When it comes to marketing your business, one of your biggest tools will always be yourself. People buy from people, and the more you can get yourself out there being seen, heard, and engaging with potential customers, the more leads you will find. For many, including myself, this means workshops and speaking engagement. But with the pandemic lockdown, you need to access new tools to be successful, especially if you’re just starting out with this form of marketing.
Turning Public Speaking into Virtual Speaking
In many ways, this pandemic has forced businesses to pivot. However, their marketing is often at the end of that list. For those who relied on in-person conferences and workshops, they may feel out in the cold. But in many ways, this has allowed the bar to be lowered, not raised when it comes to reaching your audience.
Go From Seminar to Webinar
For those public speakers used to in-person seminars, workshops, and other live speaking engagements: you’ve already got the skills, but you’ll need new tools. Invest in a good camera and lighting, find a recording platform that works for you, and promote it online. Free webinars are a great place to start. Also, look at partnering with the same groups you used to work with offline.
Stream and Engage on Social Media
Tapping into social media is a great resource to go virtual. Not only do the major platforms allow for video, but many also include live-streaming options. If you’ve got a strong social media following, you’re over halfway there! If not, collaborate with more established partners in the field or start building your followers through social media marketing.
Be a Guest On (and Maybe Even Start) a Podcast
Over the last few months, I’ve been on more than 25 podcasts as a guest speaker. It’s been a lot of fun and gained our company sales leads. Not only do you get to take advantage of the host’s large listener base, but you can also expand your network as many hosts were also guests on other podcasts (and can get you on them as well). You can also look at starting a podcast: be warned, it takes a lot of work.
Before You Start, Learn and Practice!
Speaking of work, whether you’re just starting public speaking entirely or on the virtual platform, you must do your homework. A few tips to start out:
- Have the hardware: a good camera (standalone or mounted phone), lighting, and a reliable internet connection. Same with your background and your appearance!
- Learn the basics: There are a lot of great resources online to help you up your public speaking game! For female entrepreneurs, I recommend the Speaker Sisterhood.
- Practice makes perfect: Even if you’re only speaking to a camera and not a crowd, get comfortable doing it. Get notes, make slides, and practice. Have your friends on for an informal event.
Public speaking is hard work, but if you can do it, it is the best marketing out there. You can make it work for 2021 and beyond.
Want to learn more about how to make public speaking and other forms of marketing can work for your business? Interested in learning more about my role as a public speaker or to book me for your own podcast or webinar? Contact Vision today and we’ll talk!
