India is a culturally diverse country with over 120 different languages being spoken here. It is estimated that over 430 million of the Indian population are active on the internet, out of which 227 million users originate from rural India, and over 70 percent of the overall prefer to converse using their native language on social media (not English).

India, with a population of 136.6 crores in 2021 has witnessed a massive 179.8 percent increase in social media user base since the genesis of the Digital India Campaign, launched in 2015. It is estimated that the user base will grow by 12 percent by 2023. So why is it important to communicate with the regional language users in their language?

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Builds Reliability

With the ever-increasing digital population, netizens are susceptible to consuming more content than ever before. It is estimated that approximately 280 million users in India consume content in regional languages, which is about 49 percent of the overall Indian population on the internet. This makes it imperative that these people are more familiar with their own language and we can also conclude that they would appreciate being communicated in their own language as well.

Your Consumer Feels Heard

In a strange land, we call the internet, there are many types of people. But that one thing that remains in every human's heart is the need to be heard. This basic human need may seem trivial but has done wonders in the past. Your consumers are no different, they too feel the need to be heard. Brands need to understand that these consumers are your potential customers, if you fail to make them feel heard you probably are jeopardizing your own chances of tapping into those markets.

Makes You A Truly Customer-Centric Company

Fact — You are nothing without your customers. It's true what they say "Customer is King" (Or Queen) Your customers actually build your brand. They also have the power to perish the brand name. Which makes it even more important that brands need to evolve their strategies around the actual wants of the consumer, but how will they gauge what they want? Well, as we know communication is a two-way street, there's listening and there's responding. If your customers belong to a regional language-speaking majority and do not converse in English, even on social media. Brands need to adapt and listen to them using their language. Once you understand what they want, you can reciprocate in their language.

People Love It When You Adapt!

People love attention, but what they love the most is personalized attention. It shows that the opposite side is actually taking time out to understand and tailor a message just for them! Now, this can be termed as a trigger point but this actually helps a brand build an active community who are not just your customers but your advocates as well.

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English is not our first language, in fact, 280 million of the internet users in India consume content in regional languages which are 70 percent of our nationwide users. Overcoming the language barrier is crucial to reach millions of users. Customers tend to engage more with the content in their regional language and this adds the element of reliability along with personalized experience.

With the rise in digital literacy and smartphone adoption, especially in tier-2, 3 cities, adapting regional content and communication will play a key role in driving growth. It is believed that the next two years will see a rise in regional-led communication strategies and it is up to brands to decide if they want to ride this wave to pivot or perish. (IANS/GA)