If you’re looking to grow your translation business, taking charge of your marketing can definitely contribute to your goal.

As marketing is constantly evolving, I compiled a list of ten 2020 marketing trends that I think are important to watch out for this year.

This is part 2 of the post!

If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, you can do so here.

Here we go with 5 more 2020 marketing trends to take into account when building your translation business:

SIX: Humanised branding is on the rise – people like to buy from people

Customers will respond to you solving their problems and trying to help them reach their goals – yes – but they will also respond to you as a human being to you just being human.

Some will also work with you because you provide high quality work AND are a great pleasure to work with.

In other words, it pays to add a personal touch to your branding.

People work for people and with people, so making your translation brand human and appealing to your target audience with an approachability that represents your business self is a great way to attract clients.

Why do you think influencer marketing is so popular? It’s because people want to look, feel, and work like those celebrities, so they respond to products endorsed by their idols.

As a small business owner, you’re perfectly equipped to project that human approach to your clients!

What you can do:

• Put humans at the heart of your brand and marketing strategy.
• Always provide friendly, helpful and attentive customer service.
• Go the extra mile – I know it sounds like a cliché… but it works.
• Be more transparent about yourself and your team. Put some faces on your Instagram and in email signatures. Show your clients there are real people on the other side of the screen too!
• Incorporate sustainability and social responsibility (or other cause you believe in) into your branding to help the world, build trust and respect and attract clients who also care about those causes.

SEVEN: More marketing awareness means more people broadcasting their message – “small gains” count in business and marketing

You may question how you’re different from other translators in your language pair, but you absolutely are.

You might not realise it yet, but it’s true.

I’ve worked with over 500 translators over the years on many projects and no two of them were the same. Believe me. I stand by this as this is very important. 

Each brand we build is distinct in its own way and can be marketed and memorable and successful with a unique blend of the translator’s languages, specialisations, services, strengths, qualifications, approach, personality and so on.

So don’t put yourself down and stop thinking “but I can’t offer anything that is that special / I don’t really stand out from the competitors / there are so many better translators out there / I’ll never be as successful as marketing my brand as [enter the name of person you admire]” etc.

Don’t forget, small gains count!

Maybe your website is just “okay” but you have killer cover letters and abundance of expertise on the desired topic and that’s how you can win clients.

Or maybe you just email potential clients much more often than your colleague and land more projects this way.

Or maybe you’ve been working on your marketing for a year now and only now start seeing results dripping in.

Sometimes, all it takes is a single (adapted) cover letter to win 3 clients within a couple of weeks (true story, as relayed by a client!).

What you can do:

• Always strive to improve your marketing just this tiny bit more – even if it’s just one small thing at a time – it may be the thing that gets you your next client.
• Compound efforts. Sometimes it takes months to land this client you want or years to build the business in the way you always wanted it to work. Just keep working and improving your marketing continuously.
• Work with what you have right now, try new methods or campaigns. Don’t wait until everything is perfect! 
• Be proactive – send that email, send that letter, send that postcard, get your homepage redone, one step at a time.

EIGHT: Personalisation is still growing strong – add a personal touch

People love a personalised approach. Everyone likes to feel special.

Businesses are aware of this, which is why personalisation is growing stronger every year. You’ve probably seen it everywhere with bigger brands trying to seem like they’re closer to you in their communications, and offering ranges of personalised products.

Forget sending mass emails and treating everyone the same. Clients want to be addressed directly, as if you were speaking only to him or her.

Circling back to the humanised branding approach, it’s the little touches that can really leave an impression and enhance your customer experience. Think tailor-made solutions, personalised quotes or proposals, showing interest in your client’s work and causes, thank you cards and willingness to adapt.

What you can do:

• Create personalised cover letters, proposals and offers.
• Personalise your emails and any email templates you are using.
• Send a thank you card at the end of each project to express your joy in working together.
• Send greetings cards on special occasions to remind them of your thoughtfulness.
• Be willing to take feedback and customer requests on board (as long as they seem reasonable)

NINE: Customer experience – embrace this number one differentiator

Customer experience is a big thing in 2020 – and it always will be.

Here’s just one proof: 86% of customers will pay more for a great customer experience.

It’s not just about attracting new customers. You should also focus on maintaining great relationships with your current clients and the clients you’d love to work with again.

To win loyal customers and maintain good relationships with your current clients, you need to get to know them, provide personalised services, and remain consistent.

Here’s what you can do:

• Request feedback from customers (via testimonials, surveys or web forms) – and learn from it. Here’s how to do it!
• Treat your customers with respect and always be helpful and friendly.
• Provide a consistent experience across all channels.
• Design a customer journey – from start to finish – and follow the steps. Aim to provide a great, personalised translation or interpreting experience that they won’t get anywhere else. 

I’ve written a whole post in improving your customer experience and add value to your services. Read it here!

TEN: Content visualisation is still on the rise. Communicate with design.

With the rise of social media and marketing content, videos, photos, and overall design approach can play a central role in representing your brand and influencing your target audience.

This stat (you know I love stats) backs up this claim nicely: LinkedIn posts that include an image have a 98% higher comment rate. But it’s just one example of many numbers like that. 

It’s remarkable that something as simple as adding an image can significantly surge your content’s success.

And because 65% of people are visual learners, appealing to the visual senses makes A LOT of sense. It’s definitely the best way to trigger a reaction. 

Words are important, but if you add a balanced design to the mix, it makes people notice them easier and magnifies impact.

What you can do:

• Add engaging, high quality imagery and design to your website, professional profiles and social communications.
• Ensure your website is easy to browse and visually appealing.
• Make the most of free tools and resources to create custom content for your brand. It’s all out there!
• Avoid using images that look too stock-y and try to find something unique that works for your brand.
• Include some personal images in your communications. Professional images on the website are preferred, but the occasional selfie of you with your cat or your next book on Instagram adds a human element your customers will love and empathise with.

Put these trends in action!

But don’t let all them overwhelm you.

Marketing trends may change, but the basics of marketing rely on good research, preparation and consistency.

With consistency, focus and clear values you want to communicate, you can build a really successful marketing approach that works for you and your clients and is developed over a period of time, rather than randomly executed. 

Need to brush up on the basics?

Download my 27-page Your Marketing Review printable workbook to see how far along you are with your marketing plan and start implementing these powerful 2020 marketing trends!