“Must Dos” When Building a Speaker Brand
In a world where anyone with a microphone can have a voice, successfully building and maintaining a personal brand as a public speaker sets you apart from the crowd. As a keynote speaker, having a memorable presence your audience can connect with is a "must," so developing and nurturing your personal brand should be at the forefront of your mind.
Identify Your Unique Selling Proposition: Determining what sets you apart from other speakers is essential in becoming an in-demand keynote speaker. What is your expertise? What sets your message apart? You need to answer these questions to identify your Unique Selling Proposition. Once you have established your USP, create a brand narrative that revolves around it and use it to the fullest when marketing yourself. The best way to do this is to make your brand narrative using a framework like StoryBrand -- it positions yourself and your USP as a guide and your audience as the hero.
Build a Strong Online Presence: In today's digital age, a solid online presence is critical in building your brand as a public speaker. It all starts with a website showcasing your brand narrative, expertise, and what you have to offer your audience and clients. Your website should be professionally designed, easy to navigate, and expertly copywritten to tell the visitor's story. Creating a free resource for the visitor to download is also a good idea, which will help you build a (consistently nurtured!) email list. Lastly, optimize social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook to expand your reach and cultivate community around your message.
Create Engaging Content: Creating engaging content is the crux to becoming a highly visible brand. Ask your audience how they enjoy consuming content: videos, podcasts, blogs, or social media posts. The answers will help you build out a content marketing strategy that speaks to your community in a way that adds value and doesn't scream "sales." If you struggle to create consistent content, let your brand narrative lead you in what to post. Think of it as a roadmap for your marketing strategy!
Network and Collaborate: Within the speaking world, there are three types of people with whom to network: your primary audience (the people in your audience), your secondary audience (the individuals who will book you for events), and other speakers (the ones who align with your message). Attend events to surround yourself with these groups, and within them, collaborate with other thought leaders on projects that align with your brand messaging for maximum impact. And as a reminder, be sure to set up your digital presence so you can connect with them after the event!
Be Authentic and Consistent: Authenticity and consistency are the keys to building a strong personal brand as a public speaker. Be authentic in your message, unique in your style, and confident in your approach. Your originality will set you apart from other speakers in the industry and help you rise above the noise so you can get seen, get heard, and get recognized as an expert in your field.
Building a personal brand as a public speaker takes time, effort, and commitment, but above all, be consistent. As a keynote speaker, your personal brand is vital in conveying your message and connecting with those who need to hear it. Remember that you are changing lives and have chosen the perfect platform for creating a ripple effect in the world. Invest in building your brand, and you will rise above the noise and become a thought leader in your field.
Are you interested in building your speaker brand so you can be positioned as a thought leader in your industry? Book a call to discuss our NEW 3-Month Speaker Development Program, where we build out your speaker business from A-Z with the team at InDemand Studios.
About the Author:
Ashley Falletta is the CEO of InDemand Studios and a brand marketing strategist from New York. She helps women thought leaders, authors, and speakers position themselves as an expert in their industry with impactful marketing and PR strategies tailored to their messaging. Ashley holds a Master's degree from Medaille College and studied marketing at the World Coach Institute. She also holds a certification in the StoryBrand framework by Donald Miller. Ashley has appeared on the Marketing Made Simple podcast and as a featured speaker for the Business Systems Summit, Life Mastery Foundation, Entrepreneurette Summit, and BossSquad TV Show. When she isn't awkwardly writing about herself in the third person, she spends time with her husband and sons, cuddling with her puppy, and singing a tune or two while cooking Sicilian family recipes. Connect with her at www.AshleyFalletta.com, or send her a message on LinkedIn and Instagram to say "hello!".
