3 Things Every Professional Speaker Should Have

If you are serious about embarking on a career in professional speaking the first thing to understand is you are making a commitment to be a professional marketer.  Getting booked on a regular, ongoing basis will require strong marketing skills and if this is an area of weakness for you then make learning about it a top priority.  Here are 3 things every professional speaker should have:

1. A Plan – and a big one.  There should be several facets to it.  A general business plan serving as a roadmap for all of your efforts, an Internet plan for marketing yourself by a website and social media and a sales products plan.
2. A website. The days of getting by without one are long gone.  As the world becomes more and more competitive it is absolutely crucial you have a strong web presence to make it easy for people to check out what you have to offer.
3. Profiles on the three largest social media platforms that bring people back to your website for deeper engagement. Take the time to walk step by step through the process for creating a fully developed profile on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  Make sure a link to your website is included in your profile in each setting and once you’re feet are wet you should be sure to launch a page on Facebook for your business side that is separate from your personal profile.  Mixing business and personal on Facebook, while done often and by many, should be avoided.  Friends and family won’t want to hear all about your business and business contacts won’t always enjoy the kind of familiar banter that goes on between family and friends.

If you’re new to the online marketing environment I invite you to follow me in all of these environments (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and visit my blog for plenty of how-to articles and general information on these topics.  I am the Social Media Director for NSA Alabama and a professional inbound marketing consultant.  I attend most of the monthly meetings and would be happy to chat with you in person if you have questions.  You can also contact me directly through my website.  Just let me know how I can help you.

2011 promises to be a booming year for NSA Alabama so if you haven’t taken the plunge and officially joined as a member, take a look at the benefits of membership and give it some serious consideration.  Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and join us back here soon for a look at our January 2011 meeting plans.