7 Ways to Market your Translation Business
Translation services are essential for many professional endeavors and commercial transactions. Such services include a book translation service. Such services can be crucial to the academic community and all individuals who may wish to publish books. A sound marketing strategy is a key to successfully marketing book translation services. Growing a reliable customer base will be very lucrative in the long term. Many businesses have created such strong brands that most of their profits come from a few repeat clients.
Consider the following factors on how to market your business:
1) First Client
The first client to hire your services is crucial to the direction of your business. Depending on how the first project unfolds, you may have a loyal customer or a disgruntled client. Inform people in your residential area and the local community about your business. Persistence and patience are critical attributes at this stage for your book translation business.
When contacted by your first client, take the time to research their industry and background. Gather as much relevant information as you can. During the initial meeting, impress the client with your knowledge; this demonstrates initiative. The client may appreciate the gesture and offer you the job.
2)Asking for Referrals
According to Harvard Business Review, research indicates that 84% of business-to-business(B2B) buyers prefer to do business through referrals. Human beings are social creatures; social interactions play a significant role in many people’s decisions, including business decisions. Most people are likely to trust a book translation business that has been vouched for by their close acquaintance. People will recommend your book translation business if you provide excellent, high-quality service.
3) Be Everywhere
Thanks to Google, your book translation agency can be visible anywhere. Google AdWords has become a beneficial tool for online marketing. Social media sites like Instagram and Facebook can also be convenient channels. They can be used to spread brand awareness of your book translation business. Create your blog to help with content marketing. Providing information about your services could play a key role in getting overseas clients.
4) Cornering a Particular Niche
Offering ‘general’ book translation services is not specific enough. Specializing in one area of book translation will ensure that you gear your marketing and advertising resources toward a particular group; those people and businesses that seek your services. Many new entrants in this business assume that offering a broad range of book translation services is the way to go.
While that would be sensible initially, focusing on a particular niche is better in the long run. Clients will seek you out if they know that you offer specialized service that is of interest to them.
Another factor closely related to “niching down” is to become an expert in that field. Make sure you stay abreast of all developments in the book translation industry. Facilitate additional training for your translators to ensure their language skills do not erode.
5) Cold-emailing
Several online marketing campaigns use cold-emailing as their primary tool of advertisement. However, many of them are doing it wrong. Sending sleazy, generic, and rehearsed emails now seems acceptable. Many potential clients dread receiving such impersonal emails that border on outright harassment.
As someone offering book translation services, you want to make sure the emails are warm, personalized, and relevant to the potential client. Imagine sending a very bland email that reads like a sales pitch from a snake-oil car salesman. The recipient of such an email is unlikely to reach out to you.
Cold-emailing, when done right, can open doors for new opportunities and business relationships. Ensure that your cold email focuses on the potential client. Mention their lingering pain points concerning book translation and suggest ways to solve such problems.
6) Achievable Goals and Realistic Deadline
When marketing your book translation services, it’s paramount to set realistic goals and deadlines for projects. The temptation to take on any project, even time-sensitive ones, can be ruinous. Ensure that you don’t take on a project simply because of inexperience. Otherwise, you may take on an exceedingly arduous task to command high prices from the outset. Build your reputation gradually to ensure continuous referrals.
8) Stick to it
The temptation to hop from one venture to another is the cause of many failures in business, especially new startups. Don’t switch from offering book translation to, say, translation of court proceedings. It’s possible to avail a wide range of services later on. In the beginning, it’s best to focus on one venture.
