategies are crucial when trying to reach an international audience, as each social media platform has its unique features and functionalities. To develop the proper strategies for each platform, businesses should take into account factors such as audience demographics, engagement rates, and cultural differences to be able to create content that resonates with their audience on each platform, and ultimately achieve their platform-specific goals.

Monitoring and adapting to market trends

Adaptation is an important factor for any business aiming to grow and stay relevant in the ever-changing international social media landscape. Organizations must keep a close eye on market trends, such as changes in consumer behavior, new technologies, content trends, and emerging social media platforms to be ready to adapt and change their social media strategy accordingly.

Develop your International Social Media Strategy with ICUC 

International social media allows organizations to effectively expand their social media presence across international markets, increase engagement, and achieve their business goals on a global scale. A strong international social media strategy also gives brands the ability to tap into new opportunities, increase market reach, and create new partnerships with valuable international individuals and brands.

Schedule a call with us to learn more about how, together, we can develop your winning international social media strategy.