Marketing for translators
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Note: This article is a joint project of ProZ.com members and guests. All translators are invited to contribute freely.
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Overview
Marketing as business strategy
Creating a professional identity
Niche market
Promoting linguistic services
Promotion tools and resources
Networking
Social networking
Professional networking
Events
Event participation
Event organization
Membership
Benefits of having a website
The benefits to translators of having a web site are many.
The following is an excerpt from a recent post by Melinda Kodolanyi in a thread in the "Getting Established" forum:
"Having your own website can help you get freelance translation jobs online. It also gives you somewhere to direct prospective clients who want to learn more about your services.
Some advantages:
It creates your own online presence – clients can come to your website, instead of you looking up them. You can create your own message, show samples of your work, testimonials and give potential clients an easy way to contact you.
It is a cost advantage compared to print advertising. Internet is very affordable and you are always accessible. It is easy and fast to change the content compared to print media and you can reach a bigger audience.
Get found by search engines – 80-95% of all website traffic comes from search engines. Get found by search engines such as Google.
Your information is always available 24/7, whenever it is convenient for the visitors.
Reach world markets, more people, and become accessible from any country in the world
You can post or change information anytime, anywhere (if you manage the website yourself)
Cheap market research – See website statistics of how many visitors, from where, how they found you etc. It is also easy to post polls to the visitors.
Improve credibility – On a website you can tell potential clients what you offer and why you deserve their trust. Clients can also make more informed buying decisions.
Added value – You can provide added value by featuring tips, advice and general interest content. It is also a great complement to the rest of your online presence."
Many thanks to Melinda.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Volunteer work
It is difficult for those new to the translation industry to gain experience, even when they are well-qualified. Translation agencies' deadlines are often impossible for a newly qualified translator without experience to meet. Until you have experience, you are simply not fast enough.
One way to gain the necessary experience could be by volunteering to translate for charities. You could, for example, volunteer while you are still a student, to gain some experience already before qualifying. Charities have some urgent deadlines for translations, too, that only seasoned professionals can meet. Nonetheless, they may also have materials that they would like to get translated just whenever it is possible, and these could be an ideal starting point for gaining experience.
To find a suitable charity, it is probably a good idea to find one likely to require translations in a field that you are thinking of taking up as a speciality. For example, a charity that is concerned with the environment could be a good way to start if you are thinking of specialising later in the field of the environment, or a medical-orientated charity if you wish to become a medical translator.
Make sure, however, in advance that the organisation concerned is either very well known or can be verified as being a genuine registered charity, and is not merely posing as a charity in order to obtain free translations.
Mentoring
E-mail marketing
Blogs
Every translator wants to have a website that attracts visitors and turns them into customers. But what are the steps to create a freelance translator online visibility? Pretty simple:
1. Develop your own blogging strategy. It is based on the five Ws with How, or simple "Kipling Method".
2. Carry out a keyword research relevant to your strategy. Choose the most attractive keywords - biggest volume and smallest competition. There are a lot of keyword research tools. E.g. Google Keyword planner, Uebersuggest, Ahref, etc.
3. Create unique and interesting content with the keywords that you have discovered. The content must be interesting and relevant so that people would be urged to share it on the web.
4. Start promoting your content through social media.
This text is based on the posts published on a Russian translator's website: "Freelance translator blog".
