The High Price of Overlooking Cultural Relevance in Content

In today's global market, overlooking cultural relevance in your content can lead to costly mistakes and missed opportunities. Struggling to connect with multicultural and multilingual audiences??

This article uncovers the hidden costs of culturally irrelevant content and offers practical, actionable solutions to help you engage diverse audiences effectively and boost your business success.

What Makes Content Truly Culturally Relevant?

Creating culturally relevant content requires a deep understanding of the cultural diversities of your target audience. It's not just about language translation; it's about connecting with the audience's values, beliefs, and social norms.?

This involves considering factors such as demographic characteristics, native language, values, beliefs, social structures, and economic status. These elements, collectively known as Cultural Drivers of Engagement (CDE), influence how consumers connect with your brand.

How Culturally Irrelevant Content Can Damage Your Brand?

Below are the 4 ways in which you've to pay a high price if your content misses the mark:

1. Low Customer Engagement

72.4% of global consumers are more likely to buy a product with information in their own language.

Consumer expectations and preferences vary widely across cultures. Simply translating the English version of your website might not suffice to connect with multilingual, multicultural audiences.?

For example, Japanese consumers often prefer text-heavy websites with detailed information and numerous small images, while U.S. consumers tend to favor simple, streamlined designs. If your website doesn't reflect these cultural preferences, it may result in low engagement and high bounce rates.

2. Increased Customer Support Calls

When content fails to resonate culturally, it can lead to an increase in customer support calls. If your company is receiving a disproportionate number of requests from specific linguistic or cultural groups, it’s a sign that your content isn't meeting their needs.?

Providing culturally relevant content in the appropriate languages can reduce the need for customers to contact support, enhancing overall satisfaction.

It is rightly quoted:

“Customers who can’t find the information they need will inevitably turn to support channels, increasing operational costs and decreasing customer satisfaction.” - Customer Support Expert

3. Poor Customer Outcomes in Healthcare

In sectors like healthcare, culturally irrelevant content can have dire consequences. Patients may struggle to understand vital information about their health, preventive care, or medications if the content isn't accessible in their native language. This leads to poorer health outcomes and exacerbates health inequities.

Research found that language barriers are associated with decreased patient satisfaction, increased risk of non-adherence to treatment, and poorer health outcomes.

4. Low Sales in New Markets

Lionbridge's success in the global market demonstrates the importance of cultural relevance in interpretation and localization services.?

By providing tailored language solutions and culturally adapted content, Lionbridge has effectively helped businesses connect with diverse audiences, enhancing engagement and expanding their global reach.

Mitigating the Costs: Best Practices

To avoid the hidden costs of culturally irrelevant content, businesses must adopt strategies that ensure their content resonates with diverse audiences.?

Here are some best practices:

1. Leverage AI and Machine Translation

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine translation (MT) technologies can help create content that speaks the language of your audience and resonates with their cultural values. AI can analyze in-language customer service data to identify patterns and improve customer experiences. Combining AI with human insights ensures that the content is both accurate and culturally relevant.

“AI excels at processing data, making cultural insights more accessible and actionable.” - AI Expert

2. Partner with Localization Experts

Working with experts in localization and international SEO can help identify and address cultural nuances that may be causing friction. These professionals can adjust images, design, and layout to better reflect cultural preferences, improving engagement and conversion rates.

According to CSA Research, companies that invest in localization are 1.5 times more likely to experience an increase in market share.

3. Create Culturally Tailored Content

Tailor your content to reflect the cultural drivers of your target audience. This includes using native languages, culturally appropriate imagery, and design elements. For example, adapting marketing campaigns to include local influencers and community groups can significantly boost engagement and trust.

United Language Group’s (ULG) initiatives to improve vaccine equity among Spanish speakers by providing culturally adapted, in-language assistance have shown remarkable success.

Bottom Line?

At i-Call International, we specialize in understanding cultural drivers to enhance customer satisfaction, reduce support costs, and boost sales. Our expert team and advanced technologies ensure your content connects meaningfully on a global scale. Partner with us to unlock the potential of culturally intelligent content and achieve greater success.