If you are wanting speaking gigs, I'm going to assume several things:
Let's Look at Reality FirstThe reality is that, if you're not known as a speaker, and your website (or other marketing materials) are not professionally done, you may be having speaking engagements in 6 months time from now that, if you don't fix something, you may not get; however, if you fix the leak in the proverbial bucket, you may be getting speaking engagements in a few months (or even a year) by not having to contact conferences. When you write to a conference, they generally have a type of a speaker in mind (and want someone they know or others know or that has a clear story that shines through that they see as the perfect speaker for the conference). If your marketing doesn't appeal to them, they likely have many other people in line wanting to speak at their conference. This brings us to the first important point: You Need Professional MarketingIf you are hoping to deliver an exceptional speech at a widely-known conference, the organizers are going to be looking at your website, your speaking materials, and many other things online about you and your speaking gigs in the past. The conference organizers are, in business terms, considered your gatekeepers. They will be the ones deciding if you get the green light or not. Therefore, your appearance online is of utmost importance. Not only do you need professional marketing, you also need your own reputation management done so that if anyone says something about you or your speaking gigs online, you will know about it and can find the best method to respond to it, if needed. These two things are essential to making a great impression to the decision makers. You Need to Build a Social FollowingYou need to be actively engaging with your own audience that you wish to speak with - usually this is best done online. If your target audience is generally online, you need to be posting and engaging with them on a daily basis, especially through encouraging words that help them get through whatever situations they're going through right now. The major idea for building a social following is that, eventually, you can have an organic team of people who can request you to speak at conferences and help your speaking engagements get more known so your speaking can reach more people. You also need to make sure that any graphics you have on your social media profiles are professionally done so that you don't turn people away from your profiles. Since you're a speaker, it's best to also do a lot of videos as well. Another important method is inspiring people through webinars. You then also get their contact information and can follow up with them and, if they want it, you can also add them on your newsletter list to be able to reach them more times. You Need to Write the Book That Will Help Your Target AudienceAs a society, we are moving more and more away from the traditional book, but people are still buying books, even if it's an ebook. The point is that, if you are wanting to reach your target audience, you need to have multiple methods of doing so. Writing a professional book means that you're also seen as an authority to them, as well, which is another plus. Whatever situation they're going through right now, you can write on that topic and help as many in your target audience as possible. Don't get too bogged down on the fact that you need to write the book, and just write it. Too many people get an idea in their head, and that idea rarely makes it to paper, and if it makes it to paper, it rarely gets published. But, that won't be you, right? Because you know that you have a purpose to serve, and you will make sure to get out there what needs to be said so that it can reach the right people, in the right timing, using the right methods. You Need a Website That Will Book YouAs a website designer, I've seen good and bad websites, and everything in between. This being said, speakers aren't excluded from that. A website doesn't just need to look nice; it needs to be user-friendly and help you get leads. Also, the website needs to get found in order to help the website owner. Too many web design companies put a focus on design and don't focus on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), how the website gets found on search engines like Google and Yahoo. If you want to get more speaking gigs, being found organically (meaning not through paid methods) on search engines is critical. Once they're on the website, the conference organizers need to see a clear call to action (CTA) to be able to book you, as well as answers to their most important questions. You Need to Get Your Target Audience's Contact InformationAs mentioned earlier, webinars are a great way to get your target audience's contact information, but another essential way is by giving them something in exchange for their email address (and name). Then, you can keep emailing them a newsletter telling them what is going on in your speaking career and ways that you can help them with what they are going through in life. There's something called a "lead magnet," which is a booklet designed to attract their attention enough to get their email address in exchange for you giving it to them. It can help them through one of the problems they may be facing, among many other possible ideas (the possibilities are literally limitless for what you can create a lead magnet on). Be sure, though, that it is professionally done so that it will attract new subscribers to your newsletter list. ConclusionWhile there could be more said, this is a good overview of how to get speaking gigs as a speaker. While you probably were expecting something along the lines of, "Cold call conference organizers," you probably are sighing a sigh of relief right now that that's not the advice I'm giving. However, that perhaps could be easier than doing everything I mentioned above. Fortunately for you, most of that could be done for you, though. My first suggestion is that you sign up for a free platform audit, where I'll look over what you have so far and give you recommendations for how to further your platform's reach so that you can book more speaking gigs in 2020 and beyond. The best part is that, if I feel I can help you with this, I would then offer you entry into our done-with-you, done-for-you program. If you're more a DIY type of person, you could sign up for Platform University, which is like a course that leads you through the process of building a platform. Be sure to sign up today for your free platform audit so we can build your platform and, in 6 months, you could be on your way as a speaker for that dream conference you always wanted to speak at. With God's help, and with the right tools in place, it can happen. Let's make 2020 the year where your speaking gigs improved for the better. |