Using Social Media in International Trade

People used to draw the animals they hunted on cave walls. Now our food arrives already hunted and cooked, and social media users photograph it and, with a nice filter, share it on Instagram. Humans have used communication in different forms since the earliest ages, and they still do.

With the two-way communication model that developed alongside Web 2.0 technology, and the rise of social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram, communication became far more widespread.

Social media users are growing rapidly in number, which has led brands, businesses and e-commerce companies to use social media to reach people. By using social media channels, brands, businesses and e-commerce companies have reached more people, promoted their companies and products, and won more customers.

When we look at how brands, businesses and e-commerce companies use social media internationally, we see many different approaches. At Digibus, there are 5 key points we pay attention to in our international work:

Different social networks are used in different parts of the world. Beyond Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the penetration of mobile networks such as Instagram and Snapchat varies by country. Every country or region has its own popular social networks.

For example, if you are running a social media promotion or marketing campaign for Russia, it is a more strategic choice to work through VKontakte, a very popular social network in Russia, rather than focusing on Facebook.

In another example, China has popular social networks such as Qzone and Renren. Other networks like Tumblr, Pinterest, Meetup, Vine and Snapchat are also used differently in each country.

That’s why brands, e-commerce companies and businesses that want to use social media in international trade need to work through the social networks that are popular in their target country. They shouldn’t think in terms of the networks popular in their home country; what matters is the networks used in the country where the promotion will run.

2. Choosing the Language

The most widely spoken languages in the world are Chinese, English, Spanish and Arabic. When doing social media work in international trade, you need to follow the language of the target country. In social media promotion and marketing aimed at the Middle East and North Africa, using the target countries’ native languages leads to success. While English is enough in the Nordic countries, if you are running a campaign aimed at France you must use French, because the French prefer to communicate in their own language.

Many companies choose to handle language by hiring a translation service, but this goes against the nature of social media. Social media is a fast-moving, two-way ecosystem. In this ecosystem, success comes from working with agencies that actually speak these languages. At Digibus, we speak 6 languages, which lets us produce solutions for our clients in real time.

3. Cultural and Sociological Knowledge

One of the most important things to watch when using social media in international trade is understanding the target country’s culture and social structure. Having a good grasp of cultural and sociological knowledge is what makes your work in this area successful.

To give an example from Azerbaijan: in Azerbaijan, tea is an energizing drink, whereas in Turkey tea is a relaxing, refreshing drink. A tea company using social media in Azerbaijan needs visuals that emphasize energy and movement, while in Turkey it can focus on tea’s relaxing effect.

If you share a greeting for Eid al-Adha, celebrated by Muslims around the world, for your brand operating in a Middle Eastern country, sharing the same message from your brand’s branch in India could offend that country’s culture and religion.

In Japan, the anime and manga industry earns millions of dollars a year and is an important cultural asset. Microsoft featured anime characters on the Windows 8 license boxes it sold in Japan, while in Europe it used designs made of modern lines.

If you are running social media marketing or promotion aimed at Japan as part of international trade, using anime characters will make your job easier.

In the Middle East and North Africa, social media users prefer looking at images. Visual-first communication is more successful there than text-first communication. For example, if you are an e-commerce company in the textile sector, this is very important for you. Creating photo galleries on your Facebook page will help make your products more popular.

4. Following the Agenda

Businesses, brands and e-commerce companies doing social media marketing aimed at a foreign country should follow that country’s current events closely and act accordingly. Every country has its own cultural values and religious and national holidays. Remembering these special days brings you closer to your audience and makes you one of them.

The social media marketing of the Yandex search engine in Turkey is a good example. Yandex always celebrates important days in Turkey, where it operates, and wins the goodwill of internet users.

You must follow the current agenda in the country where you are promoting. By doing so, you can do real-time marketing and bring your services to more people.

5. Analyzing the Target Audience

Social media promotion and marketing requires defining the target audience and creating content and campaign strategies for it.

When using social media in international trade, analyzing your target audience well in the country where you are promoting will lead you to success. You need to study that country’s population pyramid and know what kinds of posts your audience shares and at what times.

For example, photo and video sharing is very common in Europe, while text-based posts are more common in the Far East.

Traditional media has television’s prime time. Social media has a prime time too. Social media The time of day when users are most active on social media can vary by country. Having this kind of information will help your business, brand or e-commerce site succeed. In international trade, thinking globally and acting locally on social media will lead you to success.