Lots of translators ask me to name a ‘best marketing method’ or ‘the most successful method of getting direct clients’ and there’s no quick and easy answer. The best marketing is the marketing that you actually do (and ideally enjoy!) but everyone has their own preference. I’m all about exploring different opportunities and trying new approaches so I thought I’d share five different ways to find direct clients that I’ve used in my translation business.
- Personal recommendations
- Enquiries through my website
- My client-focused newsletter
- Direct response marketing campaigns
- Client industry events
For each category I’ve focused on a single example so I can share more specific details.
Let’s start with every translator’s favourite method: Winning clients by word of mouth.
1. Personal recommendation from another translator
An English into German translator colleague works for the food manufacturing sector and we’ve worked together on several translations. Occasionally, he gets some interesting enquiries for into English translations and contacts me. They don’t always work out for various reasons including budget, urgency, or a preference to work with a local translation company. But happily, sometimes it’s a perfect match and one of my regular direct clients contacted me as a result of his referral.
What happened next?
We got chatting by email, exchanged information, they asked for my portfolio – at which point I panicked because I didn’t have one at the time. Instead, I shared references i.e. a couple of my regular clients who were happy to answer any questions about my work and I also offered a video call. As far as I remember, they didn’t contact my clients (the fact that they could and were able to see the types of companies I worked with was enough). But they did set up a conference call so I could get to know the team and vice versa.
What I thought was a kind of interview, ended up being a friendly chat to put faces to names and talk about the major projects they needed support with and whether I could help. We’ve been working together since 2019.
Where did the referral come from originally?
Let’s track that initial enquiry back. How did the client find my colleague in the first place? They came across his website when searching for a suitably qualified translator for their sector (food ingredients manufacturing). Which brings me to another way of finding clients or them finding me.
2. Gaining direct clients from my website
Having a website that can be found for specific key terms is a marketing asset that you can build on and works around the clock for you. It requires updating and never feels finished but I wouldn’t be without this part of the internet that I own.
While I don’t get lots of enquiries through my website, I have had a few from people looking specifically for a chemical translator. Two examples that come to mind were chemical companies that had been working with other translation providers.
Unfortunately the translators assigned to their projects didn’t have the background in chemistry to accurately translate the technical content and that was the missing piece of the puzzle. Once we’d had a conversation and they gave me a text that needed editing, I provided a quote that included a couple of examples of how I would improve the text. Top tip: demonstrate how you can help with specific examples. My new contacts needed reassurance that the text would flow well and the content accurately reflected the German original. One of these companies I now count among my regular clients and I work with various colleagues in the marketing and PR departments on translation and editing projects.
3. The power of a newsletter
A few times a year, I send my German-speaking clients and contacts a newsletter. It acts as an informative and entertaining read for them as well as giving them an insight into my business and helping me keep in touch with them in between projects. Some subscribers aren’t yet clients, people who I’ve contacted with the intention of working together and that hasn’t happened yet.
After one particular issue, N sent me an email. She was leaving the company but really wanted to keep receiving my newsletter so could I add her to the distribution list. Happily! I’d never met N before then but she worked for one of my clients and unbeknownst to me, my contact K had been sharing my newsletter with her colleagues in the office.
A few months later, at her new company, N contacted me with a request for a translation, a project which resulted in €2500 of work.
Besides that specific new client, I know my newsletter acts as a friendly nudge to my clients because I always have more translation and editing enquiries within a week of sending it out. It also helps me stay in touch with multiple people at the same time rather than finding a specific reason to contact each individual.
4. Translation clients from a multi-step marketing campaign
I’ve run a few direct response marketing campaigns in the past few years and they work well as a way to introduce myself to potential clients.
For one particular client it worked like this: They received a package in the post from me with a small gift, an English tea bag and a sales letter. The letter detailed why I was writing, suggested they might not be working with a specialist in their industry and could be spending valuable time making their translations fit for purpose. As they didn’t know me yet because I was contacting them out of the blue, I mentioned I would be at an industry event in a few months time and would love to meet them there or help them with anything they may need to help prepare for the event.
This wasn’t a strong offer but as a first experiment, I was happy because it started a conversation. A couple of people replied to say thanks but not for them, and after following up with a postcard and email with a stronger offer, Ms B responded with a “we already work with a company but I’ll keep your details, thanks”. She wasn’t attending the upcoming event but was happy to keep in touch and receive my newsletter (see above). 18 months later, I’d cracked it!
A surprise turn of events
Referencing my original sales package and the conversations we’d had since then, she asked for more details as they had a specific project in mind. It worked out well because we’ve been collaborating ever since 2020. We started off with a small translation and the projects have increased in scope over time. I’ve also introduced colleagues with similar technical expertise to help with translations into other languages.
Ms B is one of a number of direct clients I’ve gained from proactive marketing this way. I picked this example to illustrate that you can be less than perfect, initially be ‘rejected’ and still transform the relationship from friendly contact to paying client by keeping in touch over time. And it sometimes takes time, so keep marketing!
5. At a client industry event
Client events are an excellent place to meet clients while also gaining insights into the state of the market, what challenges people are facing and the opportunities available. You’ll also get a feel of a particular sector, gen up on terminology and lots more.
One of my clients came from attending a chemical coatings conference in Germany. A trade show was attached to the conference, which I also attended, but this particular client I met at the end of day 1, at the networking session.
How did you become a translator? What’s your background and technical expertise in this industry? What type of things do you translate?
Her colleague: Are you recruiting for a specific position? This is networking drinks not an interview!
The back story
It turns out Susanne was more than delighted to meet a translator with some knowledge of the industry. She worked in the technical department of a major specialty chemicals manufacturer and was sick to the back teeth of correcting the technical translations. She’d just finished one such project that had taken way too much of her time (not included in her job description) and was highly motivated to insist on a change. She wanted someone she could trust to do a better job.
We exchanged business cards, I assured everyone I was happy to answer any questions they wanted to ask even if simply to satisfy their curiosity. And I also wanted to hear more about them.
After the event
Within a week of the event, I connected with my new friend on LinkedIn and received an email from her marketing department asking for more details. It took a few months before a suitable text came up for them to ‘test my technical skills’ and my paperwork was stamped as an “approved supplier” but we soon scaled up the collaboration.
You could say it was luck that I chose that table to approach and that Susanne had just helped with a nightmare translation project. Or you could say I put myself in the right place at the right time and it was my choice to attend the conference. And actually join the networking event when I was exhausted from a day of being on my best conference behaviour and engaging in specialised content 😉
How did you start working with your clients?
You can win direct translation clients any number of ways. Some methods may be easier than others but in my experience, all need you to build trust and confidence in your translation services either ahead of time or at the point of discussing a suitable project.
I hope the stories behind these five marketing strategies and the examples I’ve shared show that there are lots of opportunities to grow your business. They’re not the only methods, but they are effective ways to find direct clients that have worked for me and combine inbound and outbound marketing. How about you? I’d love to hear how you started working with your clients and which marketing methods you prefer.
And if you’d like my support:
In my membership group for translators you’ll find training on all of the above methods with detailed explanations and support to help you do the same. This is just a small selection of ways to create opportunities to meet the right kind of clients and make it easier for them to find you. Join The Expedition Group to explore more ways to attract your ideal clients, get feedback on your marketing materials, and find your new favourite marketing strategy.
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