Linkfluence

The first project involved adapting Linkfluence’s French website to an American context, targeting communications and marketing directors and social media experts.

I’ve been working closely with their growing team ever since, gaining valuable insight and knowledge into social media monitoring in the process.

Case study

June 2010

Linkfluence sets out to conquer the North American market

Linkfluence, an award-winning start-up founded in 2006, is a marketing and public opinion studies institute specialized in segmenting, analyzing, and mapping the social Web community by community. Headquartered in Paris, Linkfluence recently opened an office in Germany and is now setting out to conquer the North American market.

“Our Web site is the driving force behind our communications targeting corporate decision-makers, public institution leaders as well as communication agencies,” explains Guilhem Fouetillou, Linkfluence’s co-founder and Web site author. “The stakes were high. We were looking for an American copywriter able to adapt, rhythm, and orchestrate our site for a completely different audience and to propel Linfluence’s brand image across the Atlantic.”

Choosing the right partner

The company met me through a workshop at Ujjef run by Anthony Hamelle, then Linfluence’s Research Department Director. A few months later, she won the project to adapt the site for the North American marketing campaign launch.

Linkfluence had consulted several service providers. “Patricia’s approach was professional, centered on advising the client. She explained clearly what makes for a good translation, her commitment to building a long-term collaboration with us, and convinced us that the services she offers surpass a simple translation.”

Trust and dialog: the keys to a successful project

Linkfluence and I had taken the time to get to know one another. The mutual trust and ease that are the cornerstones of a smooth collaboration were in place at the project’s start.

“As a result, we gave Patricia a free hand to adapt, rewrite, and often edit the source texts to get straight to the point,” underscores Guilhem.

“Patricia takes full hold of a text to ensure it crosses borders and supports the company’s strategy. To guarantee key messages hit home, she does not hesitate to work with the author to distill his intent and clarify his prose.”

Because laying out a text for publication often creates unexpected errors, I always includes a review of the galleys before giving the green light for print or on-line publication.  The client-service provider partnership built over time proved invaluable. “This last phase in the project is taxing and time-consuming for everyone. Patricia offered to undertake this review ‘live’ to help us save time. We did not hesitate in giving her full access to our back-office.”

Enjoyable collaboration and measurable ROI

The collaboration was perfect from start to finish, with both parties acting proactively to meet a tight on-line publication deadline.

“We had appropriate and relevant exchanges throughout the project as Patricia intuitively finds the right balance between raising questions and taking initiatives. The services provided fulfilled all our expectations and requirements. Everyone is delighted with the results. The English version of the Web site has already reached the same audience share as the French site and the marketing and sales campaign if off to a great start since the site went live.”

“Don’t hesitate. If you have critical needs and you wish to rely on a professional who will invest herself fully in your project, work with Patricia!”