I have worked with speakers from all walks of life. That includes speakers who are re-entering the speaking field, seasoned speakers and speakers who are brand new. I’ve been doing this since 2002, and over the years I have found key elements that will help you stand out as a speaker.
1. Create a website. This task may seem daunting at first, but don’t let it scare you. You only need to create a simple website to start out with and then tweak it as you go.
You can hire someone to create a simple and professional looking website for you, but make sure you aren’t spending thousands of dollars.
A website is important because this is where planners will go to find out more about you, and if they should hire you!
Your website should have a clear message of what you do and how you help your audience.
Make sure that you have all of your marketing material ready to download and a demo video that is easily found. It’s key to have a separate page for planners to make sure that everything they need can be found in one place.
The more they understand what you are all about, and the easier it is for them to contact you, the faster you can get hired!
2. Niche Yourself: In order to stand out in the crowd of other speakers, you need to be unique.
Think about your target market and focus on it. Find a group that is specialized and that you have a connection with.
The tighter your niche is, the more opportunities will come your way. You may be questioning my logic there. It is a difficult concept for some to understand, by limiting your audience, you actually can gain more opportunities. But it’s true!
When you niche down to a specific target group, you can become an expert in that field, which will lead to so many more speaking opportunities because planners are looking for experts.
Make sure whatever area you pick to niche down in, you exude confidence.
3. Set Up Your Social Media Platforms to Be Branded: Social media is a fun and exciting tool for speakers to use, but you have to make sure you are using it correctly in order to help your business.
Everything you post online should match your website and your message. Make sure you are using clear, consistent and beautiful images.
By staying consistent you start to build trust with your audience. While you build trust, people will start to remember you and start to go to your page more often.
Use video tools that are on social media right now to get in front of your audience. Go on Facebook or Instagram live, talk to your audience so they can see you and get to know you. Be interactive and helpful in your comments and messages. Don’t make your focus all on selling.
Use social media to connect to your audience freely and build relationships!
Planners are watching what you’re doing on social, so make it count.
4. Find Out What Your Audience Wants: In order to gain credibility and to make sure you are forming a connection with your audience you should find out what their wants and their needs are.
If you don’t know this, you will struggle, and it will become difficult to become booked on a regular basis.
So, make sure you are doing your homework. Write on your social media and ask your audience what they are in need of.
Reach out to your mailing list and see if there is anything that they would want from you. Knowing your audience is a key element in making sure that you get booked and get asked to return.
These four steps will get you started, but of course, there is always more you could be doing.
My goal is to make sure that I’m teaching you how to grow your business, build a strong platform, share your message, and help others. It’s your job to implement them into your own business.
Most important is to just keep moving forward.
Want to dive into more speaking tips?
Watch this video here on how to become a Free to 10K Speaker
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