Keeping on top of marketing trends is essential if you want to retain a competitive edge; every business knows that. The emergence of video as one of the most engaging and successful marketing trends is probably not that surprising – a video can do what thousands of words can in far less time. However, the staggering way in which use of video has risen could not have been predicted.
To demonstrate, Facebook reported in April 2015 that four billion videos were being streamed every day. By September, that number had doubled. Plenty of research shows that video shouldn’t only be a ‘nice to have’ but an essential component of your marketing armoury. Cisco forecasts that by 2019, ‘consumer internet video traffic’ will account for 80 per cent of all internet traffic. What’s more, a Demand Metric/VidYard study revealed that almost three-quarters of marketers think video converts better than any other channel.
Why use video?
If the stats above aren’t enough to convince you, then simply knowing that you’ll be able to reach greater numbers of people ought to do it. Let’s face it, we’re an impatient lot and many of us can’t or won’t spare the time to read reams of text; that’s why a video appeals. It’s quick, easy and usually something we can take in without thinking too much. That’s why so many of the big global retailers are using videos in their product descriptions. In fact, (yet more) research reveals that 65 per cent of video viewers will watch more than three-quarters of a video, increasing time on page. Far fewer will get that far into a blog.
It’s easy to see why businesses are increasingly incorporating video into their marketing strategies, but what if you’re a multilingual business that needs to produce that content in several languages?
Translating your video content
If you think reproducing video content from one language to another is as simple as a straight translation of the voiceover, you’d be mistaken. So too if you thought using YouTube’s video translation feature (allowing subscribers to post descriptions and titles in other languages) would do the trick. Those aren’t effective options because the key to successful multilingual video translation is localisation.
Localisation is the process of making appropriate changes to ensure that your message resonates with the local market. This is typically only achieved when done by professional translators who know the local culture and what would appeal. It doesn’t necessarily mean changing the images, either. It’s important, though, as missing the mark or worse, inadvertently insulting an entire country’s audience, could have disastrous results.
Professional video translators will work closely with the client to make sure that the original sentiment is retained, but that the final result is still as engaging and enticing. And when it does come to the voiceover, for that added polish, it’s crucial to use world-class native-speaking voice talent who know the slang, the dialect and what will appeal to the people you are targeting.
What are you waiting for?
Video content is big. The media is calling it ‘a game changer for marketers’ and the stats are evidence enough that there is a huge audience out there, ready for the taking. Failing to translate your videos professionally and correctly could mean that you miss out on millions of visits and who knows how much in physical sales revenue. Looking to the future, it’s a tool that businesses must use if they wish to compete on a global scale.
If you’d like to discover more about our video translation services, please send us a message or give us a call on 01225 580 770.
