Public Speaking As Marketing Tool For Small Business
Public Speaking As Marketing Tool For Small Business:
Setting aside the issue of stage fright and fear of public speaking for the moment (which is the biggest barrier people face in getting started in doing seminars or public speaking) let's open up the floor to the topic of using public speaking engagements as a marketing tool.
Sure, I "beat the drum" about public speaking as a super-effective marketing tool because, after all, my area of expertise is in how to do seminars, preparing effective presentations & talks, how to have stellar presentation skills, the logistics and mechanics of the details of doing public speaking and seminars, and of course, getting rid of barriers to doing public speaking such as stage fright and public speaking fear...
...to be fair and balanced, I do see public speaking and seminars as part of a larger marketing and promotion plan for small business owners - I'm partial to public speaking and seminars just because it's fast, it's easy, it's inexpensive (and even free), it's fun, and it's highly effective.
So when it comes to actually getting out there and doing it, there's a ton of issues involved, and you might not be surprised to hear that I get a huge number of questions about the marketing aspect such as: how do I get booked? Is the fact that no one has ever heard of me going to stop me from getting speaking gigs? How much should I charge? Who should I contact?
And so on.
Do you have questions about marketing yourself as a speaker?
I've got a lot to say on the subject based on my long-time experience, mistakes I've made, successes I've had, and some mind-set changes I've had to make in order to further my speaking and seminar success.
Let's open the floor to discussion on this topic right here, right now.
What are your questions?
I'll offer my best insights based on my experience - and let's all jump in because we'll all benefit from the exchange - and yes, I will even welcome opposing viewpoints!
Remember, I want this "forum" to be about you and your needs and wants, so if this topic is of interest to you, I welcome your questions as well as hearing about what's working or not working when it comes to using public speaking and seminars as a marketing tool.
Let the discussion begin!
David
PS: You betcha that I'm dedicated and passionate about your seminar speaking success!
The American Seminar Academy
Setting aside the issue of stage fright and fear of public speaking for the moment (which is the biggest barrier people face in getting started in doing seminars or public speaking) let's open up the floor to the topic of using public speaking engagements as a marketing tool.
Sure, I "beat the drum" about public speaking as a super-effective marketing tool because, after all, my area of expertise is in how to do seminars, preparing effective presentations & talks, how to have stellar presentation skills, the logistics and mechanics of the details of doing public speaking and seminars, and of course, getting rid of barriers to doing public speaking such as stage fright and public speaking fear...
...to be fair and balanced, I do see public speaking and seminars as part of a larger marketing and promotion plan for small business owners - I'm partial to public speaking and seminars just because it's fast, it's easy, it's inexpensive (and even free), it's fun, and it's highly effective.
So when it comes to actually getting out there and doing it, there's a ton of issues involved, and you might not be surprised to hear that I get a huge number of questions about the marketing aspect such as: how do I get booked? Is the fact that no one has ever heard of me going to stop me from getting speaking gigs? How much should I charge? Who should I contact?
And so on.
Do you have questions about marketing yourself as a speaker?
I've got a lot to say on the subject based on my long-time experience, mistakes I've made, successes I've had, and some mind-set changes I've had to make in order to further my speaking and seminar success.
Let's open the floor to discussion on this topic right here, right now.
What are your questions?
I'll offer my best insights based on my experience - and let's all jump in because we'll all benefit from the exchange - and yes, I will even welcome opposing viewpoints!
Remember, I want this "forum" to be about you and your needs and wants, so if this topic is of interest to you, I welcome your questions as well as hearing about what's working or not working when it comes to using public speaking and seminars as a marketing tool.
Let the discussion begin!
David
PS: You betcha that I'm dedicated and passionate about your seminar speaking success!
The American Seminar Academy
posted by David Portney at
1:30 PM
2 Comments:
David,
I have spent a lot of time developing some great seminars and they have been well-received by the attendees. I've taught at some adult education centers around So. Cal., but what marketing methods would be effective at reaching companies and organizations who haven't heard of me yet?
Hi Ken,
There's quite a number or approaches you can use to reach companies and organizations - and I'm going to have to make the presumption that you want to reach them so they'll hire you/your firm to conduct trainings on your area of specialization - lie detection - so I'll base my answer on that.
Now, to be fair, because you and I did meet at one of my workshops, and you did email letting me know that your time is tight, I'm also going to simply offer only two suggestions of the many I can think of and this will be based on what I know about you/your company.
I say take a direct approach and contact companies in your target market that are most likely to need and want your services now. Since your time is very limited, I suggest you approach some business departments at a few local colleges and universities and ask to speak to some classes about your topic, and let the dept. heads know you're looking to recruit some summer / part time help.
Speak to the class about your business, teach a little about lie detection to get them highly interested and curious, and let them know that there is one part time position open as an intern - business students badly need real-world experience to put on their resumes, so this is an easy sell for you, Ken.
Have this intern do some serious "dialing for dollars" for you making cold calls using a script you give him/her. Yes, you'll have to take a step back to recruit and some quick training, but you stand to reach a very large amount of businesses that you just don't have time (or perhaps inclination) to cold-call yourself personally.
Be sure to leverage your media exposure as well - you've done radio and other interviews, and you know that that lends more credibility for you and your company.
Now, before I close, here's one more idea of the many I've got for you: find existing seminars/boot camps that have a "theme" your topic fits into and contact the seminar organizer/promoter - tell him/her you want to PAY THEM to speak at their boot camp-BEFORE YOU STOP READING-you'll pay them out of sales of your self-study course... offer to speak for 90 minutes, deliver 80 minutes of solid content and 10 minutes of soft-selling of your course - the split should be 20% and up but not higher than 50%. This way you generate sales and "get paid to speak" without costing the seminar promoter a dime (makes getting the gig easier than asking to get paid to speak) and you'll reach a ton of people in the seminar, and that will lead to yet more sales and training inquiries for your company.
Whew! Just those 2 ideas alone can really get you a ton of new business!
Best of luck Ken! Keep in touch and let us know how you're doing.
Anyone else have some good suggestions for Ken?-please post your comments right here on the Seminar Speaking Success blog.
David
Post a Comment
<< Home