Growing your business appears to be a hot issue on every social media platform, as well as in blogs and magazine articles. However, as marketers scramble to come up with the “perfect” solution, one growth trick goes unnoticed: speaking your way to more clients and consumers.
Imagine being on a panel with hundreds, if not thousands, of people asking you questions about your field of expertise. As you tell tales about your experiences, present case studies about clients, and provide useful industry insights, the audience instantly connects with you. Then, in the minds of your audience members, a light bulb goes out, and they recognise that YOU are an expert. Here’s our three golden rules for using public speaking to grow your brand.
1. Decide on achievable goals
What business goal(s) do you aim to achieve through speaking? Is it to increase sales? How do you raise brand awareness? Do you want to start a new social media channel? Or a combination of the two? Understanding your overarching objectives will make finding and selecting speaking engagements much easier.
2. Find the right audience
Public speaking is a sort of advertising, and all great advertising begins with a thorough understanding of your potential clientele. You can be sure to get your message in front of the correct individuals if you know who your target audience is. Consider this… A business owner seeking to attract young mothers would not place an ad in a hunting magazine, and a business owner attempting to reach baby boomers would not place an ad on a gaming website. When it comes to public speaking, the same rules apply.
Let’s pretend you’re the CEO of a software company that develops technologies for entrepreneurs. To get in front of the correct audience, you’ll want to look for conferences, podcasts, and panels. If the podcast is about health and fitness, it doesn’t matter if you know someone who can get you on a top-rated podcast. When looking for speaking opportunities, it’s critical to ensure that you’ll be in front of your desired audience. Not every speaking opportunity is made equal, and not every speaking engagement will provide the same results.
3. Send out a clear message
“Those who tell the stories rule the world,” Plato is reported to have said. This piece of advice is taken seriously by successful speakers. These speakers don’t give speeches; instead, they share inspiring and engaging lessons and tales. What is it about narrative that makes it so powerful? The human brain appears to be hardwired for storytelling, according to science. Our forefathers used stories to communicate crucial information and navigate the odd world they lived in. Modern man isn’t that dissimilar.
Without a doubt, the finest approach to attract and hold your audience’s attention is through narrative. Don’t sell yourself or your organisation to stand out from other companies and speakers. Tell stories instead. Before you embark on the speaking circuit, make sure you have a few essential statements and tales prepared. Then, as you prepare for each future event, you can adapt to suit the audience.