When it comes to building a successful personal speaking brand, it may seem tempting to focus on the big picture. Booking the biggest gigs, meeting the most important connections, and speaking about the most interesting topics may be a few of those big picture items for you.
Doing these things are definitely worthwhile, and they’re part of the reason why being a professional speaker is so exciting, but they are not the only way to generate success. In fact, if you try to take on these larger projects before you’re ready to do so, it could be detrimental to your career. The old adage “you can’t run before you can walk” still holds true for most things in life, and your professional speaking career is one of them.
Here, we’ll outline a few of the small steps you can take to build your brand and explain why they’re critical to getting you to greater success.
Include video content to your offerings
Pay attention, because this is important: video content is one of the most powerful pieces of marketing content.
Allowing people to see you in action is how you get hired. Video content is a great way to build your brand while giving audiences and event planners a preview of the skills you deliver. What form that content takes is up to you and your brand.
You can provide instructional vlogs, you can respond to common questions in an interview format, or if you’ve already had a speaking engagement, you can expand upon clips from the event. While it may seem like the more free content you have, the less likely people will be to pay to see you in person, the opposite is actually true.
Chances are, you know an “influencer” who is already taking full advantage of this method to grow their brand. The first that comes to our mind are entrepreneurs, life coaches, and even fitness/makeup YouTubers. These individuals have been creating free video content that not only contributes to their brand exposure, but also makes people more inclined to purchase their products and travel across the world to see them.
Video marketing is a small thing, but it can yield big results when done right. All you need is yourself, a camera, and a strong message.
Why it’s okay to take smaller speaking roles
It would be a great thing if you could decide to become a speaker one day, and have an audience of a few thousand people the next. Unfortunately, it very rarely works out this way, and that’s okay. You shouldn’t be disappointed with these smaller roles, or turn them down in the hope that something better will come along.
Getting involved at smaller events you are familiar with can be a great way to practice your skills, test out new ideas or techniques, and network with more people.
Ask event coordinators about opportunities and try to be open-minded about the answers you receive. It may surprise you how beneficial something such as a panel discussion can be to your career and your speaking skills.
Focus on helping your audience
Speakers can get so caught up in their presentations and their careers that they often forget about why they became a speaker in the first place – to use their unique message to help more people.
When you focus on providing actual useful content for every person you talk to, you have a much better chance of succeeding than if you only thought about your own desires. People like to listen to useful things, not a sales pitch. When they trust that you deliver excellent content that improves their business and their lives, people will continue to come back for more.
These little steps really do add up. Before you know it, you’ll have the background, experience, and influence to book the big events. If you have more questions, or want to get started on developing a marketing campaign for your speaker brand, we’re here to help support you. Feel free to set up a complimentary marketing planning session with our team at https://identitydental.com/cmps/.
