Article marketing

(This is part of an article I wrote some time ago about marketing through article writing. I’ll give you the other parts later)

As a marketer, you must absolutely study and know your audience inside out. Noone can do this for you.

Here are the main elements of an article:

1) A compelling title

You know what you audience is interested in, don’t you? Well, mention it in the title, and if possible even mention your audience,
ex. How SMBs can successfully invest in China
or Freelancers–How to Beat the “Feast and Famine Syndrome” in 3 months

Since “what you audience is interested in” is precisely the keyword they type into the search engine searchbox, the article will be quickly indexed by search engines and easily found by eager searchers

2) Say what you’re going to say, say it, and then say you’ve said it (intro, body, conclusion)

3) Call to action (in the byline)

You can structure your article in many different ways, but the 3-part structure is probably the most efficient

Ex. The problem
    The situation before the problem is solved
    The situation after the problem has been solved

or: Tips (intro, tips, conclusion)

or: story, problem, solution

In your byline, always clearly state what action you want the reader to take: visit a website or a blog, claim a course, sign up for an ezine, etc.

So, to communicate with and persuade your audience that you are THE expert and authority, you must publish high quality articles on the right topics and for the right audience

In other articles, we go into the details of article writing, market research, niche marketing, etc.

Claim your free, yet quite meaty 7-part e-course on press release marketing at PR course for Translators for a taste of 30+year veteran translator and marketing consultant A.M.Sall’s upcoming Translation Service Marketing System for freelancers struggling to find a way to market their services.

Translators and Interpreters, Marketing is More Essential than Ever!

Here you can expect to find ANYTHING concerning translators, translation, interpreters and interpreting, in particular how best to market your services, as well as language in general

Frequent entries on the art and science of translation, new ideas, thoughts and trends on work conditions, payment practices, terminology, syntax, demand and supply, a bit less “serious” topics, etc.

This is a genuine, one-to-one conversation with an accountable, visible and honest friend

This is not a company/corporate blog. It’s written in wy own words.

I put myself upfront, honestly and completely: I make my own promises, personally, one-to-one.

And I keep them personally, one-to-one.

I have been a professional translator for well over 30 years, in fact since 1972 (Take a look at my profile one one of my websites at http://www.translationtrophy.com/about.htm)

Translation marketing

I am a wordlover and my 2 fields of expertise – translation and marketing – rely heavily on words

Of course I may throw in an occasional “tangential remark” (TR), but it will always be more or less related to these 2 topics

Words are the raw materials of my 2 “core competencies”, as they say now

Talking about words, please note that I use them quite freely. So I hope you won’t be shocked if I tell you that this blog is for translators/interpreters with brassballs, or the female equivalent of that, whatever it is.

Now, it seems you translators, in particular freelancers, are a nonchalant lot when it comes to marketing your services

For example if you type “marketing translation services” or “translation service marketing” into Overture or Wordtracker, there are no results. Does this mean translators do not search for info on how to market their services?

Don’t they search for marketing methods or ways to improve their marketing, get more clients, etc?

Strange, that!

Do you just sit and wait for potential clients to seek you out?
Don’t you realize that your services must be “marketed” just like any other service or product?

The truth is, it is a well-known fact that professional service providers are generally not overly keen on marketing (see Bob Bly, Michael McLaughlin, etc.), but translators/interpreters seem to be the most reluctant marketers of all professional service providers.

Translators hate to “sell themselves” – maybe they are too shy, too modest

And there are very few books on the marketing of translation services (Alex Eames’ for example). Don’t worry, I am personally working on how to remedy the situation with my new system, specially tailored for my fellow translators: after all I consider it as my personal duty to help you capitalize on my 30+ years in the trenches

Posting your profile and CV on a translation portal or applying for a job with a Translation Agency is fine. But it’s not enough

You have to be more aggressive, more “proactive”, that’s the word and also more creative.

Consider your translation practice as a business, and market it in a more systematic way, just like any other business, create a SYSTEM (meaning: “Save Yourself Time, Energy and Money”)

In addition to portals, directories and Translation Agencies, use ads, email marketing, article-writing, postcards, publicity, networking, forums, a powerful referral system and all the rest of it

Set up your own website, which is a full-blown medium in its own right.

Combine online and offline marketing, direct response marketing and image marketing

Marketing is essential

Believe me, being the best translator/interpreter in the world is fine, but it’s not enough.

Just listen to these wise words by an expert, who really should know what he’s talking about: “Those who make the most money in any profession or service business – from accountants and ad agencies to window washers and Web designers – are those who are the best at marketing and selling themselves… not at performing the actual function or service.” (Bob Bly)

Or maybe you don’t NEED any money