Supercharge marketing and draw German visitors your way

by | Apr 28, 2022 | Content Marketing translated

My recent project was the translation of a flyer for a local tourist bureau. It was an abstract of the county with essential info “on a glance” for individual travelers and groups, for travel agencies and business travelers. What was so special about?

By itself or on top of other international business outreach, such a flyer is an effective step to initiate outreach activity and communication with foreign tourists, travel agencies and international (local) companies.

The multi-purpose of a beautifully designed, written and translated flyer is countless.

Here are just a view ideas on its multi-use:

  • post it on your website for your foreign website visitors to get an individualized Welcome in their language
  • post it to Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. to show your openness to other cultures
  • send the flyer per email as outreach to foreign language tourist bureaus
  • send the flyer within the response email to received inquiries from visitors of that language (hint: even when they inquire in your language)
  • print flyer and hang it up in the local tourism office or other bureaus/convention centers/chambers of commerce for foreign by-passers
  • send the flyer to international companies who meet with international clients and associations

…get creative and write further ideas in the comments below

 

What is the essential info that best presents your region, county, city, etc. at a glance?

There are view elements that just sums it up far and wide:

  • a simplified (illustrated) map of the city/region/county/state…
  • a few key info of that city, region, etc. – a paragraph fast to read and crap attention
  • a bullet point list of the attractions close by and further away
  • graphics of local photographer(s) with credits
  • a contact person, title, address, website, phone number
  • social media info
  • a list of annual special events
  • a table with neighboring cities and areas, the distances and the driving times

and finally: A call to action – request a kit, a brochure, etc. and a #hashtag for social networks buzz

 

A graphically attractive flyer with useful info is not only business-friendly, it also is cost and time efficient because you can use it year after year after year.

In your favorite graphics tool, such as In-Design, Publisher or Canva (even the comprehensive free version is sufficient), create a template that integrates all your brand elements. After the initial flyer is completed with all info and graphics, in the following year, you only need to update specific info such as events, possibly attractions and graphic artists and such.

Translators are using tools to be efficient with their translation. If you are working with the same translator or agency, you might get fee reductions due to existing translations and recycling of previous translations (more about in a next blog post where I elaborate on the human species “translators” and how to work with them).

It is one step, maybe the first, maybe the only step to reaching out to foreign tourists in their language and make them feel welcome! Imagine the ripples this one gesture can make.

With that, go create this one or two page flyer of your region or property and we can help you translate it into German language.

Bilingual Calendar Shenanigans

Bilingual Calendar Shenanigans

by | Jan 13, 2022 | Content Marketing translated

Currently, I am planning our trip to Europe this summer. We will be traveling to Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Czech Republic to visit family, doing some research and business.
But mostly, we will be in Germany. A close ally with lots of travel planning experience is my mother in Germany. The first thing she told me was to check the German holidays and school break schedule as those days and weeks would influence prices, possible reservation needed for popular destinations, transportation, and crowdedness in trains, planes and on the Autobahn. And that schedule is not uniform in all Germany. German public holidays, except for the German Unity Day, are determined by the federal states (“Bundesländer”), however, school holiday breaks may vary from region to region.

 

Following are very handy websites for getting informed about those dates.

 

In English:

 

Und in Deutsch:

 

You also should take those days well in consideration when doing business in Germany. Yes, for traveling to Germany but also for planning on
  • launching a new product or service,
  • having an email campaign where you like to engage Germans in Germany, or
  • holding international meetings – online or offline on site –
to name just a few other occasions.

 

Learn another language and help boost the tourism industry

by | Aug 24, 2015 | Translation Strategy done!, Trends & Events translated

“Taxi drivers should learn the basics of one or two other languages in order to be able to communicate with foreign tourists.”

Earlier this year, I had shared a link on Facebook to an article about a speech at a Taxi Association division meeting. It said further “Taxi drivers are among the frontliners in the tourism industry. You should equip yourselves with basic language skills so that you can at least greet tourists and ask where they want to go in their own language.”

I couldn’t forget this article and how right it was in its saying that basics of other languages would also improve quality of their service besides helping to boost the tourism industry. It was so obvious. And I started pondering which other professions are frontliners in the tourism industry. Here is what I came up with:

Hotel Receptionists

Restaurant Waiters/Waitresses

Taxi Drivers

Hotel Concierges

City Bus Drivers

Restaurant Hosts/Hostesses

Tour Guides

Tourism Information Center Staff

I am sure there are more…. Let us know!

Although Tourism is the fourth-largest industry in Washington, we became last year the only state in the US with no statewide tourism office and no money from the state to promote our state to travelers. The Washington Tourism Alliance was formed to coordinate state wide marketing and continue branding efforts and take over existing assets, such as Washington’s fabulous state website. We all have it now in our own hands!

Let’s all do something to help boost tourism!