9 Steps to a More Focused Online Presence and Marketing Plan for Your Translation or Interpreting Business in 2021
We should always be marketing. We know this, and yet... we often don't do it consistently.
Many freelancers wait until they don't have any work in the pipeline to start marketing or do it in small, motivated bursts a few times a year.
This is not only an unfocused approach, but it's a dangerous one. When we wait to market our businesses until we have no work coming in, it's already too late.
No one wants to live project to project, paycheck to paycheck.
And here's the truth: We don't have to.
By taking a more focused approach to our online presence (and marketing), we set ourselves up for a more certain future. And after 2020, I think that's a welcome shift for almost anyone these days!
Of course, online marketing doesn't come easily to everyone. Yes, we translators tend to have the ability to write well. If we didn't, we wouldn't have much work coming our way! But having the ability to write well and knowing how to write for our clients or appeal to them online are not the same thing.
Words are a large part of our online presence, but choosing the right words and putting them in the right places, supporting them with the right visuals, and executing a strategy that will attract the right people to read our words in these places takes time to learn, experiment with, and see what works.
The key to starting down the right path to attract your clients online is to create a focused plan.
With the start of a new year, many freelance translators and interpreters are looking to up their marketing game, attract new clients—the right clients!—and create a revolving door of client work that will keep them occupied (and paid!) for the months to come.
Rather than take the "post and pray" approach, it's important to have a plan to make the best use of the time we spend marketing. No one wants to feel like they're spinning their wheels, hoping a client somewhere will come across their website, online directory profile, LinkedIn or Facebook post, right?
With a bit of strategy, you can create a focused plan for your online presence this year that will give you a sense of accomplishment as you start to see more of your ideal clients knocking on your virtual door over time.
How to create a more focused online presence for your translation or interpreting business in 2021
1. Start with an idea of who you want to serve.
Think of the clients who you really love to work with (even if you don't do that much work for them at the moment). If you're new to the profession, consider who you think might be a good fit for the services you offer and the types of clients you'd like to work with long-term.
Who you want to serve and who you currently serve don't have to be the same at this point in the plan! Whether you want to change specializations, break into a brand new area of your current client market, or want better clients, this is a good place to start.
Next, take some time to write out the characteristics of who you want to serve. They are probably the folks who pay on time, don't question your rates, respect your time and boundaries, send you interesting work, etc. These people you're describing are your ideal clients. And they can change over time!
It's good to know as much as you can about your ideal clients so that you can find ways to appeal to them. Consider their goals, challenges, pain points, and what is most important to them.
How do they like to consume new information?
How do they tend to search for something (or someone, in this case) when they need to solve a problem?
What do they weigh before they make a decision?
Related: How to Create an Ideal T&I Client Profile to Market Your Services
2. Determine why you are the best fit for these ideal clients.
What makes you different from those who offer the same or similar services?
In addition to your basic services, what do you offer that these clients would find valuable?
When you know what sets you apart, it's easier to get clients to see it and form their own conclusion that you are the best fit for them.
Think about the last time you hired a professional (a dentist, a lawyer, an accountant, etc.). What problem did you have that resulted in your seeking this person's services? What was important to you when it came to what this person had to offer? What did you want to know about this person, and how did you eventually make a decision?
Our clients are looking to find the best professional to help them solve a problem and reach a goal. Find ways of portraying that you are the problem-solver or the key to unlocking their goal, and this will help you create more focused messaging when marketing your services.
3. Check your mindset.
Remember that you are an accomplished individual who has a lot to offer your clients.
You have studied, trained, and continue to develop yourself professionally. You have a lot to show for this hard work.
This isn't usually the issue.
Often, it's the actual marketing part that can hold a lot of us back...
We're hesitant to attend networking events with potential clients. We're hesitant to sound too direct in our website copy. We're hesitant to reach out to someone we don't know on LinkedIn because, well... "Why would they want to talk to us?"
But this mindset will only keep us spinning our wheels longer.
Let's get one thing straight.
What we do for a living helps people communicate. Few things are more vital in the workplace (or the world, for that matter) than effective communication. We help clients grow their businesses, share their research, win cases, fill in the blank.
If we don't tell people how we can help them and why they should hire us, who will?
While it would be nice to run our businesses off referrals for the rest of our working days, that's not a sustainable way to do business. We can't possibly assume that we will have a revolving door of clients based on the referrals we get from others, even if it does work for a few years.
That's why it's vital to have the right mindset for marketing our businesses online.
We are business owners. We are expected to show up and talk about our businesses, to let clients know who we are and how we can help them. And when we do it right, we can feel like we're offering our services authentically (because we are!). When you come from a place of serving your clients, they will not perceive you as too direct or "salesy!"
I promise.
4. Take a step back from what you've done in the past and turn down the volume.
Whether the noise you hear is from your inner voice or colleagues telling you about what the market is or isn't like, what clients will or won't pay for, etc., decide to turn down the noise and start analyzing your own approach.
Just because something you tried didn't work once in the past, that doesn't mean it won't work in the future.
Maybe you didn't have a plan in place. Maybe you weren't sure if your approach was the right one.
Here's an example.
Consider LinkedIn. Is it a platform where you can directly connect with your ideal clients online?
If it is, but if you're not finding direct clients from using it, take some time to think about what isn't working and why that may be.
What can you tweak?
Have you updated your profile lately?
Do your headline and About section on LinkedIn properly portray what you do and who you serve?
Have you included information about the value you provide to your clients, the kinds of goals you help them achieve, obstacles you help them overcome, etc.?
Do you use the platform to regularly reach out to potential clients, research new prospects, etc.?
As a business owner, you have to be adaptable and evolve. Regularly look at what's not working and how you can make changes. Determine the methods that don't seem to be fruitful (but could be!) and see how you can adjust your approach to make them so.
Related: 4 Things You Didn't Know LinkedIn Could Do for Your Business and 7 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile and Get More Leads
5. Get some social proof.
This one is EASY, but a lot of freelancers fail to take this step.
Collect testimonials and kind words from clients regularly. Keep them in a folder in your email or on your computer's desktop. When you need to update your website, online profile, etc., you should have a decent amount of content to show potential clients the social proof they need that others have hired you in the past and had a successful and pleasant experience.
Make sure that your testimonials are not all the same. They should not all say, "Sue is the best person to hire for your translation needs!" Make sure your testimonials have actual substance and tell WHY your potential clients should hire you.
What are the milestones you've helped your clients achieve?
In what ways have your services opened doors for your previous customers?
What problems did you help them overcome?
That's what potential clients want to know when they read your testimonials. So, make sure that you give them the right impression—one that will resonate with them!
Don't include more than one or two testimonials from colleagues. After all, your colleagues aren't the ones paying your bills. Your clients are. Show your clients testimonials from other clients who have paid for and appreciated your services. Of course, your colleagues will say you're great, but it's not the type of social proof that clients are looking for before they consider signing a contract with you.
6. Know your market.
Are you marketing to the wrong people?
Are you marketing to companies or organizations that don't have the money to pay for your services?
Are you consistently marketing to the clients you described in number 1 above as being your ideal customers?
Who are they?
What are their positions?
Why would they need your services?
Where are they hanging out online? And are you showing up there, too?
How can you start a conversation with them and build a relationship that might eventually lead to them hire you or refer others to you?
Once you can answer these questions with confidence and commit to showing up regularly in their online world, consider what you can do, say, or share with them that will help them realize that you're the right fit for them. Remember that this all takes time and is a long-term strategy. But it's one that will certainly pay off.
Talk to colleagues in your area of expertise and see where their clients are coming from (you can do this without asking colleagues to name their clients). Ask them how their clients find them in addition to the obvious referrals that we all get.
If you can, talk to several colleagues and then compare notes. Note any differences, and definitely take note of the overlap you find in their responses!
7. Determine a series of actions you will take to put your new, focused plan in motion.
For example:
Website creation or updates (take this step first, since your website should always be your home base, where customers can find you and learn more about you)
Optimize your website and online profiles
Develop a social media presence and content that will resonate with your potential clients
Create email templates to start sending out pitches regularly
Schedule a set time of day (and number of days per week) you will dedicate to refining and executing your online presence and marketing strategy
8. Make a plan for regular follow-up when you do reach your potential clients.
Consider both inbound (what you do when potential clients reach out to you) and outbound (the ways you reach out to potential clients) marketing.
Regular follow-up is a big part of a marketing strategy. It takes focus, persistence, and patience.
That said, it's where a lot of us drop the ball.
We think that if we're in touch with a client one time and then don't hear back from them, they're not interested.
But that's often not the case.
People are busy. In fact, many potential clients are often interested, but they don't feel a sense of urgency.
And while you cannot create urgency in any particular organization, you can definitely continue to share value with your potential clients in mind.
Be the person who follows up, and you will see more and more leads converting to clients.
9. Schedule dates to revisit your strategy.
Ideally, you should do this once a quarter. Once a month would be even better if you can find the time.
Look at what's been working
Look at what's not working
Consider how you can tweak your strategy and better reach your ideal customers
Adjust your plan to reflect any changes in your strategy in the future
Keep in mind that nothing is set in stone when it comes to your marketing. Everything is an experiment, and you can change course whenever you need to!
If you create a more focused approach for your online presence and marketing strategy, you will find that it feels less of a chore and more like an exciting part of running your business. One that you see converting your ideal clients into paying customers. One that keeps people coming back to you time and again because they trust your work and they value your business relationship.
Let's all commit to not flying by the seat of our pants anymore when it comes to your online presence, shall we?
Take the time to figure out what you want in your clients, what your clients want, and how you can serve them so they can achieve their goals. This will help you create a more focused approach to your online presence and marketing efforts.
What tips do you have for colleagues to create a more focused online presence and marketing plan this year?
