How To Create Multilingual Email Templates In Klaviyo For Better Engagement?

Anyone already operating in more than one global market knows the importance of crafting email templates in multiple languages. 

Well-crafted multilingual email templates are not just polite but powerful. They are essential for delivering personalized content that drives engagement across borders.

So, how do you build Klaviyo templates for multi-lingual email campaigns and engage vast target audiences speaking different languages?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build multilingual templates that engage your customers no matter where they are.

What Is Multilingual Email Marketing?

Multilingual email marketing translates your email templates into different languages to ensure it establishes the connection no matter where in the world your subscribers are. It’s speaking your customers’ language, literally. 

Why should you care about making your Klaviyo email templates multilingual?

It strengthens customers’ trust in your brand, as emails written in your audience’s first language resonate better. They come across as more personalized, authentic, and culturally aware.  

For example, when you communicate critical updates like privacy policies or terms of use in a customer’s preferred language, you signal respect for their preferences. This granularity increases their satisfaction and strengthens trust. 

Anna Levitin, Email and Marketing Operations Lead at Powtoon highlights how sticking to English alone can limit your connection with a diverse audience. 

Personalized multilingual campaigns are magnets for high-quality leads because language adds a dimension of personalization and helps you refine the leads. 

Did you know that translating your emails into multiple languages can boost your conversion rates by up to 30%? When emails feel personal, recipients are likelier to open, click, and act. 

Lindsey Gilbert, CEO of BuzzBox, believes that tailoring your email templates to your audience’s language creates opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed.

It helps you gain a competitive edge. It is being the brand that speaks to customers in their native language that positions you as relatable and forward-thinking. 

Step-by-Step Process To Customize Your Klaviyo Email Template Based On Language

Step 1: Gather Language Preferences 

In order for you to be able to target customers based on their language preferences, you should collect your audience’s preferred language. You can do this in two ways:

• Use Sign-Up Forms

The simplest way to know a new subscriber’s language preference is to ask them. When new subscribers join your email list, ask them about their preferred language. A simple dropdown or radio button in your sign-up form does the trick.

To add a language option to sign-up forms, go to Sign-up Forms in Klaviyo and edit an existing form. You can use either radio buttons or dropdowns to let users select their preferred language. Don’t forget to save the selected option as a custom property.

• Segment by Location

If you’re not collecting language preferences yet, Klaviyo can estimate based on a profile’s IP location. It automatically assigns an estimated location to all your contracts using their geolocation. Use this estimated location data to segment your audience by country as a starting point.

For example, select the country, United States, as Property about someone, and Klaviyo will create a segment of all English speakers. Similarly,  the Country equals Germany → German. Or Country equals France → French.

Pro Tip: Although a few extra steps, asking language preferences is more accurate than IP locations. Always ask directly when possible. Download the Klaviyo email template to simplify collecting and segmenting language preferences and streamline the process. 

Step 2: Set Up Multilingual Email Templates

With the language data and segments ready, you are all set to put that data to work in klaviyo custom email templates. 

Here’s how you can make it happen:

• Use Dynamic Content Blocks

Klaviyo’s dynamic content blocks are a quick way to customize email content based on language. Dynamic content blocks show or hide sections depending on a recipient’s language preferences or location. 

Instead of building separate emails for each language, you can configure one template that adjusts automatically according to the predetermined profile property. Whether it’s country or preferred language.

Let’s say your customer base spans both the USA and Germany. The multilingual email template in Klaviyo will display the content in German to recipients in Germany. Likewise, for US-based customers. Only English content will be visible to them. 

You’d be correct if you thought this eliminates the need to create multiple Klaviyo custom email templates and, for that matter, separate Klaviyo accounts for each language. 

Alternatively, there is another equally efficient route. Create your email campaign in one language. Then, clone it and make the required edits to match each specific language. 

So, let’s say you create your email campaign in English. Then, you duplicate the template and customize the content in different languages for your audience’s preference. You can set up conditional splits if you are building automated email flows. This will direct each subscriber to the corresponding version based on their language.

Pro Tip: Multilingual email templates are not just about translating content. You have to connect on a deeper level. Else, you will be talking to the hand. 

Even after you translate emails perfect to the t, there are still more hoops to jump through. 

You have to tailor your email content and make it culturally appropriate. From design, color schemes, tone, humor, region-specific images, models, and metaphors should be something that your global audience can relate with. 

One last thing: invest some time understanding potential language barriers beforehand. It will help you craft your messaging with sensitivity to cultural differences. you will be better equipped to avoid communication faux pass. 

Wrapping Up 

Creating multilingual email templates in Klaviyo is simpler than it sounds. It can significantly improve the performance of your global email marketing. Collect language preferences from your subscribers through sign-up forms or segment by location. Then, use dynamic content blocks to customize your email templates based on these preferences.

By following these steps, you can create emails that resonate with customers in any language and build stronger connections worldwide. All set to take your email campaigns globally?