In 2025 the right marketing strategy can transform even the smallest LSP from invisible vendor to indispensable partner.
Why marketing now decides who wins
Buyers no longer ring every agency in the directory; they search, binge content and shortlist quietly. In a Forrester survey 74 % of business buyers said they complete more than half of their research online before speaking to a supplier (forrester.com). Another study found that buyers consume an average of 13 pieces of content – eight from vendors and five from third parties – before choosing a provider (martech.org). If your insight is not in that pile, your proposal may never reach their desk.
Master your digital front door
Most successful LSPs began by rebuilding their websites around high-intent keywords such as ‘medical translation UK’ and publishing fortnightly articles answering client questions. The tactic mirrors what bigger rivals do: TransPerfect, RWS and others maintain hundreds of service-and-sector pages so that whatever a prospect types, the search engine offers them a door in.
Practical tip: audit your site as if you were the buyer. Can they see your sector expertise in two clicks? Is there a clear call to action? A single well-optimised page that speaks to a painful niche problem often outranks sprawling generic copy.
Put faces and videos to your expertise
Google research shows around 70 % of B2B buyers watch video during the purchasing journey (vidico.com). Video tours of your localisation workflow or a candid three-minute lesson on subtitle QC do more than inform – they trigger the ‘I know these people’ effect, releasing oxytocin that deepens trust. LinkedIn’s algorithm currently rewards native video; even a modest clip recorded on a good phone can reach thousands of viewers.
Referrals still close the biggest deals
Data from Sagefrog’s 2023 B2B survey confirms that referrals remain the top source of quality leads for 65 % of companies (99firms.com). CSA Research’s interview with the CEO of Gemino adds colour: “We won two big tenders that we were invited to thanks to recommendations by longstanding clients.” (csa-research.com). Weave a gentle referral request into every post-project review and offer a free multilingual style-guide check to any contact your clients introduced. One referral became a six-figure framework agreement.
Focus on the few with account-based marketing
Spray-and-pray email is dying. Instead, leading LSPs curate micro-campaigns for a shortlist of dream accounts. A Demand Gen benchmark shows 76 % of marketers report higher ROI from account-based marketing than from any other tactic (megaleads.com).
Craft a one-page localisation audit or a mock-up of your prospect’s translated UI, the testosterone-spiking competitive edge comes from demonstrating you already understand their world.
Walk the halls – virtual and real
Industry conferences are still where relationships accelerate. The lesson: conferences are still where relationships accelerate.
If a full stand is beyond budget, attend with intent – schedule coffee with three prospects, ask sharp questions in sessions and post a live LinkedIn reflection that tags the speakers.
Partner up to punch above your weight
Strategic alliances let smaller agencies offer enterprise-grade tech without the R&D burden. In 2024 Group-Q signed an exclusive partnership with Pangeanic to bring its AI language solutions to North American corporates – a move that instantly expanded both firms’ reach (slator.com). L
ook for complementary tech vendors, regional specialists or marketing agencies that serve clients you would love to localise for, and craft a joint offer.
The road ahead
The formula is simple to state, demanding to execute:
Be findable – optimise and educate. Be memorable – show your faces and your know-how on video and at events. Be recommended – delight current clients and ask for introductions. Be focused – tailor high-touch campaigns to the accounts that can transform your P&L.
Ready to put your name on your buyers’ shortlists? Share one marketing tactic you will test this quarter in the comments.
PS: we offer partnership with LSP as a regional language vendor for Ukrainian and Polish translation, conference interpreting and DTP. Contact us for more detailed information: +44 757 898 17 92 or mail@translatorsfamily.com
by Oleg Semerikov, CEO of Translators Family
