Is it a good idea to include my ProZ.com profile link on business cards if I set up my own website? Thread poster: Lara Barnett
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Lara Barnett 
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:59
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
I am thinking of setting up my own website with a company name. Up to now I have always given out my Proz.com profile page address when marketing myself. As I am also hoping to get my first business cards printed, I unsure whether it would be advisable to put both web links on the business card, or whether the proz address would be irrelevant if I had my own website - which may be easier to read for outsiders, and which would obviously contain a link to my proz profile page.
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 02:59
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| I can't see any advantage | Sep 23, 2012 |
Hello Lara,
I use my ProZ.com profile link everywhere, but I don't have a website. I think if I did have one then I'd be much better off using that and dropping the ProZ.com link. Potential clients may find a lot of useful information about you here, but they also find an easy way of contacting many, many other translators. I'm sure a certain, small percentage of people who follow my link end up finding another translator for their work. It's a risk I'm prepared to take - after all,... See more Hello Lara,
I use my ProZ.com profile link everywhere, but I don't have a website. I think if I did have one then I'd be much better off using that and dropping the ProZ.com link. Potential clients may find a lot of useful information about you here, but they also find an easy way of contacting many, many other translators. I'm sure a certain, small percentage of people who follow my link end up finding another translator for their work. It's a risk I'm prepared to take - after all, it's only a small negative against a large positive - but I'm sure you'd do better pointing them towards your own site first.
That's my personal opinion.
Sheila ▲ Collapse
| | | | Adam Podstawczynski (X)
Local time: 03:59
Polish to English
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| Your Website only. | Sep 23, 2012 |
Hi Lara,
As you mentioned in another thread, you are mostly interested in marketing your services directly to clients (as opposed to agencies).
A direct client will be interested in your Website; most of them may not even know ProZ.com. Adding a link to an "obscure" (from their point of view) Web page may only confuse them.
Imagine yourself looking at a florist's business card with one link to their Web page and another to a community site you have never h... See more Hi Lara,
As you mentioned in another thread, you are mostly interested in marketing your services directly to clients (as opposed to agencies).
A direct client will be interested in your Website; most of them may not even know ProZ.com. Adding a link to an "obscure" (from their point of view) Web page may only confuse them.
Imagine yourself looking at a florist's business card with one link to their Web page and another to a community site you have never heard of.
Including just a single Web link, preferably with your own domain name (so no slashes), will suffice and, more importantly, will make the message on your business card clearer.
At least this is what I do
Adam
[Edited at 2012-09-23 12:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 03:59
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| Personal and...shared | Sep 23, 2012 |
Sheila Wilson wrote:
Hello Lara,
I use my ProZ.com profile link everywhere, but I don't have a website. I think if I did have one then I'd be much better off using that and dropping the ProZ.com link. Potential clients may find a lot of useful information about you here, but they also find an easy way of contacting many, many other translators. I'm sure a certain, small percentage of people who follow my link end up finding another translator for their work. It's a risk I'm prepared to take - after all, it's only a small negative against a large positive - but I'm sure you'd do better pointing them towards your own site first.
That's my personal opinion.
Sheila
Hi Lara,
I agree with Sheila, and am doing the same thing without having my own professional website yet.
If you want to secure direct/end clients, then a link to your personal website is much more effective. If, on the other hand, you want to find agencies, then the link to your ProZ.com profile might be helpful. But keep in mind: you want clients to find you and not some other translator. (Although a referral would be nice ).
Best,
Thayenga
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Alex Lago
Spain
Local time: 03:59
English to Spanish
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| I would say no | Sep 23, 2012 |
Your business card should have relevant information on how people can contact you, if you are already giving them your own website there is no need to give them access to your Proz profile.
After all if they have your business card and they use it (i.e. contact you) it is more likely than not that they have a job query, so why send them somewhere that gives them access to 1000s of "competitors"?
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 21:59
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Option: Link to ProZ from your website | Sep 23, 2012 |
I do not have my ProZ profile on my business card. However, I do have a link to my ProZ page on my website (under "Check my Availability"). AFAIK, when visitors access your ProZ page, they do not have access to other translators (unless they re-enter the site manually).
| | | | Lara Barnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:59
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks everybody for your advice. It has been really helpful.///
Though I am starting to wonder if it really will be that profitable to set myself up with a website and company name. So many people seem to do well enough without one.
[Edited at 2012-09-23 17:54 GMT]
| | | | Alex Lago
Spain
Local time: 03:59
English to Spanish
+ ...
Jeff Whittaker wrote:
AFAIK, when visitors access your ProZ page, they do not have access to other translators (unless they re-enter the site manually).
Have you ever looked at your profile (as a client would)? You are only one click away from the home page, sure some people may not bother searching the website but anyone who does will have no problem accessing all the other translators and there is no need for them to re-enter the site they can do it from your profile, it is all there for them already.
And seeing it has a huge logo saying "Proz.com The Translation Workplace" anyone looking for a translator would be silly not to check out the site.
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Emma Goldsmith
Spain
Local time: 03:59
Member (2004)
Spanish to English
| Yes, it's worth it | Sep 23, 2012 |
LaraBarnett wrote:
I am starting to wonder if it really will be that profitable to set myself up with a website and company name.
I would definitely recommend getting your own website. It's much more personal than a ProZ profile (however much you customise it) and outsourcers can get a better idea of the person behind your profile.
Nearly everyone who finds me in a directory search clicks through my ProZ profile to my website, and contacts me from the website. It's made a big difference to me. It's not a big expense at all, so I don't think profitability is a major issue.
And the simple fact of having your own domain name and email address looks more professional too.
| | | | Lara Barnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:59
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thank you for your feedback. That is important to know. How do you put your website link into your profile anyway? Is there an option for that in Edit Profile?
| | | | | profile editor | Sep 23, 2012 |
LaraBarnett wrote:
How do you put your website link into your profile anyway? Is there an option for that in Edit Profile?
Ciao Lara
You can add your website URL by clicking on your profile (you must be logged in first), then on the Profile Updater tab, and after that on Contact (on the left).
| | | | Shai Navé
Israel
Local time: 04:59
English to Hebrew
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| Personal website is the better option | Sep 23, 2012 |
I too recommend a personal website over a Proz profile, Linkedin profile or any other similar community. With a personal website you have much more control over the structure of information (both type and organization), so your can tailor it to best suit you specific needs and preferences, and it is more scalable and customizable.
I would link to any other professional online profile that you have (Proz, Linkedin, etc.), mostly for reassurance purposes, as much as it is possible these days... See more I too recommend a personal website over a Proz profile, Linkedin profile or any other similar community. With a personal website you have much more control over the structure of information (both type and organization), so your can tailor it to best suit you specific needs and preferences, and it is more scalable and customizable.
I would link to any other professional online profile that you have (Proz, Linkedin, etc.), mostly for reassurance purposes, as much as it is possible these days, to show that you are not a (fraudulent) virtual entity but a real professional, though the emphasize should be on the content of your website and not on linking to other resources. Also, be sure to link from your website to the aforementioned major professional online profiles (no need to overdo it and/or link to "personal" profiles, if you use any for that purpose) and from those profiles back to your website.
Also, there is the hybrid option. You can buy your domain name and forward it (=the traffic) to your Proz (or other online) profile or to a "Personal homepage" (there are many services that offer such a service such as about.me and flavors.me, to name only two). The advantage here is that if you don't have or want a full fledged personal website because your online profile is sufficient or that a personal homepage suits your current needs better, you can use your domain name, which is easier to remember than the direct Proz profile URL, but refer to your already established profile or your newly created personal homepage, but I, personally, less recommend it.
In any case, if you do end up buying a domain name, don't forget to supplement it by creating a personalized email address and use it for your business purposes. It may or may not make a difference in practice, but I think that in general it reflects a more professional attitude.
[Edited at 2012-09-23 20:27 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 03:59
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| Why not mention both? | Sep 23, 2012 |
LaraBarnett wrote:
I unsure whether it would be advisable to put both web links on the business card, or whether the Proz.com address would be irrelevant if I had my own website.
I think ProZ.com is so well-known in the translation world that it would be a good idea to mention your ProZ.com profile URL in addition to your own web site's URL.
Samuel
| | | | | You can have one | Sep 24, 2012 |
Adam Podstawczynski wrote: Hi Lara, As you mentioned in another thread, you are mostly interested in marketing your services directly to clients (as opposed to agencies). A direct client will be interested in your Website; most of them may not even know ProZ.com. Adding a link to an "obscure" (from their point of view) Web page may only confuse them. Imagine yourself looking at a florist's business card with one link to their Web page and another to a community site you have never heard of. Including just a single Web link, preferably with your own domain name (so no slashes), will suffice and, more importantly, will make the message on your business card clearer. At least this is what I do Adam [Edited at 2012-09-23 12:55 GMT]
Now you have already been the regular member with ProZ. com, which brings the international clients to you normally via this channel. And for your local marketing, a website may prevail based on some promotional measures, and more often, you have to pay for ads. Nonetheless, it’s usually worth the effort, if you do wish to further explore the local clients.
In most cases, a link to ProZ.com profile being printed on the business card doesn’t seem to make much sense, as Adam said, most of them may not even know ProZ.com .
| | | | | Cross-linking ProZ.com profile and website | Sep 24, 2012 |
Hello all,
LaraBarnett wrote:
I am thinking of setting up my own website with a company name. Up to now I have always given out my Proz.com profile page address when marketing myself. As I am also hoping to get my first business cards printed, I unsure whether it would be advisable to put both web links on the business card, or whether the proz address would be irrelevant if I had my own website - which may be easier to read for outsiders, and which would obviously contain a link to my proz profile page.
Regardless of whether you decide to include in your business cards a link to your ProZ.com profile or not, Lara, you can still link to your ProZ.com profile from your website and also to your website from your ProZ.com profile.
To link from your website to your ProZ.com profile (using the ProZ.com logo), simply follow the instructions here. To link from your ProZ.com profile to your website, just enter your website URL into the "Website" field via your Profile Updater.
Hope this helps!
Lucia
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