Fellini once said, “A different language is a different vision of life.” Isn’t that the essence of community? To learn of someone else’s lived experience, connect with them and better understand your own place in the world?
Language isn’t just a tool for communication; it’s a doorway into culture, values, and perspective. This is why building sustainable, thriving communities requires more than translation – it demands true cultural relevance.
In my work as Community Manager at HubSpot, I’ve helped spearhead community initiatives that have spanned multiple languages and regions, demonstrating the transformative impact of in-language support, culturally tailored content, and active moderation.
I’m a firm believer that this globalized approach has shown that communities built around cultural alignment foster a deeper engagement, trust, and connection with users around the world.
In this article, I’ll share insights and proven strategies for creating communities that not only bring people together but also drive business impact through genuine cultural alignment.
The need for in-language communities
Imagine visiting a place where you don’t speak the language – many of us have been there. Last year, I was in Germany, surrounded by German signs, menus, and conversations with hardly any English to help guide me. Like most travelers, I relied heavily on Google Translate, but even with that tool, something was missing.
There’s something about a language barrier that makes you feel like you can’t fully express yourself; it’s like a piece of you is held back because you can’t communicate in the language you’re most comfortable with. For bilingual speakers, like myself, this will be an all-too familiar feeling – despite fluency in both Portuguese and English, I feel most “myself” in Portuguese.
Now, consider how this same barrier would impact customers if they couldn’t access support in their preferred language. This is why in-language communities are essential. They don’t just enable communication – they foster deeper engagement, connection, and trust, allowing members to feel truly at home.
Hannah Wesson
Building stronger customer relationships through language
Customer loyalty and trust
A community built around language doesn’t just improve accessibility; it creates healthier, more loyal customers.
These customers are more likely to stay, contribute, and return positive feedback, such as higher net promoter scores (NPS). By offering support and content in multiple languages, HubSpot has successfully bridged linguistic divides, creating a global community that allows people to engage in a way that feels natural to them.
Hubspot’s approach
At HubSpot, we offer communities in several languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Japanese.
After much trial and error, we discovered this structure enables users to simply switch to their preferred language and instantly access discussions, resources, and support relevant to them. Our users can engage on their terms, fully express themselves, and make authentic connections.
Perspectives from Hubspot’s global community managers
To explore this further, I reached out to several of our HubSpot community managers, who each play a critical role in supporting these diverse language groups. Here’s what they had to say:
English community manager
Our English community manager emphasized that global communities allow companies to connect deeply with local customers. This connection often goes beyond what an English-only community could achieve, providing meaningful exchanges and insights that drive engagement.
German community manager
Our German community manager highlighted the comfort users feel when interacting in their own language. She pointed out that, as local community managers, we can connect authentically with customers, understanding cultural nuances and local personas. This familiarity builds trust, encouraging users to share more and interact freely.
French community manager
Our French community manager shared how essential it is for people to connect through their own language and discuss topics relevant to their specific regions. Localization doesn’t just make conversations easier; it makes them relevant and valuable to each unique community.
Spanish community manager
Our Spanish community manager reflected on how language-based communities enable belonging and create a space where members can express themselves freely. She sees these communities as roots, binding people to shared ideas and values, and creating a sense of identity.
Common themes
In all these discussions, a clear pattern emerged: when users feel understood in their language, they’re more likely to engage and connect. This personalized approach not only builds community but also nurtures brand loyalty.
Each language community offers tailored support and genuine connections, bridging cultural gaps while bringing everyone together under the larger HubSpot community umbrella.
Creating a successful in-language community isn’t just about translation; it’s about genuine representation and understanding. That’s why we have dedicated managers for each language community. Because?
Well, every language brings its own perspective, and we want to honor that. Each interaction builds a bridge, making our global community feel like a family, one language at a time.
Teresa Garanhel
The business benefits of an in-language community
For any business looking to scale, an in-language community offers immense advantages. I’d like to dive into three core benefits that I believe make a community not only valuable but essential to business growth:
- Expanded market reach
- Ticket deflection
- Building advocates
1. Expanded market reach
One of the primary benefits of an in-language community is its ability to extend your market reach. When we launched the Portuguese community at HubSpot, we witnessed a remarkable transformation in engagement.
Our total page views surged within 24 months of launching the Portuguese language option. This growth represented thousands of potential customers who, without this community, may not have engaged simply because English wasn’t accessible to them.
This expanded reach is especially impactful in regions like Latin America, where English proficiency varies. We saw that when offering localized communities, our message and resources reached a broader audience and, in turn,empowered them to participate and engage meaningfully.
2. Ticket deflection and enhanced support efficiency
Ticket deflection is another powerful outcome of a support-based community. In a traditional support setup, help is delivered one-on-one – each customer raising a ticket receives a single response from a support agent.
In contrast, a community-based support model leverages the power of “one-to-many” support. Here, when a customer posts a question, they’re not just helped by one individual; they often receive responses from multiple community members, sharing diverse insights and experiences.
This community-driven approach not only saves costs but also allows customers to self-serve, improving their satisfaction and the overall efficiency of our support system. Instead of submitting tickets and waiting for replies, users can find solutions through shared knowledge, creating a faster and more empowering support experience.
3. Building advocates from the ground up
Finally, an in-language community is an incredible tool for creating brand advocates. In the early days of our Portuguese community, there was hardly any content in place. HubSpot is a global company, but our localized community needed a foundation, and I was determined to build it.
I reached out directly to customers, scheduling meetings to explain the importance of their role in the community. I wanted them to feel like founding members, partners in something impactful.
This approach paid off. I was able to cultivate a group of loyal contributors who felt a sense of ownership. They didn’t work for HubSpot, but they believed in our mission and knew their contributions were valued.
Over time, they became the backbone of our community, stepping in to help new members, offering insights, and fostering growth. Fast-forward to today, they’re some of our most engaged members, answering questions and providing support without any prompting.
Creating advocates within your community is a powerful way to build brand loyalty. When people feel connected and appreciated, they’re more likely to stay, contribute, and recommend your brand to others.
We made a personal connection with our most engaged community members and showed them they were essential to our success.
Strategies for launching a new community
Building a successful community doesn’t happen overnight; it requires a structured approach and thoughtful planning. For any new community launch, there are three critical strategies to focus on:
- Defining clear objectives
- Developing engaging content
- Facilitating active community engagement.
Let’s explore each one in detail.
1. Define clear objectives
Setting specific goals is crucial for any community launch. Start by outlining what you want to achieve, and remember, one size does not fit all.
For instance, if you already have an English community, avoid simply copying its format and content for a Spanish or Portuguese audience. Each language and culture is unique, with its own preferences and behaviors.
For my work with Portuguese-speaking users, I consider not just Brazil but also Portugal, tailoring content that resonates across both regions.
Your objectives should reflect these distinctions, focusing on the specific needs and values of each audience. For instance, a community manager dedicated to a particular language can help refine the approach, ensuring it’s relevant and localized.
2. Develop engaging content
Content is the lifeblood of any community. Crafting content that speaks directly to the audience’s needs is essential. Consider what’s relevant to their everyday life or work.
Take WhatsApp, for example. In Brazil, WhatsApp is the primary business communication tool, whereas it might not have the same popularity in the U.S. So, a post about WhatsApp strategies will generate significant engagement in the Brazilian community but may be less effective elsewhere.
When launching a community, make sure there’s enough content for new members to explore. I recommend having at least 10 to 15 pieces of content ready before launch, such as blog posts, guides, or welcome videos. This initial content gives members something valuable to engage with from the start.
For example, when we launched our Portuguese community, we created a welcome video inviting users to explore the space, and we preloaded content that reflected their interests and regional trends.
3. Facilitate community engagement
Encouraging members to participate is the next step in building a thriving community. Invite them to share their stories, insights, and successes. This could mean reaching out to frequent users and suggesting they create content about their experiences with new features.
Such personalized invitations foster a sense of belonging, making members feel valued and empowered to contribute.
For Latin America, video content is incredibly popular—live webinars, for example, receive much more engagement than text-based content. While we might do fewer webinars in our English community, they’re a staple for our Portuguese and Spanish-speaking members.
We host sessions via Zoom, record them, and then embed the videos directly in the community platform, so members can view and comment without leaving the site.
Engagement and growth techniques
Once your community is up and running, it’s essential to maintain momentum. There are several ways to grow and sustain engagement over time, including setting clear community guidelines, posting regular content, and actively encouraging member contributions.
1. Establish community guidelines
Guidelines set the tone for the community, ensuring it remains respectful and constructive. Outline the behavior expectations clearly – for instance, at HubSpot, we strongly discourage our members from sharing personal contact information. We also try to limit the amount of external links shared that could take members away from the community platform. It’s best to keep all conversations and advice-sharing within the community
Emphasize inclusivity, respect, and always champion a constructive attitude across every interactions. Each language community has its own tailored guidelines that align with these values but are adapted to cultural nuances.
2. Regular content creation
Consistency is key to keeping a community engaged. Plan to post valuable content regularly, but don’t overwhelm members with irrelevant updates. We aim to share about two to three posts a week, often including webinars, articles, podcasts, or video insights that resonate with each audience.
For example, webinars are particularly effective in our Portuguese-speaking community. We’ll host a session on Zoom, and afterward, we embed the video in the community, so members can watch and discuss without leaving the platform.
This approach keeps the conversation going and encourages further interaction – after the session, I might post a follow-up question, like, “What did you find most useful from this webinar?” This prompts members to engage directly within the community.
3. Encourage member contributions
User-generated content brings diversity and depth to the community.
Regularly invite members to share their insights or create posts based on their unique experiences. This could mean reaching out to a user who recently learned a new feature or asking a frequent contributor to share their expertise on a trending topic. Their contributions add authenticity and create a more dynamic, interactive space.
Active moderation and encouraging member contributions
A thriving community requires constant oversight and a culture of contribution. Active moderation ensures that the space remains constructive and valuable, free from spam and irrelevant content.
At HubSpot, we cover moderation across time zones: our EMEA team manages the mornings, while our U.S. team takes over in the afternoon. This way, there’s always someone present to monitor, respond, and maintain the quality of the community experience.
A critical aspect of our community engagement is the Community Champions Program. This gamification initiative encourages members to contribute by offering them recognition.
Champions earn spots on a leaderboard, along with other visible rewards, which helps them feel valued and gives them a sense of belonging. They even help us with moderation, often flagging spam or inappropriate content proactively. This program has been incredibly successful; many champions dedicate specific times to participate, simply because they find value and connection within the community.
Additionally, these champions gain visibility that benefits their own professional endeavors. By actively participating and helping others, they attract customers from within the community, often fostering business relationships organically.
Measuring community success
Tracking community success is essential, not only to assess growth but also to align community impact with broader business goals.
For example, I love experimenting with creative ideas, but it’s crucial to align these ideas with team goals and company needs. Gaining internal buy-in is also key; when your leaders see the value, they become advocates who can raise awareness across the organization.
Here are a few ways we measure and moderate community growth:
Quarterly review cycles:
We typically assess community progress on a 90-day cycle. The first month focuses on setting up tracking and understanding baseline metrics. In the second month, we analyze any emerging challenges and adjust accordingly. By the third month, we review the overall progress, identifying areas for improvement and establishing clear next steps.
Core metrics:
Start by tracking new users, page views, and content performance. While not every community activity is easy to track, focusing on engagement metrics – such as conversation rates and the performance of specific posts – provides valuable insight.
Campaign tracking:
At HubSpot, we use campaign tools to track content performance across teams. For example, if the sales team shares content in our community, I track engagement on that post to see its impact and provide feedback to them. This data-sharing fosters collaboration and keeps all teams connected to community insights and achievements.
Fostering connections and continuous growth
For a community to succeed, it’s important to blend structure with flexibility, aligning innovative ideas with measurable objectives.
Active moderation, consistent recognition of contributions, and regular tracking allow a community to grow sustainably, creating a supportive environment for members and measurable value for the business.
When you continually foster connections – both within the community and across teams – you build a community that not only thrives but also supports broader company objectives and growth.
Testimonials and success stories
I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the incredible impact a well-crafted community project can have.
When I first joined the HubSpot community team, there was a clear objective: to find an idea that would bring in more users. HubSpot offers a fantastic 90% discount on the first year of product usage for startups—an enormous incentive for new businesses.
Yet, no one had documented how these startups were using HubSpot to grow. I saw an opportunity here, especially considering Brazil’s vibrant startup ecosystem, one of the largest in the world.
So, I launched what became one of my most successful projects: the “Startup Spotlight.”
Creating the “Startup Spotlight”
The concept was simple but powerful. The Startup Spotlight became a dedicated space within our community where each month, one of Brazil’s top startups would “take over,” sharing content weekly about their journey with HubSpot.
They were asked to highlight how they leveraged HubSpot’s tools to scale their businesses. One startup, for instance, shared that they grew by 80% in their first year using HubSpot. Stories like this sparked immense interest among other startups who wanted to achieve similar results.
The momentum was immediate. Once these success stories went live, my schedule was quickly filled with requests from other startups eager to be featured. The project grew so rapidly that we expanded it to include both Spanish and Portuguese communities, given the shared interest across Latin America.
The response in the Spanish-speaking community was tremendous, even surpassing initial expectations due to the vast reach and enthusiasm within the region.
The power of user-generated content
One of the best parts of this project is that it allowed for external, user-generated content. Startups were not only sharing their experiences but also actively promoting how HubSpot played a role in their success. This type of content is incredibly valuable because it’s authentic and relatable.
Members don’t want to constantly hear from me or from other moderators – they want to hear from people like themselves who’ve achieved tangible results.
A community thrives when it becomes a space where everyone is involved, not just the managers. Projects like Startup Spotlight exemplify this by creating a collaborative environment where members contribute, share, and learn from each other.
From this project, I learned the value of tapping into unique community needs and being willing to start something from scratch. If there’s an area in your community that’s underserved or an idea that hasn’t been explored, consider building something new.
Creativity and responsiveness to community interests can turn a simple idea into a major success. I’m proud that the Startup Spotlight continues to grow, inspiring new members and driving engagement across languages and regions. It’s a testament to the power of a well-connected community that champions each other’s success.
Community success stories
A strong community doesn’t just provide answers; it creates a space for growth, collaboration, and lasting relationships.
I’d love to share a few inspiring stories of members who’ve significantly impacted our HubSpot community and, in turn, gained immense value from their involvement.
Brynn: Building connections through community
Brynn has been with HubSpot from the very beginning, and his enthusiasm for the community is unmatched. He goes above and beyond, creating one-on-one connections, making helpful videos, and passionately advocating for HubSpot.
His motto, “Let’s grow together,” perfectly captures his approach. Brynn has not only made friends within the community but also attracted customers who reached out after seeing his posts. Meeting him in person at a HubSpot event last year was a highlight, as he shared just how much the community has contributed to his business growth.
Kyle: Creating value through video content
Kyle is another standout community member who consistently contributes without any prompting. Every week, he shares a new video explaining how he uses HubSpot, especially when there’s a new feature.
His content is practical, specific, and incredibly valuable to other users. Kyle describes the community as a place where he gains both insights and business connections. Being able to network in his native language has deepened his experience and allowed him to collaborate meaningfully with his peers.
Carol: Fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange
Carol holds a special place in our community as the first woman in Brazil to become a HubSpot Champion. With over five years in the community, she emphasizes the value of collaboration and cultural knowledge exchange.
For Carol, the community is a place of mutual learning, where knowledge and ideas are freely shared. Her experience resonates with what our community managers have also highlighted—creating a shared objective of growth and learning.
These testimonials reflect the heart of our community: a shared commitment to learning, growth, and support. Members like Brynn, Kyle, and Carol showcase how a community can provide both personal and professional growth, from making friends to gaining clients.
When members feel connected and valued, they’re not only more likely to contribute but also to encourage others to join, creating a ripple effect that sustains and expands the community. Together, we’re building a space where everyone can learn, grow, and evolve.
Eve Chatfield
Building a community that embraces cultural relevance
If there’s one key takeaway, it’s this: cultural relevance is fundamental to building a sustainable, thriving community.
Once you start tailoring your approach to each language, you’ll not only create spaces where members feel understood and valued, but we also ensure that community growth is in harmony with the company’s larger objectives.
For example, having a diverse team of language moderators allows us to support each other seamlessly. When one of us takes a break or goes on vacation, we know the community is in good hands because there’s a team of experts who understand both the language and the unique needs of our members. This level of mutual support reduces burnout and strengthens our entire community.
The irreplaceable value of human connection
In today’s hyper-digital world filled with deepfakes and where everything’s automated, there is quite rightly a skepticism of artificial intelligence (AI). However, AI can help communities streamline basic tasks. How much you use it will be the determinator of its success.
AI will never replace the irreplaceable value of a human moderator who knows the language, understands local trends, and builds authentic relationships.
When I travel to Brazil, for instance, I learn firsthand what’s going on and can bring back relevant insights that inform our content. This cultural understanding fosters stronger connections and ensures our community feels truly supported.
Aligning community goals with business objectives
Another crucial point is to always align community growth with broader business and team goals. This alignment ensures that the community contributes to the company’s success and fosters a shared vision across departments. Internal buy-in is essential.
When starting a new project, gather support from key stakeholders by having open discussions and securing their commitment from the beginning. Trust me, it’s a lesson I learned the hard way, and it’s one of the most important factors for lasting impact.
Embracing diversity and empowering external contributors
Embracing diversity shapes the future of our community. Recognizing and valuing each member’s cultural background fosters loyalty and engagement.
External contributors are proof of the power of in-language communities. When members see that their culture is respected and that their language has a place, they are more likely to contribute actively. Offering language-specific resources isn’t just about accessibility; it’s a way of saying, “We see you, we value you, and we’re here to support you.”
So, if you’re considering joining our community, know that it’s tailored just for you. Each language community hosts its own unique content – like AMAs, webinars, and programs – so you’ll find content that resonates, no matter where you’re based.
