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SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS: A WAY TO BUILD THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
If you’re looking for a way your company can share its valuable knowledge and insights (i.e., establish your thought leadership), consider a program of speaking engagements. Done well, speaking engagements boost a company’s visibility and credibility. Plus, this is a great way to get your organization’s executives out there and known.
Tips for a successful speaking engagement program
Wondering how to get started? Here are some tips.
Identify your speakers
Think about your organization. Who’d be good at representing the company as a speaker. Often company executives are at the top of the list since they know the company and the industry. Keep in mind that a speaker represents your company and will play a vital role in your thought leadership program of establishing the company’s thought leadership.
Once you have a roster of speakers, determine what topics each person can handle.
Select opportunities that fit your strategic business goals
Thoroughly research the conferences you think may be of interest. Maybe even attend one or two (or watch videos of past presenters) before deciding to apply to speak. You’ll learn something about the “personality” or tone of each meeting and be able to share more insights with your speakers.
Choose speaking events that attract the right audience. Then find out what messages resonate with that audience. Your speaker should modify their speech to fit.
It may be time consuming, but in the end, research pays off. Don’t waste money and time on something that doesn’t benefit your company.
Know who you’ll be talking to
If a speaker doesn't understand what matters to their audience, they’ll have a hard time connecting and delivering a message that matters. Reach out to the sponsoring organization to ask about the audience’s needs and interests. This information can help your speaker tailor the speech so that it best reaches your target audience and establishes your company as a thought leader.
Promote your speaking engagements before, during and after
The event organizers probably have plans for promoting the entire event. However, this doesn’t preclude a company from doing its own promotion.
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BEFORE
You can send an email to customers and prospects to let them know about the presentation. Make this a blog post and social media topic as well.
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DURING
Video the presentation to use for promotion online or to help get the next speaking opportunity. Enlist your team to tweet during the talk to extend its reach. Social media promotion during the event can raise awareness for the talk, as well as your company.
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AFTER
Speaking engagements are beneficial even after they’re over. Some of the best blog posts, webinars, and website content are repackaged versions of event speeches. There are so many ways to take advantage of a speaking opportunity…it’s the gift that keeps on giving!
Speaking engagements build thought leadership
Your company has important knowledge and insights to share. A speaking engagement program plays a crucial role in a company’s thought leadership marketing by getting company speakers in front of targeted audiences.
Putting together a speaking engagement program is well worth the effort since it will promote your company’s thought leadership strategy. Companies who are seen as thought leaders reap significant benefits, like
- Buyer trust
- Increased credibility
- Better visibility
- Improved name recognition
Need expert thought leadership guidance?
Speak To Our Team