Australia’s increasingly diverse and multicultural landscape presents an untapped opportunity for businesses willing to engage with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities. Reaching these markets successfully requires a nuanced and specialised approach. Here are some elements that are integral if you would like to effectively reach these markets and create cut-through.
1. Know Your Audience
Understanding the demographics of CALD communities is crucial. Languages and language proficiency, cultural practices, age, socioeconomic status, and finally the location that your audience lives in are all important. Leba has essential data on hand about all of the CALD markets in Australia. Together with their network of people and understanding of the data they can help you identify your audience.
2. Speak Their Language
Speaking to communities in their language is a key element to effective communication. Utilising professional translation and production services for your marketing materials in the languages spoken by your target audience allows for communication to be well-received, driving meaningful authentic engagement. It is also important to note that some CALD media are published in English due to high English proficiency for these specific target audiences. This is the case for some Indian and Filipino media, as their English proficiency is very high. Leba is able to professionally translate and apply cultural nuance to the message to ensure it resonates effectively with the target market.
3. Culturally Nuanced Content
Ensuring that the content that you are creating is going to be well received by a multicultural audience means that it should be culturally nuanced. Understanding the cultural norms, traditions, and values of the targeted audiences allows your message to show respect and understanding, ultimately building trust. When creating content for CALD communities it is important to keep the message simple as most colloquial or play-on-word content does not translate well. Often creating something clever in English may not translate well into another language.
4. Leverage Ethnic Media
In Australia, we have over 200 locally-owned Ethnic media outlets. This includes newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and TV channels that cater to and are engaged with specific CALD communities. This is in addition to community-specific events, which are available for sponsorship. These are highly effective channels for reaching these markets as these are trusted brands that reach deep into the heart of these communities. Advertising in these outlets ensures your message is delivered in a familiar and trusted format. There are also PR packages available for more detailed content. This can be in addition to or complimentary to standard advertising. Leba has many advertising and PR packages available or can create a bespoke tailored campaign for your needs.
5. CALD Digital Offerings
Many CALD individuals are active on digital and social media platforms. For instance, the Chinese community can be targeted through apps that are internationally owned such as WeChat, Weibo, and Little Red Book as well as locally owned apps, websites, and E-newsletters. There are several digital offerings for each community and language. In addition to this, there is a LEBA premium programmatic offering that allows your business to target these CALD communities and specific demographics with a very high level of granularity and vast filtering options.
Conclusion
Effectively reaching CALD markets in Australia requires a strategic approach. By taking into account these integral steps above (Understanding your Audience, using in-language content, making sure it is culturally appropriate, and using the suitable Ethnic media options available) businesses can successfully engage with these multicultural communities. Australia is only continuing to evolve into a more diverse society, hence embracing these strategies will not only expand your market reach but also build trust and loyalty among CALD audiences. In 2021 languages other than English grew 16.3% since the 2016 census compared to overall population growth of 8.6%, hence this market is rapidly expanding over time. With the right approach, the potential for growth and success in these ever-expanding markets is vast. If you would like to discuss how you can successfully reach CALD markets in Australia, make sure to reach out to the experts at LEBA.