Why do some speakers consistently get hired, yet others fail to impress event planners? It has little to do with talent, and has even less to do with your desire to succeed at building a successful speaking business. The most important activity someone who is growing their speaking business is creating sustainable marketing that sticks.
Whether you are new to the speaking industry, or a seasoned veteran; I will share 3 simple ways that top ranked professional speakers create a buzz around their brand and effectively book speaking dates. (Please comment below with examples of marketing that has worked for you).
Event planners will forget about you if your brand doesn't stick with them, and your goals will slip your mind unless you make them sticky enough to hang onto. Here are 3 simple tactics that many of my high achieving clients and I have found useful:
1. Stop getting ready to get ready and speak at a few civic clubs!
Momentum beats motivation...every time! When you get out there and speak, people notice you. Civic Clubs are a fantastic place to grow your business. They won't pay you, but who attends Rotary, Optimist Club, Jaycees, and the like? They are usually filled with prominent people in the community who are influential. Influential people book speakers.
My daughter, Molly Cain, doesn't let grass grow under the feet of her speaking goals. I have been working with her for the past several months on building a successful speaking business. (Many of the techniques I use with my clients are found in my Tapping the Goldmine of Civic Clubs e-book which you can download for free here)
Incidentally, Molly suffered a traumatic brain injury 10 months ago, was in a coma for 2 weeks, went through months of intensive rehab at two different hospitals, and had to relearn how to do everything. (Speaking, walking, combing her hair, etc.) She is making a great recovery and has booked four speaking dates in the last 30 days. What is your excuse?
Are you afraid that you won't do well your first couple of times speaking? You won't! However, if you practice consistently, you can be a rock star! Now pick up that phone!
2. Write!
Blogging is a simple and free way to instantly publish your content one way that my coaching clients publish their books in a very short period of time is that they blog their way to a book. Regardless of your subject area, people are searching for the knowledge that resides in your head. Give it to them.
Writing white papers, special reports, and e-books is another terrific way to build your expertise within your niche. Creating videos of your content is also extremely profitable. Brendon Burchard is easily the best example of effective and simple video marketing. Check him out.
3. Use multiple methods of contact.
There is no silver bullet when it comes to effectively grabbing a prospect's attention. Create a marketing strategy. Email newsletters are an extremely effective way to build your list. I personally recommend MailChimp for beginning speakers because it is totally free (check with MailChimp for size and sending limitations on free accounts).
Printed mailings are also very effective, but make sure you are targeting your prospect list with accuracy. James Malinchak is a master at creating awesome mailers that have worked for a lot of speakers. Postage and printing can be expensive. Lumpy mail is also a great method of grabbing an event planner's attention. Whether you are sending a bank bag, tennis balls, or any other strange object to grab their attention; you will make an impression.
I also strongly recommend a subscriber service for speakers called Speakermatch. They are awesome at helping you get in front of the right people.
The speaking industry is strong! You do have a message inside of you, and I'd encourage you to share it with the world! What are some ways that you have successfully marketed your services?
For more information about booking The Shef for your next event, visit http://www.theshef.com or call our offices at 1-563-343-5412
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