OnlineMarketingAndCommunicationSkillsForTranslatorsAnneBesnier
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Transcript of OnlineMarketingAndCommunicationSkillsForTranslatorsAnneBesnier
1
Online Marketing and
Communication Skills
2
Why did I choose this subject?
• New comer to the profession
• Eager to learn more about the translation
industry
• Will help me to start my own translation
business and write my business plan
3
Defining the subject
• Online marketing: the use of the internet to achieve marketing objectives
(Institute of Direct Marketing, 2011)
• Communication skills: the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, orally or in writing (Armstrong, 2006)
4
• Social media: A collection of web pages and applications that are designed to allow users to interact with their friends (Brown, 2010)
5
5 marketing tools examined
• ProZ.com
• TranslatorsCafé.com
• Professional website
• Blogging
6
How did I proceed?
• I researched what was written and said about the subject
• I approached professional translators (ITI LIFT, French networks and ProZ.com): survey + interview
• I compared the findings with the theoretical part in order to draw conclusions
7
Plan
• Literature review
• Methodology
• Findings
• Conclusion
8
Literature review
Marketing plan:
• Major document that underpins the whole marketing strategy in a structured way
• Provides clear directions towards specific goals to achieve
9
Minimal components of a marketing plan:
• Unique selling point (USP): what
differentiates your services from those of
your competitors
• SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats of your business
10
→ leads to the identification of your professional brand
Online brand:Your online presence and information on the web (Brown, 2010)
11
Online brand
• Values
• Offer
• Identity
12
Implementing the marketing plan via the Internet and social media
Questions:
• What client groups are we targeting?
• How does this strategy fits in with your
overall marketing strategy?
• What objectives do you expect to meet?
13
• Expansion of the number of Internet users: 30.1 million users in 2010 in UK(Office for National Statistics, 2010)
• Is social media a risky venture?
14
Numerous advantages of social media
• Low cost marketing
• Remain connected with existing clients
• Find your ‘influencers’
15
• Meaningful, interactive and public
discussions
• Identify followers’ expectations and
integrate these into the marketing plan
• Include a social media plan which is part
of the marketing plan
16
Implications for the professional brand
• Outstanding communication skills
• A lot of maintenance and effort
• Everything is public
17
Reviewing the marketing plan
• Wide range of metrics: e.g. Google
Analytics
• Updates
• Review and alter the marketing plan
19
ProZ.com and TranslatorsCafé.com
• Ideal place for newcomers
• Minimal online presence
• Responding to jobs (mostly outsourced by translation agencies)
• Prices driven towards the bottom?
• Securing payment
• Other interesting features: Blue Board, terminology questions, etc.
20
Professional website
• A ‘shop window’ which embodies the translator’s professional brand
• Simple design
• Differentiating content and copy
• Sections: About, Contact, Services, Background, Rates, Clients Testimonials
• Regular updates
• Links with social media platforms
21
Blog
• Hosted or self-hosted
• Personal online journal
• Blogging: an excellent way of creating connections with other like-minded people
• Importance of links
• Niche markets for future blogs: specialisations and clients’ needs
• Time-consuming
22
• Huge directory of professionals across various industries
• Define goals
• Make contact with new people
• Have a genuine interest in others and expect to give a lot
23
Conclusion of Literature Review
• Marketing plan: your ‘tailored’ route to
professional success
• Communication channels will require time,
commitment and consistency in order to
improve visibility, credibility and reputation
of the business.
24
Methodology
• A descriptive and exploratory research
• A mixed strategy: quantitative and
qualitative data collected via a
questionnaire and an interview
• Samples of respondents: ITI LIFT and
French networks, ProZ.com
25
Findings
No. of professional translators who took part in the research
Questionnaire Interview
Participation
requested
Definite
participation
Participation
requested
Definite
participation
297 26 7 7
26
Membership of respondents
02468
101214
ProZ.com ITI French network ITI LIFT network
27
No. of years spent as a freelance
translator
0
2
4
6
8
10
10 or more 5-9 2-4 less than 2
ITI LIFT
ProZ
ITI French
28
Detailed profile of the interviewees
Resp. no. 6 12 14 16 19 21 23 No. years freelancing
5-9 5-9 10 or more < 2 2-4 5-9 5-9
Membership ITI LIFT ProZ ITI French ITI French ITI French
ITI French + ITI LIFT
ITI French
main specialities
law law IT, engineering
marketing, tourism
science (biology)
law science (chemistry)
interviewed for
website, blog and ProZ
ProZ LinkedIn website, blog and LinkedIn
ProZ website, ProZ
ProZ, LinkedIn
29
Main results across all channels
02468
10121416182022
website ProZ TranslatorsCafé
Yes
No
30
Benefits of ProZ
02468
1012
A B C D E F
No
of
resp
on
den
ts
Legend A I haven’t found any benefits yet B I found my first paid assignments on ProZ C I’ve made contact with new agencies D I’ve made contact with direct clients E I’ve increased my workflow F Other
31
• Nearly a third of the participants (6 out of
19) have found their first paid assignments
with ProZ
• 10 have worked with translation agencies
• 6 have worked with direct clients
32
ProZ - criticism
• Not helpful to professional reputation
• Low rates
• False or misleading comments on Blue
Board
33
Making the most of ProZ
• Clients find translators via their profile
• Kudoz points + positive entries left by clients + paid membership = profile ranks higher in search engines
• Type of clients: direct clients + translation agencies
• Respond to jobs at your current rate
• Socialising with other translators
34
Benefits of LinkedIn
02468
101214
A B C D E F G
No
of
resp
on
den
ts
Legend A I haven’t found any benefits yet B I’ve made contact with new agencies C I’ve made contact with direct clients D It’s increased my workflow E I’m taking part in translation groups F I’m taking part in professional groups
which are related to my specialist areas G Other
35
Making the most of LinkedIn
• Long-term strategy
• Networking with translators from all over the world
• Gaining an insight of the translation industry at a global level
• Membership to professional groups (translators’ specialities) improves visibility
• Taking part in groups discussions
36
Are you satisfied with your website?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Yes No
No
of r
espo
nden
ts
37
Making the most of a professional website
• Design
• Sections
• Content and copy
• Results achieved
38
What about having a blog?
• Insight into the profession of translators
• Continuous professional development
• Type of audience
• Frequency of posts
• Downside: visitors cannot leave comments
39
Marketing plan and online brand
• Marketing plan
• Visibility and niche market
• Business’ brand and any forms of communication that represents it
• Importance of writing and networking skills
• Marketing and its implications
40
• Main source of work: peers and translation agencies
→ raises many questions regarding the effectiveness of an online marketing strategy
41
• Importance of being seen and meeting other translators: conferences and training events
42
Conclusion
• Displaying a profile on ProZ is an excellent way for ensuring a minimal online presence
• Further step with the development of a website
• Creating an account on LinkedIn
43
• Socialising with translators at professional events is fundamental
• Marketing plan tailored to your needs
44
Some references
• Armstrong, Michael, A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th edn (London: Kogan Page, 2006)
• Brown, Eileen, Working the Crowd: Social Media Marketing for Business (Swindon: British Informatics Society, 2010)
• Institute of Direct Marketing, Cut through the Babble with our Jargon Buster (Teddington: IDM, 2011) <http://www.theidm.com/resources/jargon-buster/?glos=E> [accessed 05/02/2011]
• Office for National Statistics, Internet Access, (Newport: ONS, 2010) <http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=8> [accessed 25/02/2011]
• Zarrella, Dan, The Social Media Marketing Book (Sebastopol: O’Reilly Media, 2010)