A CEO doesn’t just lead the operations of a company, they serve as the face of the organization. While this aspect of the CEO role can be challenging in an executive’s native tongue, it can be all the more difficult when targeting a new market that speaks a different language. To overcome the language barrier, there are a handful of tactics that companies can apply to establish the thought leadership of their CEO in any language.
Translate Soft Content
A company blog is a critical means to establishing thought leadership and developing stronger customer relationships through impactful content. Taking the time to translate a blog or other soft content can help you put your company’s unique personality on display. The key factor here is to make sure that some of the more casual language you may use translates effectively to other markets. Additionally, if you have speeches, TV interviews or other video content, make sure that it is translated for core markets. Multimedia content can be very popular and lead to impressive conversions so it is critical to make sure you take full advantage of the opportunity.
Language Lessons
Fluency may not be necessary, or even possible, but even knowing a few words can make a difference. The effort that a CEO takes to learn a few basic greetings and industry relevant terms can help endear them to target markets and show that your company genuinely cares about that market. This is also true about countries where your company operates—overseas employees with value and appreciate the CEO greeting them in their native language.
Socially Relevant
Social media content requires rapid translation, but also a level of strategic thinking. Social platforms vary from market to market in popularity. Knowing which social media platforms, publications or websites are the best place to reach potential customers can have a major impact on the success of your strategy. Make sure your social engagement happens in multiple languages and emphasizes platforms that are popular for the region you’re targeting.
CEOs don’t need to be multi-lingual to reach multiple foreign audiences. By following these steps, you can help the face of your company develop a stronger relationship with your target audience and global workforce.