Jan 31, 2009

Social media marketing

After a recent discussion on Corinne McKay's blog Thoughts on Translation regarding the utility of LinkedIn for translators, I've been giving some thought to my approach to that platform as well as Xing and a few others. The only environment of this sort where I have invested any serious effort over the years is the translator's portal ProZ, where I have established some very satisfying client and colleague relationships. However, one seldom encounters people from outside the translation profession there; to develop one's direct client base through online networking other approaches are needed. So when I found a reference to a list of 42 free e-books covering various topics for social media marketing I was rather pleased. The post is in German, but most of these works are in English, and it's easy enough for those without German skills to scroll through the list and download titles that may be useful.

4 comments:

  1. Hi. I'm just discovering your blog. You have very many interesting things in here. I'll surely be coming back.

    Danke.

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  2. Ah! Welcome! I had discovered yours some time ago when reading a third blog, and I really enjoyed it but lost track of it unfortunately. (That happens when one reads in the wee hours of the morning.) I'll look into it more often, as I'd like a little more insight into the translation world outside my narrow stomping grounds in Europe.
    I like the template you use for your blog too - it displays the information in a way that is better for reading I think. I need to do an aesthetic makeover of this one some day and figure out how to post pictures and screenshots.

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  3. Thanks for the tip, Kevin, that's exactly what I was looking for - you made my day!

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  4. My partner, Monique Simmer, isn't particularly into marketing, though she has been a successful translator for over 20 years. She recently became a paid member of Xing and joined several interest groups related to her passion for Hungarian hunting dogs. (She would probably be the last one to join a language or business-related group with the idea of marketing her services.) Lo and behold! There too she discovered contacts working in industries we love that are explicitly looking for a German to English translator. So even getting involved in online interest groups for your hobbies might prove productive for business, even if that is not your goal in joining. What's the old saying? "Do what you love and the money will follow." Even if it doesn't, you'll at least have fun!

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