Free Marketing Tip #5: Get Out and Speak
Have you been to a networking event, or a conference or industry
meeting lately? If you have, chances are you heard a
presentation. Someone got up and spoke to you and the rest of
the group about a topic. A topic they knew a lot about, and a
topic related to their business. They may have even made a
special offer to the group, such as a special product or service
package they don't usually sell, or a special discount on their
products or services.
These people are using speaking as a marketing tool ... as a way
to get the word out about their business, products or services.
They're doing this by sharing valuable information with the kind
of people they can best help, and those they'd like to have as
clients. And by offering everyone the chance to go deeper by
making a purchase, or joining their email list, or some other
offer to bring them into the fold of their business.
If you're a small business owner or independent professional,
you can do the very same thing. And the best part is, it's free.
So what if you're not sure how to use speaking as a small
business marketing tool.
Here are 10 steps to get you started:
(1) Identify a topic you know a lot about and that is
related to your business.
(2) Using that topic, put together an outline for a
presentation.
(3) Create a 30-60 minute presentation from this outline,
being sure to share valuable information and helpful tips, but
also being careful not to give away the whole store.
(4) Identify who your ideal clients are.
(5) Look for groups or associations these ideal clients
belong to that hold regular meetings.
(6) Contact these groups to see if they feature outside
speakers at their meetings.
(7) For those groups who do feature speakers, offer to
come speak at a future meeting for free. Be sure to help them
understand how your topic will benefit their members or
attendees.
(8) Find out if the group you are speaking to will allow
you to sell your product or service to the group at the end of
your presentation.
(9) For those groups that will allow you to sell, put
together an irresistible offer. Consider packaging together
products or services you don't usually sell together, or give
them a big discount if they purchase from you at the event.
(10) For those groups that won't allow you to sell, do a
giveaway of one of your products or services and invite all
attendees to submit their business card for a chance to win.
Follow-up with everyone who enters, inviting them to join your
email list.
Speaking is a great way to get yourself in front of your ideal
clients so they can get to know you and your business better.
It's also a great way to build a mailing list of your ideal
clients that you can market to over time, through a regularly
published newsletter or ezine.
(C) Copyright 2006 Debbie LaChusa, 10stepmarketing