There are many ways a business can market themselves, but it’s no secret that some are more effective and efficient than others. Here are five proven and practical ways language professionals can use to grow their business and maintain loyal clients. 1. Google AdWords marketing Google AdWords is a great way to promote your business. It empowers you to find people looking for your services by using keywords relevant to your business. Not only is it cost effective since you only pay for the ad if someone clicks on it, but you also get to manage your daily spend amount. The best part is, you know exactly where your money is going. Through Google analytics you’ll be able to analyse the number of clicks, impressions, click through rate and number of conversions, right down to your cost per click and cost per acquisition. These figures will help you realise your return on investment and opportunities. 2. Facebook marketing Facebook marketing is a relatively newer concept that a lot of businesses struggle to grasp and achieve successfully, but has massive potential. Facebook is a great way to communicate with your clients on a more personal level and is also very cost effective (it’s free to sign your business up, however it is recommended to add an ad spend to boost your posts), and measurable. Not to mention that the targeting potential is staggering. Facebook has 1 million points of data on any one of its 1.9 billion users. These points of data are based on everything we tell Facebook such as life events, to pages we like and events we’ve attended. 3. List your services in local business directories Listing yourself in online public directories such as in a Google Plus profile, has huge benefits. Times have changed and people pay for convenience. If someone is searching for your service and you’re in their geographic location, your business will appear as one of the top results. Your ranking depends on things like reviews on your profile but is great because in one easy to read snapshot, client’s will understand how close you are, what your opening hours are and the best ways to contact you. 4. Create YouTube promotional videos on your service It’s easy to see what the appeal is with video marketing. It captures almost all your audience’s senses, making your business more memorable - which is what makes the most known video platform a prime addition to any marketing strategy. Many videos even tend to go viral, unlocking the sharing potential that makes social media the marketing heaven that it is. Here, you can reach your audience by creating your own videos, and advertising on other people’s channels. Having a YouTube feed will even improve your Google ranking! It’s a win-win. 5. Get connected at business networking events and lunches Lastly, while online marketing is cost effective and specific, sometimes it is also good to just do some good old fashioned networking. The old saying that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, is tried and true; there is nothing quite like the power of a personal connection - especially in the business community. As a language professional, it is important to market your services through either Google Adwords or Facebook marketing, local directories, YouTube, or even at business networking events. These methods will help grow a linguistics business for long term success.

This article is contributed by: Ruth Brown, a canadian by birth and has been working Hong Kong for the last 12 years. At this moment i am working as a freelance translator and editor at Translation Service Hong Kong. Last but not least i am a adventure seeker who loves diving. :)