Digital Marketing - where to focus?
Thread poster: Sergio Betini
Sergio Betini
Sergio Betini
Local time: 02:37
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Jun 22, 2020

Hello everyone!
Even though I have been in the translating business for close to 15 years, I have decided to change the way I approach (or begin to approach) possible/future clients.
Since I started working with translations, most, if not all, of my clients contacted me directly (someone who knew someone that needed translations, etc.) and it never became necessary to advertise my work anywhere, but that has changed due to my own decision to explore new frontiers.
Going direct
... See more
Hello everyone!
Even though I have been in the translating business for close to 15 years, I have decided to change the way I approach (or begin to approach) possible/future clients.
Since I started working with translations, most, if not all, of my clients contacted me directly (someone who knew someone that needed translations, etc.) and it never became necessary to advertise my work anywhere, but that has changed due to my own decision to explore new frontiers.
Going directly to my question: where do I start dedicating time and effort into my digital marketing strategy?
LinkedIn? Instagram? Facebook?
I am open to suggestions and I thank everyone in advance for dedicating their time to reply.
BTW, my pairs are English-Portuguese-English.

Thanks!
Collapse


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:37
Member (2008)
Italian to English
None of the above Jun 22, 2020

Marketing has to be specifically targeted at the particular types of client for whom you want to work. LinkedIn might be useful (although personally I can't make head nor tail of it). Instagram? Facebook? Seems like scattering your seeds widely in the hope that one or two might germinate.

In my opinion you should work on identifying the kind of clients for whom you want to work, and find ways of ingratiating yourself with them.

[Edited at 2020-06-22 14:41 GMT]


Tina Vonhof (X)
Jorge Payan
Chris Milne (X)
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Sergio Betini
Sergio Betini
Local time: 02:37
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks for the reply Tom! Jun 22, 2020

Tom in London wrote:

Marketing has to be specifically targeted at the particular types of client for whom you want to work. LinkedIn might be useful (although personally I can't make head nor tail of it)? Instagram? Facebook? I doubt it. In my opinion you should identify the kind of clients for whom you want to work, and find ways of ingratiating yourself with them.


It always boils down to the issue of sending your CV directly to them.
I was looking for a way of having them find me instead.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:37
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Them finding you Jun 22, 2020

Sergio Betini wrote:

It always boils down to the issue of sending your CV directly to them.
I was looking for a way of having them find me instead.


I've found that having a good, complete profile on Proz, and a specialism in a particular field, attracts prospective clients. Your profile looks very incomplete to me.

[Edited at 2020-06-22 15:53 GMT]


Sergio Betini
Jessica Noyes
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 05:37
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Where is your stand in the market place? Jun 23, 2020

Sergio Betini wrote:
It always boils down to the issue of sending your CV directly to them.
I was looking for a way of having them find me instead.

I quite agree -- we should encourage potential clients to come to us. In olden days, buyers used to go to a market place and compare the wares of all the stall-holders before buying. Not much has changed, really. So, where is your stall or shop window? It needs to be in the translation part of the market place, not hidden among stalls selling shoes and spices. And how does it look? Is it a jumble of offerings where the owner pops in from time to time to dust, or does it give the impression of being run by a talented service provider who's committed to their clients?

As it's by far the biggest translation market place, let's assume that you want ProZ.com to be where you display your wares. What are you doing do her potential clients find you? And are you attracting their attention once they're close to your stall, and converting them into actual clients? You don't need to attract clients to ProZ.com. Google will do that for direct clients and of course the agencies are all here already. But by far the biggest share of the better jobs that come through the site are attributed by clients to translators they find by searching in the directory. If you appear near the top of the list, they'll look at your profile. If they like the look of that, they'll check out your CV, click on the link to LinkedIn or your own website, or send an email.

I can't advise on digital marketing. Maybe I'm too old -- I can't understand much about LinkedIn or Facebook, where I do have a minimal presence, let alone Instagram, Twitter etc that are just names to me. But I think the idea is that you don't actively sell your services (CV etc) in such environments. You put out interesting thoughts, start discussions, sow seeds that connect your name to translation services -- and then you're findable through memory or searches when someone has a need. I'm personally in negotiations with someone at the moment regarding editing a book. I was contacted by another member of a FB interest group. I'd happened to mention editing. This private message from a stranger said that their friend had written a book I might find interesting. It's turning out to be interesting in more than one way.

I would advise you to consider how best to set up your own shop window. If you decide to do that here, you need to invest both time and money in the site, with paid membership, "Pro" status, KudoZ points... Plus, maybe invest in one social media network, your own website, a blog...

A word about your CV: one paragraph makes it sound as though translation is very much a sideline rather than a career. That's bound to put off high-volume agency clients and direct clients with urgent needs. And the CV emphasises the "who" rather than the "what" of your experience. Clients want to be reassured that you can handle their text on a particular subject. Few are interested in name-dropping.


Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Sergio Betini
Sergio Betini
Local time: 02:37
English to Portuguese
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Duly noted (with thanks!) Jun 26, 2020

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Sergio Betini wrote:
It always boils down to the issue of sending your CV directly to them.
I was looking for a way of having them find me instead.

I quite agree -- we should encourage potential clients to come to us. In olden days, buyers used to go to a market place and compare the wares of all the stall-holders before buying. Not much has changed, really. So, where is your stall or shop window? It needs to be in the translation part of the market place, not hidden among stalls selling shoes and spices. And how does it look? Is it a jumble of offerings where the owner pops in from time to time to dust, or does it give the impression of being run by a talented service provider who's committed to their clients?

As it's by far the biggest translation market place, let's assume that you want ProZ.com to be where you display your wares. What are you doing do her potential clients find you? And are you attracting their attention once they're close to your stall, and converting them into actual clients? You don't need to attract clients to ProZ.com. Google will do that for direct clients and of course the agencies are all here already. But by far the biggest share of the better jobs that come through the site are attributed by clients to translators they find by searching in the directory. If you appear near the top of the list, they'll look at your profile. If they like the look of that, they'll check out your CV, click on the link to LinkedIn or your own website, or send an email.

I can't advise on digital marketing. Maybe I'm too old -- I can't understand much about LinkedIn or Facebook, where I do have a minimal presence, let alone Instagram, Twitter etc that are just names to me. But I think the idea is that you don't actively sell your services (CV etc) in such environments. You put out interesting thoughts, start discussions, sow seeds that connect your name to translation services -- and then you're findable through memory or searches when someone has a need. I'm personally in negotiations with someone at the moment regarding editing a book. I was contacted by another member of a FB interest group. I'd happened to mention editing. This private message from a stranger said that their friend had written a book I might find interesting. It's turning out to be interesting in more than one way.

I would advise you to consider how best to set up your own shop window. If you decide to do that here, you need to invest both time and money in the site, with paid membership, "Pro" status, KudoZ points... Plus, maybe invest in one social media network, your own website, a blog...

A word about your CV: one paragraph makes it sound as though translation is very much a sideline rather than a career. That's bound to put off high-volume agency clients and direct clients with urgent needs. And the CV emphasises the "who" rather than the "what" of your experience. Clients want to be reassured that you can handle their text on a particular subject. Few are interested in name-dropping.


Dear Sheila, first and foremost, thanks for your time invested replying to my question.
I considered all the points mentioned by you and I will surely take action on these!
Thanks again!


 
mikeboul
mikeboul
Spain
If you wnat a social network presence, go for Linkedin Jun 28, 2020

Sheila Wilson wrote:

Sergio Betini wrote:
It always boils down to the issue of sending your CV directly to them.
I was looking for a way of having them find me instead.

I quite agree -- we should encourage potential clients to come to us. In olden days, buyers used to go to a market place and compare the wares of all the stall-holders before buying. Not much has changed, really. So, where is your stall or shop window? It needs to be in the translation part of the market place, not hidden among stalls selling shoes and spices. And how does it look? Is it a jumble of offerings where the owner pops in from time to time to dust, or does it give the impression of being run by a talented service provider who's committed to their clients?

As it's by far the biggest translation market place, let's assume that you want ProZ.com to be where you display your wares. What are you doing do her potential clients find you? And are you attracting their attention once they're close to your stall, and converting them into actual clients? You don't need to attract clients to ProZ.com. Google will do that for direct clients and of course the agencies are all here already. But by far the biggest share of the better jobs that come through the site are attributed by clients to translators they find by searching in the directory. If you appear near the top of the list, they'll look at your profile. If they like the look of that, they'll check out your CV, click on the link to LinkedIn or your own website, or send an email.

I can't advise on digital marketing. Maybe I'm too old -- I can't understand much about LinkedIn or Facebook, where I do have a minimal presence, let alone Instagram, Twitter etc that are just names to me. But I think the idea is that you don't actively sell your services (CV etc) in such environments. You put out interesting thoughts, start discussions, sow seeds that connect your name to translation services -- and then you're findable through memory or searches when someone has a need. I'm personally in negotiations with someone at the moment regarding editing a book. I was contacted by another member of a FB interest group. I'd happened to mention editing. This private message from a stranger said that their friend had written a book I might find interesting. It's turning out to be interesting in more than one way.

I would advise you to consider how best to set up your own shop window. If you decide to do that here, you need to invest both time and money in the site, with paid membership, "Pro" status, KudoZ points... Plus, maybe invest in one social media network, your own website, a blog...

A word about your CV: one paragraph makes it sound as though translation is very much a sideline rather than a career. That's bound to put off high-volume agency clients and direct clients with urgent needs. And the CV emphasises the "who" rather than the "what" of your experience. Clients want to be reassured that you can handle their text on a particular subject. Few are interested in name-dropping.



Sheila gave you a really interesting and complete answer to this issue.
I don't know if working with trnslation agencies or translation services in the UK is out of question, but you could also approach them.
In the digital marketing field, if you want to have presence on a social network, I would say you should focus on Linkedin. It is a business social network where you can find possible clients and partnerships, easier than in Facebook or Instagram.
You can join groups, search for hashtags or look for ecommerce companies (just an example) which dont have thei websites in portuguese and offer your services... There are a lot of possibilities there!


 


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Digital Marketing - where to focus?







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