Linkedin profile and personal website - useful or not? Thread poster: Michael Kelly
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Michael Kelly 
France
Local time: 13:53
Member (2022)
German to English
+ ...
Dear all,
I would be interested to hear your opinions on two related topics:
1) Does anyone get a sizeable portion of their translations via Linkedin?
2) Does anyone get a sizeable portion of their jobs through direct contacts from their own website? If so, was it with the help of some hit-increasing like Google AdWords?
I am thinking about investing time in 1) and 2), but I would be interested to hear if it is actually worthwhile in your experience.
Thanks very mu... See more Dear all,
I would be interested to hear your opinions on two related topics:
1) Does anyone get a sizeable portion of their translations via Linkedin?
2) Does anyone get a sizeable portion of their jobs through direct contacts from their own website? If so, was it with the help of some hit-increasing like Google AdWords?
I am thinking about investing time in 1) and 2), but I would be interested to hear if it is actually worthwhile in your experience.
Thanks very much,
Michael (FR-EN and GER-EN, mostly legal and social sciences) ▲ Collapse
| | | | William Tierney
United States
Local time: 07:53
Member (2002)
Arabic to English
LinkedIn is wonderful way to have your time stolen. I am sure that if I cared enough, I could set it so I don't get links to people who also graduated from the same college, many years ago.
I appreciate some of the tech training, but other than that, no one has ever contacted me for freelance work through LinkedIn.
On direct clients from my website, I get some personal document clients, but law firms, etc., no.
Since we as freelance translators are by definition nichy, does it... See more LinkedIn is wonderful way to have your time stolen. I am sure that if I cared enough, I could set it so I don't get links to people who also graduated from the same college, many years ago.
I appreciate some of the tech training, but other than that, no one has ever contacted me for freelance work through LinkedIn.
On direct clients from my website, I get some personal document clients, but law firms, etc., no.
Since we as freelance translators are by definition nichy, does it make sense to pay for Google ad placement, or is it better to contact prospective clients with a link to your site? I use the second approach to marketing, but the main problem is I am always stopping and starting my "campaign" between assignments. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Gianni Pastore
Italy
Local time: 13:53
Member (2007)
English to Italian
| Had a profile on LinkedIn… | Oct 4, 2023 |
…for about 15 years, not a single client or job came out of it, not one. Ditched it for good last year.
I have a personal website but it's nothing more than a link I can put in my email signature.
[Edited at 2023-10-04 03:54 GMT]
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Like others I was on LinkedIn for some time but nothing came out of it. My website is just another marketing tool, it’s a place where interested direct clients and agencies can go to get more detailed information about my portfolio with examples of my translations and testimonials from previous clients. When I decided to build mine in 1998, I didn’t do it myself, but paid someone knowledgeable and experienced to do it for me. I can’t remember exactly how much it cost but it should have bee... See more Like others I was on LinkedIn for some time but nothing came out of it. My website is just another marketing tool, it’s a place where interested direct clients and agencies can go to get more detailed information about my portfolio with examples of my translations and testimonials from previous clients. When I decided to build mine in 1998, I didn’t do it myself, but paid someone knowledgeable and experienced to do it for me. I can’t remember exactly how much it cost but it should have been in the 750-1,000 EUR range including designing, developing, building, logo and domain name registration as well as translation into EN, FR, ES, IT and DE. Website hosting costs me 30 EUR each year. ▲ Collapse
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Emanuele Vacca
Italy
Local time: 13:53
Member (2020)
English to Italian
I believe that maintaining a LinkedIn profile and having a website are valuable not only for their direct benefits, such as acquiring clients, but also for establishing oneself as an authoritative and trustworthy professional. As there are cost-effective options for creating a website, it's a small investment in both time and money. After its initial setup, you'll only need to update it periodically, like when adding new services or for significant updates.
Regarding LinkedIn, some ... See more I believe that maintaining a LinkedIn profile and having a website are valuable not only for their direct benefits, such as acquiring clients, but also for establishing oneself as an authoritative and trustworthy professional. As there are cost-effective options for creating a website, it's a small investment in both time and money. After its initial setup, you'll only need to update it periodically, like when adding new services or for significant updates.
Regarding LinkedIn, some individuals advocate daily posting to maximize its potential. They claim that a significant portion of their client base comes from this platform. However, I'm somewhat sceptical about this approach. Crafting meaningful content, even a brief post, requires time, and committing to daily posts can be a substantial time commitment. My approach is to post once a week or when something noteworthy occurs. Although I'm uncertain about the immediate benefits, my primary goal is to establish myself as a reputable professional in the long run. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 05:53
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Strengthen your Proz profile because many clients arise from here. Linkedin and personal websites are a sort of personal cards.
| | | | | Ranking is the issue | Oct 5, 2023 |
While your website may be well-crafted and efficient, its value diminishes significantly if it fails to secure at least a second-page ranking in organic search results (unpaid). This is particularly true if your primary audience comprises direct clients, who typically prefer not to invest excessive time in online searches. They are more likely to encounter translation companies before discovering your website, ultimately stopping their search there.
On the other hand, when scouting ... See more While your website may be well-crafted and efficient, its value diminishes significantly if it fails to secure at least a second-page ranking in organic search results (unpaid). This is particularly true if your primary audience comprises direct clients, who typically prefer not to invest excessive time in online searches. They are more likely to encounter translation companies before discovering your website, ultimately stopping their search there.
On the other hand, when scouting for new freelance translators, translation companies often explore results beyond the second page, albeit not extensively, as long as they come across a satisfactory number of relevant search results.
Regarding LinkedIn, my knowledge is somewhat limited, but as others have pointed out, it's not advisable to place your expectations on it unless you're willing to invest a substantial amount of time in engaging with professional content. Perhaps, having a Facebook page (not a personal profile) might offer a more promising alternative, yet it also demands a significant time commitment. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Kelly
France
Local time: 13:53
Member (2022)
German to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks to all! | Oct 5, 2023 |
To all contributors,
thanks very much for your very good and useful points!
That has helped me a lot.
Kind regards,
Michael
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Emanuele Vacca wrote:
Regarding LinkedIn, some individuals advocate daily posting to maximize its potential. They claim that a significant portion of their client base comes from this platform. However, I'm somewhat sceptical about this approach. Crafting meaningful content, even a brief post, requires time, and committing to daily posts can be a substantial time commitment. My approach is to post once a week or when something noteworthy occurs. Although I'm uncertain about the immediate benefits, my primary goal is to establish myself as a reputable professional in the long run.
Maybe ProZ's new AI service will be able to write suitably vacuous daily posts for you?
| | | | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
| LinkedIn is The New Tinder | Oct 6, 2023 |
LinkedIn has turned into Tinder nowadays. It wants me to hook up with some random girls who match my profile.
No, I am not joking.
And as if that wasn't offensive enough, it often nags me to enter a verification code when I'm trying to log in since it thinks mY aCtIvItY iS sUsPiCiOuS. What, because I'm using Linux?
Honestly, I'm considering to delete my LinkedIn account. Microsoft genuinely hates me, it seems.
[Edited at 2023-10-06 01:47 GMT]
| | | | | Was about to ask the same question | Oct 6, 2023 |
After doing this for nearly 30 years without marketing myself once, I finally decided to join the 21st century and set up a website and LinkedIn page. I thought it would be worthwhile if I got just one decent client out of it, but not a sausage. Probably missing something obvious, any idea what?
| | | | Zea_Mays
Italy
Local time: 13:53
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
I don't have a Linkedin profile but a website. I get some enquiries through the site
but this has never led to any serious business.
IMO, a website is important as it is like a business card - putting your website's URL in your email footer
helps communicate that you are a professional.
I can't tell if a Linkedin profile does the same, but I think it involves quite more personal work.
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 14:53
Member
English to Turkish
I'd consider investing in CIOL membership, maybe you could get clients through there.
| | | | Jelena Delibasic
Serbia
Local time: 13:53
Member (2020)
English to Serbian
+ ...
Baran Keki wrote:
I'd consider investing in CIOL membership, maybe you could get clients through there.
I invested in CIOL membership in March this year. So far I've had one job that actually actualized. I came to the conclusion that this largely depends on your language pair.
| | | | Jelena Delibasic
Serbia
Local time: 13:53
Member (2020)
English to Serbian
+ ...
| Proz profile | Oct 13, 2023 |
Yaotl Altan wrote:
Strengthen your Proz profile because many clients arise from here. Linkedin and personal websites are a sort of personal cards.
I'm still working on my Proz profile. I do have a LinkedIn profile, which has also taken me energy and time to build it, but I think that only once a job has come from there. However, I don't have a website. I guess that the website would be nice to have. I don't think it's really a prerequisite for anything because clients usually go to Proz or LinkedIn to check you up.
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