Does your target audience speak mostly English, but also Portuguese or another language? When you publish content on Facebook and Instagram, do you do it using those different languages at the same time in each post, and separating them with the respective flags or another language sign? If your answer is yes, then we have some clarity for you!
PLEASE SEE our updated article to cover the changes made by Facebook between 2021 and 2022 HERE.
Let's see how to post in multiple languages, i.e publish in two or more idioms, on Instagram and Facebook.
Before starting, we need to know in how many languages are you posting on these two social media, and understand the current differences between them:
- Facebook has, at this time, and in addition to the direct posting on the feed, two options for publishing and scheduling content – the Publishing Tools and the recent Creator Studio.
- Instagram allows you to publish content (either images or videos) through the mobile app, and in the desktop version it allows you to upload videos.
At the time, and given how Facebook’s wired, there is no tool that posts on both platforms in multiple languages at the same time. Damn you Facebook! This is because Facebook has a user language detection system (which is based on the language we have selected in our personal profile) and it adapts, accordingly, for each person; a feature that does not exist on Instagram.
As Facebook adjusts and displays content in your language, it is important, when publishing in several different languages, to add your own translation or review the one suggested by this platform (certainly, as a user you have already noticed posts with translations that do not make sense, and we’re not talking about small, and relatively harmless, mistakes we all make from time to time!).
Let's now have a look at what is the most effective way to post content on Facebook and Instagram, knowing in advance that we will have to do it separately. Yes, separately! And yes, it is possible to share Instagram content on Facebook using the flag signs (or whichever differentiator you like) featuring the language in the post itself (but please note that doing this is limiting your reach on Facebook). So, to post and make the most of these two social media, for free:
- On Facebook, create your post in the Publishing Tools (option visible on your page in the left-hand side menu), and in the option “Write post in another language” add your translation (or review the one that is automatically generated). Here you can also preview your post, publish it immediately, or schedule it for later.
Please note that to post in multiple languages this option needs to be turned on on the Facebook page you’re managing (on your computer access the settings of this page on its left-hand side menu; on the now opened General menu look for the “Post in multiple languages” option; click edit, check the box “Allow people who manage this page to write posts in multiple languages” and save the changes).
- On Instagram, you have two options – directly in the Instagram app on your mobile phone, or through the Creator Studio available on Facebook in the Publishing Tools option. The two biggest advantages of this studio are that when you create your posts for Instagram here, you can get the visual resources (images, videos, etc) of the posts already published on the Facebook page, without the need for a new upload. Here you can also schedule your posts on Instagram, without leaving Facebook.
However, there are exceptions – a video does not allow you to use the post in two or more languages’ functionality correctly on Facebook. In this case, you need to choose a language to post in, and, if that's not an option, then all that's left is to resort to separating the languages somehow (by using the flags we talked about before, for instance).
Ready to post in multiple languages and get the most out of Instagram and Facebook for free?
For more information, bespoke strategies and efficient digital marketing solutions, just contact the Clarity’s girls through info@yourdigitalclarity.com or visit our website at yourdigitalclarity.com.
