Branding

Are you the steward or the star?

by Shawn · 6 comments

2011 08 Michael Buble 23
Creative Commons License photo credit: marbla123

Just a simple question for you this week, and I’d love to hear your feedback:

Do you see yourself as the steward or the star in your speaking business?

One definition of steward, according to Merriam-Webster, is “one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of food and drink in an institution.”

I like that, but it’s not food and drink you’re distributing, obviously. It’s your message. So…

What if, for speakers, we change the definition to “one appointed to supervise the provision and distribution of an inspiring, empowering message among the people”?

With this definition, the attention shifts from you to your content, or your message — a message that, while not quite as essential as food and drink :) , you believe people need… right?

Your job, then, is not to position yourself prominently in the marketplace… not to make sure you look good on stage… not to make sure you get all the praise…

Instead, your job is simply to propagate your message and make sure it is consumable by as many people as possible (within your target audience).

You are an essential piece of this puzzle — don’t get me wrong. You are the one who has been inspired with your message and you have unique gifts and talents for delivering the message.

But does this slight shift in thinking change anything?

Now what is your objective when you market to prospective clients? Not just to get a booking and collect a paycheck, but to “distribute provisions” to a hungry, thirsty audience.

What is your objective when you write articles? Not just to add another credit to your list or get exposure, but to help even more people.

What is your objective when you create products to sell? Not just to diversify revenue and create “passive income,” but to make your content consumable for more people, and to make sure there are funds to support the further spread of your content.

Am I being too idealistic? Too dramatic?

Or, is it possible that seeing yourself as a steward could transform your business? (And is it possible that it could, coincidentally, result in you becoming a star?)

Comment below and tell me what you think!

3 Keys to Make Your Marketing Campaign Rock

by Shawn · 0 comments

During yesterday’s kickoff session for the Succeed Speaking Summer Marketing Camp, one of the focal points was how keynote speaker (and marketing guru) Allan Karl designed his powerful marketing campaign which had an impressive 20% success rate — compared to most direct marketing campaigns with a 2-3% success rate.

I asked Allan to identify three key elements that other speakers should take note of in designing their own successful campaigns, and here’s a quick snapshot of his advice:

1. Focus

What is the objective of your campaign? This is the question Allan asked himself at the beginning, so then he could design the entire sequence with an overlying message that would move the recipients toward a desired action. Sounds simple, but if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!

2. Simplicity

Many marketers — from all fields — try to say too much… They try to hit their prospects with everything they’ve got — full specs, 12 benefits, etc. — in one shot. That will overwhelm your prospects (at best) or just cause them to ignore you altogether (at worst). Allan made sure each piece of his campaign had a simple, single-minded message — even if it was just “something exciting’s coming… be on the lookout!”

3. Differentiation

What makes you different? You shouldn’t be different just for sake of being different, but there is something — or some things — about you that truly separates you from other speakers. Drill into your programs and topics and identify how that relates to you as a person… Then make sure that shines through during your campaign. Don’t be a lookalike.

Allan did throw in a fourth essential ingredient for an effective marketing campaign: consistency.

Any campaign must be consistent — meaning that it has a consistent look and feel AND that it continues through to the end. If you start a campaign and don’t finish it, your success rate plummets.

We’ve got more exciting sessions coming up in the Summer Marketing Camp in the month of June, so come on over!

It’s been great to see the enthusiastic feedback rolling in after the first session, like this…

And this…

That’s what it’s all about… Helping speakers Market Better and Speak More.

I hope you’ll join us! Register above, or go to www.SummerMarketingCamp.com for more information about the sessions.

Marketing Help for Professional Speakers Has Arrived – FREE Training Begins June 7

by Shawn · 0 comments

If you find yourself getting less-than-desirable results from your marketing campaigns…

If you struggle with reaching your target clients…

If the thought of marketing causes you pain… :)

Then please register now for our inaugural Succeed Speaking Summer Marketing Camp!

I’ve teamed up with a true marketing guru — with over 20 years of experience, including founding one of the top 50 digital marketing firms — to create SIX power-packed sessions for you. Here’s just a glimpse of what you can expect from the program:

  • Discover why speaker marketing campaigns fail and 3 key ingredients to ensure yours doesnʼt
  • Learn how to grab the attention of biggest speakers bureaus in the business… and get them to book you
  • Find out why failing to plan for marketing is planning to fail — are you integrating your message and using all the tools available to you?
  • Find out how to leverage proven marketing tactics to identify, approach and WIN business from your target clients
  • LIVE marketing “check-up” as we review speaker marketing materials — possibly even yours! — and suggest strategies for immediate improvements
  • How to develop your “speaker brand,” and how to differentiate yourself and stand above the crowd
  • How to build awareness by leveraging Succeed Speakingʼs exclusive Marketing Matrix to create a tactical toolbox and communication plan—and how to use it to bring in more business
  • How to make your website work harder plus proven tricks and tips on how to crank up your social media presence and use it to sell and book gigs
  • And, as they say, much more!

The best part is that we’re kicking off the camp with two free sessions, so you can try it out with ZERO risk — and you’re sure to walk away with at least ONE idea that you can implement to take your speaking business to a new level.

Market Better.

Speak More.

That’s the formula.

I hope to “see” you at the first session on Tuesday, June 7 – REGISTER NOW!

Five Reasons YOU Need Products – and “More Money” Is Not One of Them

by Shawn · 0 comments

Rarely do I talk to a speaker who is indifferent about having products in his or her business.

Most speakers are either enthusiastic about the benefits products bring to their businesses, or they hate products and say, “I don’t want to sell anything!”

It’s unfortunate that products have come to have this negative connotation to some. Is anyone calling Apple “sleazy” for churning out product after product each year? No. They’re creating products people love, and building a very successful business doing it!

There’s no reason you can’t — and shouldn’t — do the same thing.

I know of at least five reasons you need products in your business:

1. Credibility

If you see one speaker whose website only promotes a keynote presentation on Leadership, and you see another speaker whose website showcases the same keynote presentation plus a training program, webinars, e-learning courses, CDs, DVDs and books, which one appears to be more of an expert on the topic?

The more products you have to share your expertise on a topic, the more of an expert you are perceived to be… before anyone even looks at your bio to review your credentials.

2. Diversification

We’ve talked about this one before, but if more than 75% of your revenue comes from your speaking fees, then what happens if the meetings industry collapses — even for a short time? What happens if new regulations change the way organizations can invest in speakers? What happens if you fall ill for an extended period? As they say, “Expect the unexpected.”

When you diversify your business with multiple revenue streams, you have a stronger business when everything is going well, and you have fail-safe mechanisms in place in the event one system fails.

3. New World, New Economy

One of the speakers at the IASB Convention earlier this month, a futurist, shared some news that should sound very good to you: “Intellectual property will define wealth in the future…”

As a speaker, isn’t “intellectual property” the foundation of your business? Absolutely! That means you are positioned perfectly for this new economy. Lois Creamer said on #speakchat last night, “Remember, you all are in the intellectual property biz.”

The second part of the quote from the IASB speaker puts a little more urgency into the need for you to develop products, though: “…as we are moving to a non-physical reality.”

Live speaking engagements are a very physical means of delivering your message, and I don’t believe that is going away. But there is no question that more and more of our life is going digital/virtual, so make sure you keep up with that in the way you package your content.

4. Exit Strategy

Whether you’re just starting your speaking business, whether you’re in your prime, or whether you’re thinking about the next phase of your life, do you have an exit strategy? If you owned a convenience store and wanted out, it’s simple: you sell the convenience store. As a speaker, though, you are your business. You can’t sell yourself — or at least, I wouldn’t advise it! :)

Developing products or licensing your content to allow others to develop products adds another dimension to your business so you can either continue generating revenues long after you’re off the road, or you can even sell the product portion of the business as a “training company.”

5. Excitement

I mentioned Apple at the beginning of this article, and I want to circle back to them. Do you know why Apple was recently recognized as the Most Valuable Brand? Look at the emphasized words in this statement for some hints:

“The company will most likely maintain its momentum as an image and financial leader with products like the iPad 2, as well as the anticipated debut this fall of the iPhone 5.”

You can apply the exact same strategy to your brand and your business.

Not so much with a single keynote, but it’s a different story if you have a keynote… which gives way to a book… which gives way to an iPhone app… which gives way to a membership site… which gives way to a DVD series… which gives way to a coaching program… which gives way to a spin-off keynote… and a spin-off book… and on and on.

(By the way, if you want to see a real example of this in the speaking world, go to Ken Blanchard‘s website and type “one minute” — no quotes — in the search box in the upper right corner… You’ll see all the number of ways he has spun The One Minute Manager into products, which has kept him and his brand relevant for over 25 years!)

Does this give you some ideas about possibilities for your content and your business?

If so, pull out a piece of paper and list your ideas right now.

Then pick ONE you can tackle this week, and create a plan of attack.

You don’t build a product empire overnight. You build it one step at a time.

(And as a side note, everything I’ve written here applies to my business, too, so I’m going through this process with you right now!)

Let me know how can be more helpful to you.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
FREE Teleseminar – Tomorrow

I just found out about a teleseminar led by Brendon Burchard that happens tomorrow, Wednesday, on the topic of product creation. He’s going to be grilling two guys who have been behind some multi-million-dollar product launches about how to create and package high-value content, and how to market it in a way that generates excitement just like Apple. Register now!


How Do You Create a #1 Bestseller with No Big Media? Brendon Burchard Shows the Way

by Shawn · 4 comments

Who wouldn’t like a #1 best-selling book? But with upwards of 300,000 books published on a yearly basis (in the United States alone), how do you make it happen?

Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not as simple as “write a great book.”

Also contrary to popular opinion, your publisher isn’t going to make it happen for you (unless you’re one of their major releases for the year).

You have to plan very strategically if you want to see your title in the #1 spot, and historically, that has involved hiring a PR team — and paying them thousands of dollars a month — to issue press releases, get you prime media coverage, set up a massive radio tour, and on and on.

As they say, though, history is history.

Just look at what Brendon Burchard has done — and is doing — with his new book, The Millionaire Messenger.

In Brendon’s own words, he is “inciting a revolution” — and he’s not doing it through mainstream media, direct mail, press releases, or any of the traditional vehicles used by authors and publishers. He’s doing it through people like me — and several other affiliates who believe in his work and want to help him spread his message.

Some details about this “revolution”:

Last month, on Februrary 17th, the giant bookstore, Borders Books, went BANKRUPT with over $1 Billion in liabilities.

Now their 17,500 employees are fearing for their futures as their jobs become uncertain …stockholders are looking at potential losses, and yet another big company bites the dust.

On that same day, Brendon pre-sold 5,000 copies of The Millionaire Messenger. Since then, he’s sold TENS of thousands more and the book premiered this week as the #1 bestseller on Amazon and the #1 bestseller on BN.com — again, with no paid advertising, no press releases, no big media, no costly direct mail, no radio, and without spending any money.

So how can Brendon, “one little guy from Montana,” who isn’t famous or backed by some big company or PR firm, sell 5,000 copies of a book on a single day with no advertising — when most major publishers only sell 5,000 copies of a book over it’s entire lifetime?

Brendon will be the first to tell you that it’s not about him or him being better than anyone else. What it is about is him embracing the fact that the “old way” doesn’t work anymore. We’re now living in what Gary Vaynerchuk calls The Thank You Economy:

Gone are the days when a blizzard of marketing dollars could be used to overwhelm the airwaves, shut out the competition, and grab customer awareness… The businesses and brands that harness the word-of-mouth power from social media, those that can shift their culture to be more customer-aware and fan-friendly, will pull away from the pack and profit in today’s markets.

That’s how Brendon Burchard got to #1. That’s how YOU can get to #1.

Do good things. Treat people right. Build a following. Execute a smart business strategy.

And as it turns out, that’s exactly what Brendon talks about in his new book: “how to REALLY get your message out there an turn your personal message into a FORTUNE …even in the worst economy we’ve seen in a century.”

If you have advice to share… a story to share… expertise to share… and if you haven’t already picked up your copy of The Millionaire Messenger…

Go watch this video of Brendon talking about the book and how your personal perspective and advice for others is your most valuable and monetizable asset in the new economy… and how you can get your message “out there” just like he has.

If nothing else, just pay attention to Brendon’s campaign around this book. He’s proven that we no longer neeed the big publishers or big media to win. The playing field has been leveled.

How Do You See Yourself?

by Shawn · 0 comments

Most professional communicators either see themselves as speakers first (who write to advance their speaking), or as authors first (who speak to advance their books). I’m just curious to see how the numbers break down… or maybe you see yourself in a different category all together! Let us know.


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