Establish Yourself as an Expert Speaker in 10 Easy Steps (Part 2)

In our last blog, we touched on the first five steps you can take to establish yourself as an expert speaker and increase your demand as a presenter.

To continue to build on that momentum, follow the next steps below.

6. Start a blog and begin blogging about topics centered around and relevant to your area of expertise. You can create your own website for this, but you don’t have to.  Learn the basics of WordPress here https://learn.wordpress.com/ and how to promote your blog here https://www.hatchbuck.com/blog/6-simple-ways-get-mileage-blog-post/.

7. Open a Twitter account at Twitter.com and begin tweeting short statements (140 characters is the limit) relevant to your area of expertise, and retweet relevant topics from others.  Gain followers and follow others who are experts in your field. When possible, include a link to your next class or event on Lrngo.com or Meetup.com with each tweet leading up to the date of your next engagement.

8. Join LinkedIn and create a profile that emphasizes your current area of focus and expertise, then fill out your past history and work experience leading up to your current focus. Keep it real, but make sure what you say is what you would want the newpaper to print if they were doing an article on you. Post all of your blogs and speaking engagements as updates on your Linkedin profile.

9. Start an account on YouTube. Create short instructional videos around your topic of expertise and post them.  Link the videos back to your live classes on Lrngo.com.  If you have an instructional video that is long and helpful enough, create an ongoing online class on Lrngo.com and link to your instructional video.  Also have someone film your live speaking engagements and free class presentations and post them on your YouTube channel (in part or in whole). If you feel that posting an entire presentation will make your in-person presentations and classes less valuable, then post a partial presentation that includes some helpful information and makes reference to the additional valuable information that people will learn by seeing the rest of your presentation in person.

10. Write a book, and sell it on Amazon.  That’s right, I said it and I know what you’re thinking: how the #&@$ am I going to find time to write a book?  Well, according to Alicia Dunams, if you plan correctly you can do it in one weekend.  Of course extra research, editing and final publishing will take longer, but the idea is that the core of the book can be completed by isolating yourself and focusing on just writing it for two to three days.  Kami Watson Huyse, social media expert at Zoetica Media is using this technique to write her new book on a tight schedule, and speaks positively about the experience. Promoting your book will now go hand in hand with promoting your speaking engagements.

In the beginning as you create demand, try to present at least once or twice a month.  Remember, never turn down an opportunity to speak in front of a lot of people if you can help it, and always cross-promote with your writing.

Read part 1 Establish Yourself as an Expert Speaker in 10 Easy Steps (Part 1).