How Language Skills Can Help You Become a Successful Social Media Specialist

There is no
denying that the role of foreign languages in business is significant. If you
want your business to grow successfully and reach the international market, knowledge
of at least one foreign language is essential.

Research confirms
the importance of language skills in business administration as well. A study
by Macrothink Institute that surveyed 53 managers of different levels has confirmed that the
knowledge of a foreign language is essential in many areas of business operation
– product development, customer support, sales, human resources, etc.

This study also
mentioned that the knowledge of a foreign language plays an important role in
marketing. But what about social media marketing, in particular? How can
language skills help you become a successful social media specialist?

Let’s take a look.

1.
You’ll Be In-Demand among International Corporations

Many
world-renowned companies run their social media strategies on an international
scale. It helps them establish a rapport with an audience overseas. Besides, 60% of shoppers never buy from English-only websites,
preferring content in their own language.

IKEA is a perfect example of an international business with a multi-language social media strategy. The company has separate Instagram pages with content in the languages of every country where you can find IKEA’s shops. Here’s an example of IKEA’s Instagram page in French:

Credit: IKEA
France

IKEA also has
Instagram pages in Spanish, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, and many other
languages. The company’s Facebook accounts are also broken down according to
different foreign languages.

So, if your dream
is to work as a social media specialist for an international corporation, the
knowledge of a foreign language is an absolute must.

2.
You will be Able to Read Research in a Foreign Language

Another point in
favor of foreign language skills is that they give you the ability to read
research in other languages to diversify your knowledge.

Surely, there’s
plenty of social media studies in English. Besides, it is common to provide a
summary of the paper in several different languages, including English. However,
it’s not always the case, and you shouldn’t fully rely on that.

Apart from
research, you will also be able to read case studies from companies around the
globe in a different language. This way, you might discover unknown social
media strategy gems and try them out with your company as well.

3.
The Process of Learning Will Supply You with Marketing Ideas

Learning a foreign
language always involves new discoveries since you are immersing yourself in a
different culture. And, since learning a foreign language now involves social
media a lot, it can supply you with both learning materials and social media
marketing ideas.

For instance, suppose you’re using podcasts to learn English and improve your pronunciation. The podcast you’re listening to has a series of interviews with native speakers to help you learn and get used to different accents, like Teacher Luke’s podcasts in the example below: