If you’re tired of struggling to search for new leads for your translation business and ready to take it to the next level, we have some game-changing tips to share with you. You will learn how to optimize your translation business for lead generation like never before.
The attractiveness of any translation business is based on its affordability and low entry threshold. However, the small initial investment also creates stiff competition in the market, with all the ensuing consequences.
Theoretically, any talented translator or entrepreneur can become the head of a translation agency. However, in this case, you will also need to find yourself an expert assistant, someone you can trust and who has a specialized education. Otherwise, finding professional staff for your agency will be virtually impossible. This business is “recommended” to those who have a higher linguistic education.
What Are The Best Ways To Optimize Your Translation Business for Lead Generation?
All advanced translation agencies use one way or another to attract clients. We have chosen the easiest and fastest methods that do not require large investments.
To do everything right and keep track of your results, you can run them gradually, one by one, say, one method/month.
1. Create A Quality Website and Blog
The first thing to focus on is building a strong online presence.
As most of you are aware, in this digital age, people are usually looking for translation services online. Therefore, you need to make sure that people can easily find your agency on Google.
Everything has to be in its place. That’s why you need to make sure your website is clean and professional, as well as easy to navigate and use. Optimize it for search engines so that prospective clients may quickly find you while looking for translation services.
Keep in mind that your site is not only the face of your company but also your sales manager that will introduce customers to your service benefits, answer their questions about pricing, and share useful and unique information from your blog.
The features of a high-quality website for a translation service include:
- Modern and stylish design;
- Great performance on smartphones and tablets;
- Reflects your company’s solid image, reliability, and good reputation as a translation service provider.
You can address a professional website building agency or a familiar web developer, but this can be costly and delayed for a long period of time. Alternatively, you can try to make your own site in 2 or 3 days using one of the most popular website builders.
Note that when deciding on your pricing policy, you should consider the complexity of the material. Also, you can charge extra fees for expedited processing.
2. Provide High-Quality Content and Services
You want to set yourself apart from your competitors. What distinguishes your translation company? What benefits can you provide that other translation services cannot? Determine your distinct selling proposition and highlight it on your website and marketing materials. This will assist you in standing ahead of the competition and attracting clients who value your special competencies and knowledge.
In addition, you will need to take care of eye-catching and quality content on your site. Attracting clients through engaging business articles in your blog is an effective lead-generation strategy. You can write about your services or the latest trends in the industry. Making a list of useful tips and recommendations for translating different languages is also a great idea.
Content is king for any type of business. Translation plays a huge role in content creation. In this way, people broaden the circle of potential buyers.
Note that rare languages can turn out to be much more profitable than English or German. However, rare languages are rare because they are not that popular.
According to Indeed, the top 3 of the highest-paying languages for translators are:
- German
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Arabic
That said, such languages can only be a nice addition to your major service.
3. Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
Clients who are pleased with your services are more likely to recommend your agency to their contacts, which can result in more leads for your company. Ensure that you reply quickly to your customers’ inquiries, offer high-quality translations, and give outstanding customer service throughout the entire interaction process. This will assist you in building credibility and improving your reputation as a professional translation business through word-of-mouth.
Another way to enhance your translation agency’s reputation is by offering top-notch data migration services to clients who require data to be transferred from one system or platform to another. This will not only increase customer satisfaction but also expand your service offerings and attract new clients.
4. Create and Send Newsletters
Before you send out offers and news to your target audience, you need to create an email list. You can set up email forms on your site that visitors can use to share their email addresses in exchange for receiving your newsletters or special offers. You can also extract contacts through a LinkedIn email finder.
For example, companies that request hospitality software development services will accept additional translation services to fill their blog with content in different languages. If you contact the representatives of such businesses in time, you can get regular customers who will constantly be in need of your services.
Thus, if users share their email with you, this will be a confirmation of a clear interest in your business, which in turn indicates that these subscribers are your potential customers. You can then start sending emails to everyone on your mailing list and encourage them to order your services. Additionally, you can also group your emails according to your customer interests.
Another way to engage with your audience through email is by sending newsletters that provide valuable information related to your industry or product.
5. SEO Website Promotion, PPC and Google Business Profile
Turning to a professional website building agency and creating a resource is not enough. An important step is also its promotion.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is all about making your site attractive to Google. By including relevant keywords and long- or short-tail key phrases in your blog articles, you can make it easier for people to find your agency in search results.
As people are drawn to your site to read your blog content, many of them will click through to other pages on your site or subscribe to your blog. If everything goes smoothly, chances are your site visitors will get even more familiar with your agency and have enough trust in you.
The benefits of search engine optimization for translation services are as follows:
- Customers subconsciously trust your company as its website appears in the top ten
- Optimization work is done only once; no need to pay separately for each client
- Long-term effect; you only do the optimization once and get clients every month
How else can you get more customers for your translation business?
Google Business Profile is a platform where you can create a page for your business and include your name, address and phone number.
When you do a local search, such as “translation service near me,” people will see three matching business profiles of businesses at the top of the search results (under Google Maps). And your company profile may well be among them.
Additionally, you can address Google with proof of ownership for your company. Once users notice the profile, they will be willing to visit your site and learn more about your services to see if you’re a good fit for their needs.
You can also try Google Ads, an online advertising program that you can use to create online ads and expand your translation business’s target audience (TA). With such a tool, you can launch a PPC advertising campaign and take your ads to the top of search results so that more people see them.
Before you get to promoting via Google Ads, however, you need to understand how PPC bidding works, as you will need to create an effective strategy to properly introduce users to your business and encourage them to become your leads. You want to make your ads noticed by your TA, therefore, take your time to do your research.
6. Offer Additional Services
Interpreting, consecutive and simultaneous, is one of the most in-demand services. As a rule, such interpreters are in demand for the translation of lectures and presentations, as well as accompanying foreign representatives of companies interested in trouble-free communication with native speakers of another language.
Simultaneous interpreting is considered top-notch and is priced appropriately. According to ZipRecruiter, “As of April 4th, 2023, the average hourly pay for a simultaneous interpreter in the United States is $29.56 an hour.” The typical pay range for simultaneous interpreters varies substantially (by up to $16.35), implying that there may be several prospects for growth and greater income dependent on experience and location.
As a rule, translation agencies do not employ simultaneous interpreters because they are expensive and not used as often. Consecutive translation is evaluated more modestly: from 10 to 20 dollars per hour, and it’s about the same cost for guide interpreters.
More Ideas
In addition, there is a steady demand for apostille certification services, i.e., notarization of translated documents. In other words, it’s the legalization of a document written abroad with certification of the document at the consulates or the Ministry of Justice.
Note that it’s not enough to have proven in-house and freelance translators who are ready to perform their jobs at a high level. You will also need an in-house lawyer knowledgeable in international law and willing to provide notarization of the authenticity of the translator’s signature, legalization and apostille for documents intended for use in foreign countries. The prices for legally significant documents depend on the complexity and speed of the work.
As additional services, translation agencies can offer to create summaries, abstracts and annotations, all the way to printing services at customer requests and in some cases, even photocopying services. However, an enterprising entrepreneur will always find a way to make money.
7. Social Media Advertising and User-Generated Content
Connect with new clients and display your knowledge by using social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Interact with your followers and offer regular updates to keep your business at the forefront of their minds. You don’t have to do all your interactions manually. For instance, you can utilize LinkedIn message automation tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or third-party software to streamline your outreach efforts. This will allow you to connect with potential clients efficiently while maintaining a personalized touch in your communication.
All of your customers use this or that social media platform. Fine-tuning your social media marketing will help you quickly spread the word about your services to your customers. Plus, paid advertising is also available on most social media platforms. From a marketing standpoint, these platforms are a great place to expand your target audience and find new leads.
In addition, proxies can be utilized to hide your location and gain access to social media platforms that are restricted in your area, making it easier to connect with a wider range of potential clients.
The benefits of social media advertising are:
- You can choose who to show your ads to, based on geo, age, occupation or interest;
- Pay per click: you only pay for real customers that come to your site.
Create accounts on different social media platforms and fill them with engaging content. This can be behind-the-scenes videos about your company’s work, case studies, reviews, infographics, testimonials, podcasts, etc. Throw giveaways and offer discounts for your services. Analyze comments from your followers and be sure to respond (even to negative comments).
Join groups and communities, share your content and encourage people to make posts about your agency in their news feeds. This way they will influence their followers’ buying decisions; and yes, this is how word-of-mouth marketing works. You can also connect with your audience through user-generated content (UGC).
Inspire your happy customers to submit reviews on your website and social media channels. Positive feedback can help you build trust with future clients and illustrate your track record of achievement. These evaluations and testimonials may also be used in your marketing materials to demonstrate your competence and generate trust in the agency.
Conclusion
Building a strong online presence, distinguishing yourself from the competition, delivering outstanding customer service, and using the power of your customer’s reviews and testimonials are the main components to help you optimize your translation business and maximize your lead generation efforts.
By following the tips in this article, you’ll be well on your way to attracting high-quality clients and growing your firm.
Author bio:
Dmytro Sokhach is an entrepreneur and the 6-Figure Flipper Club member. Founded Admix Global (web agency) that builds websites, makes them profitable, and sells them as business