In September, I had the privilege of presenting for the Israel Translators Association at their annual general meeting. I was flattered when the ITA contacted me again asking me to give a similar presentation for their annual conference in Jerusalem.

I’m told that translators have some interesting challenges when it comes to marketing. Although companies regularly employ in-house translators to deal with localization, a big chunk of the market is handled by freelancers who own their own business. In many cases, the client doing the hiring cannot independently evaluate whether or not the work done is of a high quality, so it isn’t as easy as providing a portfolio of previous work. Often, clients don’t understand that translators have specific areas of expertise – much like marketing and technical writers – and that hiring someone isn’t as simple as finding someone who can read and write the languages in question.

So what works well? Having excellent references. Demonstrating your understanding of a particular market segment (think med tech, or legal, or software). Exhibiting superior communication skills – after all, a translator is hired to communicate on behalf of a client or company.

I hope my presentation can shed a little light on using today’s web tools. While this presentation has been tailored to the needs of freelance translators, I think many of the strategies and action items are relevant to professional service providers.

Related posts:

1. An introduction to social media marketing
2. Using social media tools – a case study
3. Using Social Media Tools for Corporate Branding: A Case Study

I had the pleasure of presenting at Nefesh B’Nefesh on Tuesday afternoon to a wonderful group of immigrants to Israel – some who came very recently and others who have been here much longer than I have.

My presentation provided ideas and strategy for using web-based tools to compliment traditional methods when you’re searching for a job. It’s my opinion that many of our tried-and-true methods of reaching would-be employers have a web-based corollary.

To be sure, the elements involved take some skill, industry-specific knowledge and time, but I think they can play a role in our job search today.

I finished my presentation with tips to continue your personal branding when you find employment – cataloging achievements and building connections along the way.

You can view the presentation slides here. Nefesh B’Nefesh also videotaped the seminar, and I hope to make that available here on the blog shortly.

Related posts:

1. Using Social Media Tools for Corporate Branding: A Case Study
2. An introduction to social media marketing

I was privileged to have the opportunity to present to the Israel Translators Association at their annual general meeting tonight. The attendees were a fabulous, attentive audience that asked excellent questions – it’s always a treat to present to such an intelligent group.

I gave a very short presentation as an introduction to social media marketing. My goal was to explain what it is, how it’s different from traditional and mass marketing approaches, how this particular market can use the variety of tools available and why social media works. The presentation is available below from slideshare.net and I hope you’ll give me your feedback in the comments and share it with anyone who might find the tips useful.

Related posts:

1. Using Social Media Tools for Corporate Branding: A Case Study
2. Social media marketing strategy and ROI: What's missing from your equation?
3. Using social media to promote your small business: Blogging and LinkedIn

I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the PR Newswire seminar in Israel yesterday. We had a great lineup of speakers, including Lisa Ashworth, CEO of PR Newswire Europe.

I was last on the docket to present and we were running a bit late, but was overwhelmed by the number of people who stuck around to hear me speak and asked great questions afterward. Presenting to such a receptive audience really is a delight.

This case study features RADVISION, an Israeli high tech company that is doing a brilliant job at leveraging their web presence with social media tools: blogs, Twitter and a web community. Their strategy allows them to cover both a B2B and B2C demographic at the same time, saving them precious marketing budget.

For those of you who weren’t able to attend, I’ve posted the presentation here for you to view, download or share. As always comments and feedback are welcome.

| Get your Presentation Pack

If I can finagle a little time later this week, I hope to add the mp3 file to the presentation to improve the experience for online viewers.

Related posts:

1. Using social media tools – a case study
2. Social Media Success Stories: Three Case Studies
3. Upcoming social media marketing classes: Haifa and Netanya

If you’re in Israel, don’t miss PR Newswire’s “Media Engagement on a Shoestring: Working with Media and Analysts” from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, at Rakefet Gallery Hall, Kfar Maccabiah, in Ramat Gan (Tel Aviv area for those outside Israel). You can register for this free seminar by e-mailing prnisrael@yahoo.com by close of business on Wednesday, April 29.

I’ll be presenting on how and why to use social media tools for marketing, as well as a case study of one company in Israel that has had great results in a business-to-business format.

PR Newswire invitation

The presenters look great! I hope to cover the basics of using social media for business:

• Corporate blogging: blog benefits, who should be blogging, what to post
• Twitter: benefits, how to use it, what makes Twitter different
• Web communities: user groups, forums, conditional knowledgebases – how to use them and what the potential benefits are
• All the rest: webinars, videos, newsletters and more

The amazing thing is that one Israeli company is already doing all of this and more – and they are doing it well. We’ll learn about their successes.

My hope is that all seminar attendees will go home with something they can implement, whether it’s one new idea or an entirely new strategy for marketing on the Web. There’s also a question and answer session after the presentations.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Related posts:

1. Using Social Media Tools for Corporate Branding: A Case Study
2. Using social media to promote your small business: Blogging and LinkedIn
3. Social Media Success Stories: Three Case Studies