Posted: 23rd October 2017
There is no doubt that if YOU are your business brand, YOU also need to be the voice of your business. Speaking is such a powerful marketing tool and can help to make your business stand out from your competitors. It is a valuable resource that can often be left under-valued, especially if you find public speaking intimidating, nerve-wracking and challenging. You may worry about forgetting what you want to say, only to end up the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons.
There are many very good arguments for getting past the fear when speaking in front of your potential clients. It will:
An Authority In Your Field
By standing up and speaking in front of people, you will come across as an authority in your field, proving your expertise and value to the marketplace. It seems so normal to increase your visibility through your website and social media resources such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, so why not connect to your audience in person through public speaking?
Get Your Brand Noticed By A Wider Audience
Public speaking will allow your audience to get to know the person behind the company and of course this is “YOU”. It’s somewhat clichéd but it is so true that, “People Buy People”. By taking opportunities to speak at conferences, business meetings and even networking events, your brand will be reaching a much wider audience and potentially more of your ideal clients. Instead of hoping to connect with potential clients on a one to one basis, you can reach out to all of them at the same time when speaking, so that they naturally gravitate towards you after you have spoken.
Be Proactive And Look For Speaking Opportunities
It makes sense to incorporate public speaking into your marketing plan as it is an efficient way to get noticed and it is, after initial investment in training a really cost-effective marketing tool. You can seek out speaking opportunities at many different events and be confident enough to be proactive, contacting organisations, committees, trade shows, associations and groups. Once people become aware you are happy under the spotlight, the opportunities naturally come your way. You may even find that you are actually being paid for promoting your brand, in front of your ideal clients.
Attend Events You Would Like To Speak At
This is a good way to do your research. Watch and listen to other speakers, you can learn a lot this way, even if it is how NOT to do something with regard to speaking. You will get to know the organisers and establish a relationship so that asking for that speaking opportunity is not such a cold and self-promoting approach. It also helps when the time comes to speak, that you will already know some of those in the audience.
Re-Purpose Material
Often, I find a blog becomes a talk and a talk sometimes becomes a blog and both activities are wonderful marketing tools. So, if you are looking for ideas of what to talk about have a look through some of your previous blogs and an idea will present itself. If you get an idea for content for a talk as a result of a conversation or enquiry ask yourself “How can I re-purpose this material and create a blog from it?”
What To Do Next
If the fear is holding you back, you may be stifling opportunities to grow your business. It is time to put all that fear and anxiety to rest and get some help.
Aly Harrold is an award-winning speaking coach and active WiRe member in Kent, who has helped many people overcome their fears of public speaking, in order to deliver inspiring, helpful and motivational talks to audiences. Many have gone on to incorporate speaking into their marketing plans with positive results. For details of workshops, one to one coaching or details of the three month transformational programme – ‘Step Up And Shine Creating Confident Speakers’, contact aly@alyharrold.co.uk
