Month: May 2015

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How to Market Yourself as a Professional Speaker

a lady speaking at an event

Marketing a Professional Speaker

 

 

 

 

Get Your FREE Media Kit Templates

Professional Speaking – Secrets to Success

As a professional speaker, effectively marketing yourself is undoubtedly critical to your success. In this post, we provide you with pointers, templates, media kits and images – all FREE for your unlimited use, to boost your success.

Marketing means that you must advertise your skills and talents.

Since many people just don’t do that, they end up leaving their career to the wind. You must work smart to get your name out there. You work to find ways to connect with people who can and will hire you.

Tips for Success:

1. Network in speaking organizations. If you’re not networking, you’re not working.

Building relationships with your peers and prospective clients is a must do if you’re really serious about

your career as a professional speaker.

2. Design a great business card. As you take time to network and build relationships with people,

you’ll want to give them something to really remember you by – something memorable and eye-catching

with all your contact information. Your business card should have a professional yet creative, interesting

look to it. Since it will be the way people remember you, what do you want them to remember?

3. Create your media kit.

Also known as your promotional kit or your media kit, this portfolio will have everything that speaker

bureaus and meeting planners need to determine if you are the speaker for them or not. Your portfolio

might consist of the following elements: a content sheet, a demo video of previous speaking engagements,

your bio, testimonials from previous engagements, a price list of your products and resource materials you

sell, a sample client list, and your fee schedule.

4. Develop a website.

With so many people and businesses flocking to the internet for information, you’ll want to have this as a

means to market yourself. You don’t have to have a website with all the bells and whistles. While your

website should look professional, you can still get a started website with low to no monthly costs.

Use your website to be an additional location where you sell your resource materials as well as offer

information about your topic. Don’t forget keywords and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) so

your site will be found by Google and Bing.

5. Use online social networks such as LinkedIn and Google+ to begin making connections with your

industry peers. You can also use speaker forums as a place for additional resources, sharing speaking

tips and tricks as well as getting to know other people in your field.

6. Create and use a direct marketing strategy. Send mailers and postcards to past clients as well as

prospective future clients. While many speakers aren’t hired as a result of their mailers, they are still an

easy way to keep your customers in touch with your business.

Additionally, direct mail pieces are relatively inexpensive to create and send and as a result, they are a

great way to canvass organizations and get the word out that you are available for hire.

7. Market yourself through articles and product materials. Using other resources as a means for getting

your name out will help to spread your name like wild fire! Think of it this way, you create the article one

and include a short 2-3 sentence bio and you’ll have that work for you for as long as it’s available!

The way you market yourself will determine whether you will have a great career or not. Start using these

avenues of getting your name out there and start to get noticed by meeting planners and speaker bureaus.

Start marketing yourself today – check out these bonuses:

BONUS #1:

Download a FREE Media Kit Template!”

No time to “re-invent the wheel”? Save $$ by writing professional-looking content yourself. Here you will

find a collection of amazing resources to make your content creator’s job much easier – templates made by

the pros, for a professional look. Short and sweet. One simple powerpoint template with summary information.

Use this free media kit template to help you showcase your hard work to the world!

BONUS #2:

FREE MEDIA KIT TEMPLATE FOR YOUR BLOG

If you want your blog to earn money from sponsorships and sources other than ad income, you need a

Media Kit for your blog. http://www.recipetineats.com/blogger-resources/free-media-kit-template/

A professional and slick looking Media Kit will make your blog stand out from the crowd. To download

the free media kit template (zip file): http://www.recipetineats.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Media-Kit-Template_RecipeTin_15Oct2014.psd.zip

BONUS #3:

Free – The Ultimate Kit of Content Creation Templates

http://offers.hubspot.com/content-creation-templates

Use this kit of free templates – you will easily create ebooks, blog posts, infographics, and more!

This ultimate content marketing kit includes:

  • 10 infographic templates
  • 18 eBook templates
  • 65 social media image templates
  • 4 SlideShare templates
  • 5 blog post templates
  • 1 press release template

BONUS #4:

You may also be interested in this resource – to find free images in the public domain that can be used

for any purpose, even for commercial use: Free Public Domain Images

 

If you finished reading this post and you think it’s valuable, others will too.

So please take 5 seconds (!) to share on Facebook, Twitter or your favorite social scoop. Thanks!

 

Image Source: http://pixabay.com/en/word-cloud-media-digital-marketing-661057/

For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Marketing and Social Media.

.. _____ ..

ABOUT Lisa M. Chapman:

Lisa Chapman helps company leaders define, plan and achieve their goals, both online and offline. After 25+ years as an entrepreneur, she is now a business and marketing consultant, business planning consultant and social media consultant. Online, she works with clients to establish and enhance their online brand, attract their target market, engage them in meaningful social media conversations, and convert online traffic into revenues. Email: Lisa (at) LisaChapman (dot) com. Her book, The WebPowered Entrepreneur – A Step-by-Step Guide is available at:

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Announcing The Results Of Fundraising Campaigns

Man counting money from a fundraising event

The Campaign (Annual, Endowment Or Capital) Is Over And The Goal Has Been Achieved — Life Is Good!

Issue a press release and a final newsletter thanking campaign leadership, volunteers and the donors. Single out people who should be commended, and praise the campaign chair. Then, be sure to convene a meeting of the campaign leadership for in an-depth, no-holds-barred, assessment and review of what was accomplished and what was learned.

Follow the First Rule in evaluating a completed campaign: Don’t wait! The Second Rule is to get the evaluation done quickly. That way, knowing all that is important about the finished campaign, leads to helping the next campaign to be an even better one.

The Campaign Is Over And The Goal Has Not Been Achieved — Life Has Been Better!

This has happened to me more times than I like to admit. Goals and resources do not always match, campaigns do develop insurmountable problems, and sometimes you just can’t pull it off. Fundraising professionals have to be prepared for the occasional failure.

Bear in mind, however, that a campaign can come up short of its goal and still have demonstrated a lot of accomplishment. You may still be able to say congratulations to volunteers and donors. Though not enough, the money raised may be an all-time high for the organization’s annual fund.

You’ll still be able to build or renovate … perhaps reduced degree. You’ve raised a goodly amount of endowment funds, enough to help safeguard your organization’s future. More donors than ever before may have given. More volunteers worked the campaign than any before. The campaign may have come within 10 percent of a goal we knew to be very ambitious.

It is the rare campaign in which you cannot find a positive accomplishment to call to the attention of volunteers, donors, and the public. Make lemonade from lemons.

So issue a press release and a final newsletter thanking campaign leadership, volunteer solicitors, and the donors. Single out people who should be commended, and praise the campaign Chairperson. Thank-you functions are still appropriate. Donors still need to be told how much they are valued and appreciated.

With the people who worked on the campaign, you need to be practical and honest about the disappointment, but don’t let words of regret, frustration, and unhappiness get to the ears of those who gave.

If you become preoccupied with the shortfall and forget all the good things that happened, you do a disservice to those who worked a campaign and to those who gave to it. They should never be left to think their efforts were a waste.

I liked to host a thank-you function or functions for my volunteers and major donors. The format should be in tune with the organization and the community — a cocktail party, picnic, or open house, for example. Don’t forget to seek underwriting for this event. Board members may contribute food and drink at their home, country club, yacht club or even in their corporation’s board room.

Editor’s Note: As has been emphasized so often in these postings: Goal setting is not an arbitrary process!! If adequate research and planning precede goal setting, the risk of not attaining the goal is reduced dramatically.

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Have a question or comment about the above posting?
You can Ask Tony.
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Have you seen
The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99 – $4.99)
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If you’re reading this on-line, and would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply.” If you’re reading this as an email, and you want to comment on the above piece, email Comments to offer your thoughts. Your comments, with appropriate attribution, could be the basis of a new posting.

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Crises Crossing Borders in the Digital Age

i-background-business-technology-digital-transformation

28% of crises spread internationally within one hour

Thanks to the Internet and digital communications, crises are no longer local events. Nearly two-third of crises cross international borders, and many become stories in a great number of countries. The below infographic, created by Freshfields Bruckhaus, chronicles a crisis’ journey across the globe, and the damage it can cause in the process:

Freshfields-Infographic containing crisis digital age

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

– See more at: https://staging.management.org/blogs/crisis-management/2015/05/27/crisis-management-must-the-double-check/#sthash.kVYfrYxw.dpuf

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Improving Reputation Every Day

A-five-star-golden-rating-for-evaluation

Never stop looking for ways to give this most valuable asset a boost

One of our core beliefs at Bernstein Crisis Management is that reputation is your most valuable asset, and that statement has never been more true. A good reputation keeps business coming in, and helps existing customers to stick around. It protects against the inevitable crises that any organization encounters, and it keeps your name on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

There is always room to improve your reputation, and one way is by studying what the best companies are doing to polish theirs. We found a few good options in the results of Reputation Institute’s 2015 U.S. RepTrak 100 “The Most Reputable U.S. Companies” study. Here’s their top 10 for the nation:

  1. Amazon.com
  2. Kellogg’s
  3. Lego
  4. Fruit of the Loom
  5. Campbell Soup Co.
  6. Levi Strauss & Co.
  7. Snap-on
  8. Hershey Co.
  9. Panera Bread
  10. Briggs & Stratton Corp.

Most people have had good experiences with these brands, and that’s no happy accident. Hard work, and yes, a lot of money, goes into crafting and maintaining the reputations of the organizations on the list. They’re not run by any financial dummies though, the return on that investment clearly makes it worthwhile. If you’re constantly seeking ways to improve your reputation then you’re likely already thinking along the right lines; keep at it, do good work along the way, and you’ll start to see a change.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

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Crisis Management Must: The Double Check

A-man-and-a-female-colleague-working-together-on-an-assignment

This simple step is well worth the effort involved

We all exist in the midst of a flurry of communications, with texts, emails, and social media being processed and prepared by the dozens at the low end and up into the several hundred per day in many cases.

In the constant press for moving ever-faster and increasing volume, one simple step in crisis prevention is being overlooked so often it hurts – the good old fashioned double check. Case in point, a reader recently forwarded us the marketing email screenshotted below. What was the problem? This email was sent on May 22, aka Friday of Memorial Day weekend.

MLK ad for memorial day email error

While this isn’t a major crisis, we doubt it left stakeholders feeling they were dealing with a particularly competent company, and it takes only a few moments to imagine several scenarios where sending the wrong message could create a major problem. Consider what may happen if you accidentally sent an email containing sensitive legal documents to your newsletter mailing list, or copy/paste a tirade from an angry customer into the news section of your website instead of the latest promotional material and you begin to see the problems which can arise.

So many of these incidents could be prevented by a simple double check. You look, very carefully, and read your message out loud to make even more certain it’s what you intended. Then (if possible) grab a friend, loved one, or office mate to look things over before you put your communications out there. That’s all. No special equipment, no fancy programs, no crazy fees, just one more step to protect yourself against the damage sending the wrong message can create.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

– See more at: https://staging.management.org/blogs/crisis-management/2015/05/18/ca-congresswoman-mocks-native-americans/#sthash.ty6OzjCo.dpuf

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Another New Nonprofit – Taking Baby Steps

A person making progress step by step concept

The following is a recently received email. My comments/responses are the indented paragraphs.

We’re a relatively young 501c3, at about 5 years old, but have relied mostly on dues from members up to this point. Last year we participated in our state’s annual nonprofit day of giving.

It is my observation that memberships/dues are not the best ways to
raise money. As an organization matures, it becomes easier to raise
a lot more from contributions, because people who pay dues very often say,
when asked for a contribution, that they’ve already paid/given for the year.

We earmarked all of that income as Educational Scholarship money, to turn around and give to applicants from the local high schools (not our membership), and to each of 3 local university/college art departments (it was their discretion which student was awarded.)

Simple enough. This year, we’d like to … fund those same scholarships again, perhaps in greater number, but we’d also like to spend some on educational opportunities for our own members – via workshops, visiting expert artists, etc. (Membership is open to anyone declaring themselves an artist, and we have 3 levels of membership with varying benefits.)

Ethically, we wonder if just saying/advertising on social media that we’re “raising money for scholarships and education” is enough, or if we need to be more specific. (Like 80% to fund our scholarships and 20% to our own workshops. Spelling out the details on our donor page).

Yes, you need to be more specific, but not in terms of percentages. Explain (briefly) about the scholarships you award and the educational programs you provide … and, how those scholarships and programs make a difference in the community. Phrase it in terms of how people benefit, not in terms of what a great job you’re doing.

Ethics often equates to transparency, and for a nonprofit, that’s essential.

Also, ethics requires that if you ask people for money for one-or-more specific purposes, and they give to specifically to support those purposes, you have to use their gifts specifically (only) for those purposes.

Financially, we’ll track the funds separately. Not sure how that will effect our annual IRS info/bookkeeping.

Tracking funds via the nonprofit equivalent of an income and expense statement is standard. BUT, you not only have to report to the IRS, you have to report to your constituency/community. Remember, pretty much nothing a nonprofit does is secret. And, if you budget wisely, spend wisely, and report your income and expenses properly, it’s good marketing, good community relations and a good basis for asking people to support what you do.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have a comment or a question about starting, evaluating
or expanding your fundraising program?
AskHank
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have you heard about
The Fundraising Series of ebooks?
They’re easy to read, to the point, and inexpensive ($1.99-$4.99)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

If you’re reading this on-line, and would like to comment/expand on the above piece, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply.” If you’re reading this as an email, and you want to comment on the above piece, email Comments to offer your thoughts. Your comments, with appropriate attribution, could be the basis of a new posting.

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CA Congresswoman Mocks Native Americans

A-female-speaker-answering-a-young-man-in-a-conference-hall

What was she thinking?

Politicians have a long history of making idiotic remarks “behind closed doors”. The difference today is that everyone carries that teeny tiny recording device called a cell phone in their pocket, landing what would formerly be private remarks firmly in the public eye.

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif) had barely announced her entrance into the race for a Senate seat when she committed a serious faux pas. NBC News broke the story:

While talking to a group of Indian Americans — people with links to India — the politician was captured on cell phone video mocking Native Americans.

In talking about how she was confused about an upcoming meeting with an Indian American, Sanchez said, “I am going to his office, thinking that I am going to meet with a…” — then she put her hand over mouth and made the noise that is the stereotypical imitation of a Native American war cry — “Right? … because he said Indian American.”

Several of those who were in attendance wasted no time in sharing their shock and outrage with reporters, and Sanchez was left delivering a half-assed apology over and over again as members of the media continued to bring it up in previously scheduled interviews.

The crisis management lesson here is simple – think before you open your mouth. Going off the cuff is great for entertainment purposes, but when it comes to protecting your reputation and pushing a specific message there’s far too much risk of veering into dangerous territory.

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

– See more at: https://staging.management.org/blogs/crisis-management/2015/05/05/defending-your-online-reputation/#sthash.foq69jKt.dpuf

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When No News Isn’t Good News: What You Team Members Want To Know About Change

stressed business man telling his team of not so good news

change aheadYour organization is undergoing a significant change, and your team is worried. They want to know all the details about the change. Right now. Trouble is, all the details are not yet spelled out. Plus you have been asked to wait to talk about some aspects of the change until others have been notified.

No question about it; you are in a difficult situation. You want to be a caring leader and give the information your team members desperately crave. Yet you need to be a team player and time the news as you have been asked to do, for the good of the whole organization.

On top of it all, you need to be aware that your team members are analyzing everything you do and say regarding this change. They are reading your tone, your facial expressions, and your silences as well as your words. So be aware of the impact you are making by everything you say and do. Your non-verbals, your worries and fears all bleed through, especially when you are holding on to information that could be shared.

What to do? For now, it might be helpful to think about what your team members want to know, and then tell them all you can, stopping short of what you can’t say. It isn’t easy, but this checklist might help you sort it out.

Here is what your team members want to know:

They want more information. Actually they want all the information you can give them. The reasons, the changes, who will be impacted, but most of all, how will it impact them? It is difficult to live in a state of ambiguity, and when they get part of the information, they get frustrated, and they fill in the blanks with conjecture and rumor.

They want it sooner. They don’t want to wait, especially when everyone around them is asking about it, and wondering the same things. It’s the feeling of being out of control and helpless that makes waiting so difficult. You may not have the information they need yet, but if you have it and you are sitting on it, your team members will go wild with worry.

They want reassurance. Under change we often think the worst is about to happen. If you know there won’t be layoffs, or whatever it is they are concerned about, at least put that to rest. What can you reassure them about? Remember their imaginations and the rumor mill are probably painting a very negative picture. Can you honestly reassure them it won’t be that bad? If you can, you probably should.

They want to be heard. They are hurting and frightened. They want to be understood and will keep reminding you about their feelings until you get it. You can listen and empathize. You can say, “I know this is hard.” Or “I hear you.” Just talking about it can help process these feelings.

They want encouragement. Can they handle this change? Will they survive? It might not hurt to remind them they have resources, they are smart and competent, and they have handled change successfully before. If this is true, offer them these words of encouragement.

They want to know that you believe in the change. If you do, say so. If you have trust it will work out, say so. If you don’t understand it but have faith in your leaders, say that. If you don’t buy in to this change, your team members are going to know it, so be honest but be sure to tell them it is still happening, like it or not, and that we will get through it.

They want to understand the reasons. You may not know the reasons, or agree with them, but people want to know the reasons. It helps them to process.

They want to know how it will impact them directly. Remember they want to know, bottom line, will I keep my job? My hours? My benefits? This is going to be on their minds until they get answers, so your role might be getting that information and permission to share it as soon as possible.

Learning to handle organizational changes is a skill that we can build, and one we will use over and over. You can help your team members to process change, and teach yourself to communicate change effectively. Definitely a skill that will pay dividends every year of your career and life.

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Documenting The Network

a woman documenting a business flow

How does the Technical Writer or Communicator document a network of machines that communicate with one another? Documenting even a small company’s network on how its machines communicate or transmit information or data can be a challenging task. This includes learning and describing how each piece of equipment operates.

The Technical Writer has to know how each machine functions and know its varied components. The writer also has to understand how the machines communicate among themselves and to humans. The machines can consist of any of the following – backup systems, servers, laptops, peripheral’s like printers, ip addresses that identify each machine, protocols that are a set of rules for communicating, its wiring or connectors, its properties, ports, etc.

The following is a list of suggestions to follow.

  • First, create a chart of all the equipment within the company and note the location of each. Label everything.
  • Second, get a description of each piece of equipment and its functionality.
  • Third, get a description of the software involved; set up, usage, accessibility, and maintenance.

Example:

If a piece of equipment is connected to another device via a cable,

  • Note its description, location, functionality, and associated software.
  • Create drawings, mappings, wireframes, etc. of all the equipment that are associated and located in one area and label each item. In any organization, do this for every piece of equipment and group them into categories.

Creating categories and sub categories.

Break it down.

Example:

If a laptop is connected to a printer via a USB cable, or if the laptop is connected wirelessly, create a category labelled printers. Then create sub categories of hard-wired and wireless printers.

When creating the documentation:

Use diagrams

  • Mappings to show functionality within the company.
  • Diagrams to show the design and the internal components of each piece of equipment.
  • Wireframes for showing the skeleton of the connections for communication.
  • Graphics to show the movement or the process for transmitting information or data.

Create detailed documentation, including

  • Creating detailed user manuals and reference guides.
  • Listing the owners and those authorized to use the system.
  • Describing the system features, menus, what to do and what not to do, and possible error messages.
  • Describing the hardware, ports, and mechanics of the system.
  • Writing about the protocols of the system.
  • Describing how the information is transmitted, and how the machines communicate with one another.

Pages and pages of diagrams and documentation can be created, but it can be simplified. Break it down by categories, such as regions, or procedures and processes. Create a hierarchy from the top down. At the top, state the goal. Then, as you go down, break it down by systems, then applications, then processes, then hardware, etc. till you get to the bottom where the intricacies are denoted and explained.

If you have had experience documenting a network of systems, and wish to add to this topic, please leave a comment. Thank you.

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Internal Communication Flow

A-man-sitting-infront-of-colleagues-during-a-meeting-session

Clear communication is key for strong crisis management

Checking for major hurdles to clear internal communications is part of our vulnerability audit process for good reason. If messaging is lost in the shuffle, if employees don’t feel they can pass on bad news, or if the right info isn’t getting to the right people in a timely fashion then you’re risking crisis.

The team at Melcrum posed the question, “What’s the current ‘state-of-play’ when it comes to the digital workplace and internal communications?”, and here’s what they found:

SoA-Business-Collaboration_0

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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager’s Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay – Media Training. Erik Bernstein is vice president for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]

– See more at: https://staging.management.org/blogs/crisis-management/2015/05/27/crises-crossing-borders-in-the-digital-age/#sthash.P1DKg2Tj.dpuf