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Social Media for Freelance Translators

by Sarah Dillon

I first wrote this post in 2008. A lot has changed since then but it is still one of my most popular posts. I believe this is because shows that platforms may come and go, but the principles of a sound social media strategy stands the test of time. Read it with this in mind, and enjoy!

I went to a conference for solo business owners recently and the question on everyone’s lips was ‘Do you blog?’ Well, yes, I do actually. Micro AND macro, as it happens.

There seems to be a lot of mystery around the business benefits of social media, including the ways in which it can be applied to meet various professional goals*.

So in an attempt to contribute to the discussion, here’s how this humble translator uses WordPress (macroblogging), Twitter (microblogging), LinkedIn, Proz, and a whole raft of other online bells and whistles in her day-to-day work.

(Bear in mind that this process often changes as I tweak, measure and experiment.)

  • I converse with other people, both inside and outside my field, via this blog and by regularly following and leaving comments on other blogs. I use Google Reader [now defunct: try Feedly instead] as a feedreader to subscribe to other blogs, which means I can see at a glance when a new post has been added to one of my ‘favourites’.
  • I ‘flesh out’ my online persona even more by participating in relevant blogging communities. Tools like Technorati and MyBlogLog help with this, although there are plenty of others which do the same job.
  • I use the likes of LinkedIn, Ning and Proz as relatively ‘static’ shop fronts, with links back to my website. I’m not worried that keeping a lower profile in these communities will lose me clients, because I’ve discovered that my target clients don’t tend to look for their translators in these places anyway. This won’t be true for everyone, of course.
  • I share snippets of interesting content with other professionals via Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon and Twitter. This is for when I don’t have the time or inclination to write an entire blog post on an issue but I’d still like to guage reactions, or when I want to share something that doesn’t really fit the scope of my blog. And it’s fun!
  • I occasionally contribute to relevant group discussions on various Google, Yahoo and Proz forums. I’d like to make this more of a focus in the future, but generally I’m trying to move away from email and lengthy discussion threads which take a long time to sift through (unlike the RSS feeds in my feedreader). Translating involves enough keyboard pounding and text trawling as it is…
  • Twitter is my watercooler. I can eavesdrop on chatter in areas that interest me, get quick answers to certain kinds of questions or thow out ideas to test the waters for reactions. I like the perspective I get on things here because it’s not just translators, and best of all, it’s all kept to 140 characters or less 🙂 Oh, and this is fun too.
  • As all roads lead to my website, I use Google Analytics to measure the impact of the online tools I’m using. I’m very conscious of not wasting my time and this means I know exactly what return I’m getting in terms of interest in my services, etc. I’m working at improving this all the time.
  • For me, Facebook is strictly friends only. I’ve made a decision not to bring work into it because it annoys me to see other people tarting themselves about in my downtime. Likewise, Bebo is family only. And yes, my family is large enough to warrant an entire online networking application dedicated to staying in touch 🙂 [update: Facebook has refined its targeting features and the division between friends and colleagues has become less clear. I now have a Facebook Page for my business]

Most importantly, I see these tools as a simple compliment to my overall online and offline activities.

For example, my ultimate marketing goal is to make it easy for various interested parties to find me. When they do find me, I want their positive image of me to be reinforced across a range of channels. Then, I want them to be able to contact me directly and quickly so we can do the deed, so to speak 😉  As a plan it’s far from perfect and there’s lots I’d like to do differently. But let’s face it, it’s not rocket science either. (I have similar goals around being part of a community of like-minded professionals.)

My advice to translators on making the most of social media, and indeed web 2.0 in general?

First, be clear on what you want to achieve for your business overall. Then, dive right in and give it a try.

If you get stuck, read this. If you’re still not getting it, or if you get it far too well but still lack a valid business reason to surf the web all day, then read Read Brian Solis’s Essential Guide to Social Media. Keep experimenting and referring back to your original business goals. Above all else, ignore the conspiracy theorists, new-technology scaremongers and social networking naysayers and have FUN!

WANT TO READ MORE ABOUT THIS?

If you want to read some more about making social networking work for you, check out:

– a great post from Scot Herrick’s Cube Rules: Joining social sites – the criteria

– an excellent podcast called Facebook for Professionals from Duct Tape Marketing. It’s not exactly how I like to use Facebook (as outlined above), but Mari Smith has plenty of practical examples to explain how small businesses can make effective use of social media.

* This post is based on a couple of discussions I’ve contributed to recently. See:

– Jill Sommer’s asks some great questions over at Musings from an Overworked Translator: Do you Twitter?

– Nick Pawley’s query on LinkedIn prompts some interesting discussion about using SEO / online marketing to increase your translation business

– Flying Solo article Is social networking for us? captures the mood of many

Image by laihiu via Flickr

Filed Under: Business of translation, Marketing for language professionals, Technology for translators Tagged With: business, Client relationships, Facebook, Google, Google Analytics, Google Reader, LinkedIn, online presence, RSS, social networking, Technorati, Twitter, web 2.0

About Sarah Dillon

Sarah Dillon is an Irish cailín in Brisbane, Australia. She arrived Down Under via Germany, France, Spain, Ireland, and the UK, having originally trained as a professional translator. Sarah has been involved in the start-up phases of several international small businesses as a founder, advisor and director, and has worked for companies such as Apple Computers, Audi AG and Bain and Company. She is currently pursuing a PhD in international entrepreneurship. Read more about Sarah here.

Comments

  1. Jon @ ALTA says

    16 October, 2008 at 5:46 am

    Stellar concise compilation of social media tools! The comments on this post are helpful as well!

    Jon @ ALTA´s last blog post… Etymology of “Economy”

  2. Corinne McKay says

    14 October, 2008 at 1:47 am

    Great post, Sarah! I have to admit that I don’t really get the appeal of Twitter (I know, just being a cranky thirtysomething!!), but I agree completely that Facebook should be friends only. Even if, like most translators, you don’t have a sordid past (or present, for that matter), I think that clients don’t really need to see photos of me dressed as Madonna for the 8th grade lip synch contest. The translation Ning group sounds really interesting!

    Corinne McKay´s last blog post… Link: So you want to be a literary translator

  3. Sarah M Dillon says

    13 October, 2008 at 1:27 pm

    Interesting to see the online marketing comments popping up at the mention of social networking tools 😉

    @James I’ve been keeping an eye on your site for a couple of weeks now and look forward to seeing how it develops. Am especially interested in the idea of a virtual translation conference.

    @Jon Yes, I have checked out the Proz certified network but as I mention in my post, ProZ doesn’t play a big part in my marketing activities at the moment. Anything that promotes the profession in a positive light gets a thumbs up from me though. There’s an interesting discussion going on about the Pro network over here: http://translationmusings.com/2008/10/07/thoughts-on-the-prozcom-certified-pro-network/

  4. Jon Peck says

    11 October, 2008 at 11:34 am

    Sarah,

    Interesting writeup! Have you checked out the the ProZ.com Certified PRO network yet? There are a number of new and modern features and tools, both available and upcoming, that have been designed to meet a number of the needs that you’ve mentioned. http://www.proz.com/pro-tag/info

    Feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns.

    Best regards,
    Jon Peck
    Staff Developer @ proz.com

  5. James O'Reilly says

    11 October, 2008 at 1:14 am

    You need to mention this one too…

    http://collaborative-translation.ning.com/

  6. Mari Smith says

    8 October, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    Hi Sarah,

    Excellent write up with plenty useful resources!!! Way to go. Thanks a mil for the mention too!

    Cheers,
    Mari
    @marismith

    Mari Smith´s last blog post… How To Create and Promote Your Facebook Fan Page

  7. Clint says

    7 October, 2008 at 10:45 am

    This is a very timely article for me. I’ve just signed up for Twitter (about a month ago) and am trying to see how that works out. So far I think it’s doing OK.

    However, I haven’t done anything with MySpace or Facebook and I’m trying to decide how/if it can be used for translators. Hopefully Jill will report back on the ATA conference talk.

    Clint´s last blog post… Writing Spanish surnames

  8. Judy Jenner says

    7 October, 2008 at 1:39 am

    Very interesting post! I have been doing a lot of Web 2.0 lately as well, but I don’t Twitter. Looks like I am missing out on fun stuff. I do get worried about spending too much time on social networking, so perhaps that’s why I have stayed away from Twitter.

    I am with you on Facebook — I use it strictly for friends I know in the “real world”. As a recent newcomer to macro blogging, I have to say I am learning a lot and really enjoying the experience of intellectual/professional exchange with fellow translators and language professionals all over the world.

    The question I always ask myself: how did people translate (or do any other kind of home-based work) pre-Web 1.0? Honestly, I have no idea.

  9. Beverly Cornell says

    6 October, 2008 at 11:54 am

    Great summary of how to use Social Media’s power to your advantage.

    I certainly use the same tools with a business, personal, and branding strategy in mind. The more that you can make connections, get research, network and learn the more prepared you are for today’s internet marketplace.

    Beverly Cornell´s last blog post… "Gateway" approach to international regional markets

  10. bonnjill says

    6 October, 2008 at 11:30 am

    Which group is having the Nick Pawley discussion on LinkedIn? It tells me I’m not a member of that group, so I can’t access the discussion.

    Thanks for this post! I find the whole idea of social networking really intriguing and am looking forward to the social networking presentation at the ATA conference in a few weeks.

    bonnjill´s last blog post… I’ve added an abbreviations glossary

    Hi Jill, glad you like the post (I’ve had various incarnations ‘brewing’ in my drafts folder for about 5 months so it’s great to finally get it out!). Nick Pawley posed the question about a month ago and it’s one of two that have taken place in the Proz.com group. It relates to marketing oneself as a translator online in general, and there have only been a small number of responses so perhaps ‘discussion’ is describing it optimistically… but the question was a good one and it was great to see it being asked. I still don’t know what the answer is, mind you, but it’s a good start! – Sarah

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