Click here to listen to the audio version of this post, Episode 14 of Kate’s Take.
We’re going to take another sharp turn here, and this time we’re headed towards speaking engagements!
Once you’ve built your platform, started growing your audience and have released a product and/or service, it’s time to start thinking about and looking into potential speaking engagements.
Why?
Well, speaking engagements can do a lot for you and for your business, like help you gain even more credibility and authority in your niche, and depending on the engagement and how focused it is in a particular niche, it can also help you win over new fans and potential customers.
Additionally, the personal interaction face-to-face that takes place between you and your already-existing audience is unlike anything you can do online. Well, you could opt for a Webinar instead, which is also a powerful way to communicate with your audience, but let’s focus on the in-person stuff for now. :)
I hear a couple of common responses from the people I mention speaking engagements to:
1) I get major stage fright and there is NO WAY I could stand up in front of an audience and present; or,
2) I’m not smart enough/good enough/knowledgeable enough/popular enough to be able to speak to an audience.
I totally get it, because that was me one month ago – seriously, one month ago.
About four months ago I was invited to be on a Google+ Hangout with Dan Franks and Jared Easley as a lead-in to their Podcasting conference in Dallas, TX, Podcast Movement.
I was really flattered that they had asked me to come on as the featured guest, and so of course, with some nervousness, I accepted.
The night before the hangout was going down, I got a text message from a friend who said, “Heads up: Dan and Jared are going to try and get you to commit to speaking at Podcast Movement on the hangout.”
I immediately started freaking out – ME?… SPEAKING AT PODCAST MOVEMENT, IN FRONT OF PEOPLE?!… – seriously, I was panicked.
After sweating and pacing my office for a while, I stopped. I looked at myself in the mirror, and I could see in my face, and in every part of my body, how freaked out I was by the thought of speaking at Podcast Movement.
In that moment, I knew I had to do it.
The more fear you feel about something, the more reason to do it
I spoke at Podcast Movement in Dallas – it was my first speaking engagement ever – and I feel great about it. I will say, I’m thankful that my first “on stage” appearance was on a panel, because I feel like this was perfect practice for the next time I’m speaking at a conference, on stage, solo.
I share this story because the fear I’m talking about is true for 90% of the population. Unless you grew up just loving to be on stage in front of an audience, speaking is a scary thing – for John, too. In fact, the #1 fear across the entire human population is the fear of public speaking.
John didn’t realize that he could get up in front of an audience and present… until he actually did it. The more he practiced, the better he became.
And sure, he had doubts about sharing his knowledge (and really, sharing himself) with an audience who potentially had no idea who he was; but he also knew this was an incredible way to grow his reach.
If speaking engagements tend to freak you out, then that’s a GOOD THING! That means they’re probably more worthwhile than you know.
It was through speaking engagements that John really put himself out there and made himself super vulnerable
It was through speaking engagements that he gained even more credibility and authority as a podcasting figure, which has really helped him grow his reach, and therefore, our business.
And it was through speaking engagements that he was able to meet and rub elbows with a ton of the “big guys” in our industry, which has resulted in life-long friendships – and that’s priceless.
Since you’ve been on The Fire Path for some time now, you know how important putting yourself out there is; what gaining credibility and authority can do for you and your business; and how building relationships is integral to your growth, both personally and professionally.
So, even if you’ve always thought speaking engagements are something you’d NEVER do, I invite you to open your mind and really think about the benefits that I’m going to dive into right now…
3 major benefits that come from speaking engagements
1. Gain even more credibility and authority in your niche and grow your reach
Being on stage, and sharing your knowledge and expertise with an audience, is a great way gain even more credibility and authority in your niche.
Why?
Well, if you weren’t an expert on your topic, then you wouldn’t have been considered for the engagement in the first place.
Also, if you’re focused in finding speaking engagements in your industry, just being included in a lineup of other experts in your industry will bring you credibility and authority by association.
For example, John’s first speaking engagement was at New Media Expo in January of 2013, barely four months after he launched. Being able to say that he spoke at New Media Expo has helped him land other speaking engagements along the way.
So the same way John uses past guests’ names to secure bigger guests, you can use conferences you’ve spoken at to secure bigger speaking engagements.
2. Win over new fans and potential customers
Speaking at a conference in your industry or niche gives you the opportunity to win over new fans and potential customers for your business by putting you in front of a group of attendees who may have never even heard of you before.
In providing valuable knowledge through your presentation, you’ll be introducing a captive audience to what you have to offer.
3. Engage face-to-face with your audience
Meeting face-to-face with those who already feel as though they know you is powerful, because no matter how well you think you know someone from interacting with them online, there is always the next level of engagement.
Meeting with your audience members in person can also help solidify trust and likeability. If you’re looking to bring your online relationships to the next level, meeting in person is a great way to make it happen.
Okay, now that you know all the benefits of speaking, you’re probably wondering how on earth you even go about land a speaking gig? GREAT question.
3 things you can be working on now that will help you get noticed in your industry or niche
1. Really define your niche
In order to get noticed in a specific niche, you have to be present within that niche.
The same way it’s easier for your ideal audience to find you based on your niche, it’s easier for industry leaders to find you based on your niche as well.
2. Establish yourself as an expert in your niche
Defining your niche is the first step – not the only step.
Once you’ve defined it, you need to really understand who your ideal audience member is so that you can start providing them with valuable information that will help them. In doing so, your audience will start looking to you for that information and view you as the expert.
3. Be consistent
When you prove to your audience that you have valuable content to offer that can help them, they’ll start to come back to you for more – but only if you’re providing that content on a consistent basis.
Pick a schedule and stick to it so that your audience not only knows your content is valuable, but that it’s also reliable (remember our walk down this path in Chapter 6?)
If you can work on doing these three things successfully, I can assure you it will not go unnoticed by the leaders in your industry or niche.
Before you know it, you’ll have people reaching out to you and requesting that you share your knowledge and expertise with their audience, too!
Speaking can be scary, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it, especially given the benefits it can have on your personal and professional growth.
This is Chapter 14 of The Fire Path, where your passions and our guidance unite! You can subscribe to Kate’s Take: The EntrepreneurOnFire Audio Blog in iTunes today to get all the latest episodes as soon as they go live.
This post was written by Kate Erickson, Content Creator and Community Manager for EntrepreneurOnFire. Ready to connect? Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Google+
The post The Fire Path 14: How to land and leverage speaking engagements appeared first on Entrepreneur On Fire Business Podcasts.
Source: EOF
