Marketing Your Translation Services with Ads – General Observations

As in all marketing and communication activities, the cornerstone here is: “Know Your Target Market”, which of course includes knowing WHO they are, WHERE they meet (both online and offline), WHAT media they use (newspapers, magazine, radio, TV, online social media…), ideally everything about them.

Times Square, originally uploaded by jwowens.

Then there are 4 questions you have to answer:

How to advertise,

When to advertise,

Where to advertise

How much will it be? (Can I afford it?)

The first 3 questions (variables: headlines, call to action, style, time, medium, etc.) can only be answered through testing and tracking: try different variables and test the results generated from each.

Track i.e. find out where your client saw your ad or how they heard about your business (your services): this is how you will know which medium is the best (brings you the highest response rate), learn what is working well or not working at all. Do not rely on your intuition or your gut instinct

Test: If the variable used brings in more money than what you spent, then you can repeat the ad (i.e. you get clients who pay you more than what the ad cost you). If this is not the case, just forget about the ad or change the variable and re-test, until you get what you want i.e. more money than you spent. As you can see, this requires patience and persistence.

Regarding the 4th question it can best be answered by starting small and slowly increasing your investment into the media and the messages:

Test all of your advertising materials in smaller markets before moving out full sails.

Use either print ads (classifieds in the business section of your local newspaper and magazine, newsletters, trade press, Yellow Pages, etc) or online ads (PPC, Yellow Pages, classifieds and/or solo in websites, ezines i.e. electronic newsletters, email in general), or radio, TV (cable is much cheaper), etc.

In another post, we’ll talk about how you write your ad.

Do you use ads to market your translation/interpreting services?

If so, how successful have you been?

If no, why not?

Share your advertising experiences with us!

A.M.Sall

P.S. Click here to download your copy of “The Insider Guide to The Strategic Marketing of Translation Services“, the book no translator/interpreter in his/her right mind should even think of going without . Or maybe you’d rather take a look at the Free Preview first? This is the book you’ve been waiting for so impatiently: it’s here NOW. And did I mention I’m now working on the 2nd edition, which will be much more complete, but also with a higher price (yes, there’s going to be a price rise!). Now here is the deal: if you get the book now at the current price, you’ll get the 2nd edition for free. So why wait any longer…!?

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Subscribe to Translator Power and successfully market your translation/interpreting services either by Email or if you prefer the feed, just look on your left and make your choice!

 

2 Awesome Marketing and Business Resources for You!

1. Freelance Folder is a multi-authored blog dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and freelancers. This blog is a real goldmine for anyone in the freelancing business, including freelance translators/interpreters.

Among the “gems” you’ll find in this post, aptly enough titled “Give your freelancing career a boost“, by Ritu B. Pant “a blogger who writes about blogging, technology and a lot of other things”:

• A plan is a must if you want to grow and get more business
• Build an effective strategy to target your clients.
• A startling revelation: “The customer is not always right”!

In another article (“My Top 5 Biggest Freelancing Mistakes“), Chris Garrett, the famous freelance blogger and internet marketing consultant warns us against “under-pricing, over-committing, failing to sell, always saying ‘yes’” and “not following-up”

2. MarketingProfs, a must read for anyone who’s serious about marketing. Literally 1,000′s of resources, most of which you can read without going for “Premium Membership”. Anyway for today let’s start with “18 Strategies and Tools for Naming Your Business or Product“

A comprehensive, well-researched article (like all “Marketing Profs” articles) where Scott Trimble tells us the best way to name your business (in our case your translation business, of course). It’s not as simple as you may have thought.

Go to the MarketingProfs site and look around, I’m sure you’ll like it. And don’t worry, the style is very clear, certainly not overly “professoral”, inspite of the name

Did you have any problem naming your translation business? Share your experience with us!

Enjoy!

A.M.Sall

P.S. Click here to download your copy of “The Insider Guide to The Strategic Marketing of Translation Services“, the book no translator/interpreter in his/her right mind should even think of going without . Or maybe you’d rather take a look at the Free Preview first? This is the book you’ve been waiting for so impatiently: it’s here NOW. So why wait any longer…!?

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Subscribe to Translator Power and successfully market your translation/interpreting services either by Email or if you prefer the feed, just look on your left and make your choice!

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Happy Holiday Season to All of You :-)

I hope you had a cool Chritmas, Eid and/or any other holiday. I wish you the best in this New Year 2008. I am sure it will be better than 2007, however successful 2007 may have been.

If you want marketing your translation/interpreting service to be childplay, just make sure you are a regular visitor to Translator Power, as well as all the other sites on the Translator Power Network, for example the Translator Power Social Network

I promise I’ll be posting a bit more often… but of course I’m still a working translator, I have to make a living and to tell you the truth, my marketing is so effective and efficient that I am very often overflooded with work .

To find out about my marketing, just check out “The Insider Guide to the Strategic Marketing of Translation Services“

Warmest greetings

A.M.Sall

Help, The US Dollar’s Falling!

Do you invoice in US Dollars? You better think again! And I’m sure you’ll do just that after reading this eye-opening Common Sense Advisory’s Global Watchtower post.

BTW, you’ll be shocked to know that I normally used to invoice in US$ even for my European clients and even though I don’t reside in the USA and my country’s currency is pegged on the Euro! Really nonsensical! But now I know better: I only invoice in US$ for my US clients

A.M.Sall

P.S. Click here to download your copy of “The Insider Guide to The Strategic Marketing of Translation Services“, the book no translator/interpreter in his/her right mind should even think of going without . Or maybe you’d rather take a look at the Free Preview first? This is the book you’ve been waiting for so impatiently: it’s here NOW. So why wait any longer…!?

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P.P.S. Subscribe to Translator Power and successfully market your translation/interpreting services either by Email or if you prefer the feed, just look on your left and make your choice!

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