One of the fastest ways to get the word out about your business is to speak about it. In many cases it won’t cost you anything; at best you will be paid a speaking fee! Have you ever thought about speaking? If you have something to say, can say it well, and know how to find good opportunities there are endless prospects for growing your business via speaking.
In terms of content, you can speak about what services you provide, why/how you provide treatment the way you do, what makes you different from other providers in your field, or the benefits of the services/treatments you provide. Educating the public about your field is an excellent way to get known in the community, especially if you are in a nontraditional wellness practice that the average person doesn’t seem to understand or value.
To get practice talking in front of an audience and gain confidence in your public speaking skills try joining a local Toastmasters club. You can learn more and find a club near you at www.toastmasters.org. For tips on delivering your content effectively both on and offline, please see my prior posts in this series, especially Part 1 – Networking with Purpose and Part 2 – Communicating via Technology. You can also sign up for a free 15-minute “How do I sound?” phone call with me to receive honest feedback about your delivery.
As for where to speak, let’s start with offline opportunities.
If you have not yet spoken about your business/practice, start locally. Community organizations with weekly and monthly meetings need speakers with helpful information, and they often look outside of their membership for these speakers. An example of such a group is Rotary (www.rotary.org), whose mission includes promoting good health. Meetup (www.meetup.com) has hundreds of themed meetings you can visit. Some of them will be looking for speakers. You can also start your own group of people who would like to know more about health and wellness through Meetup. Networking groups such as BNI – Business Network International (www.bni.com) that meet weekly have regular opportunities for members to be the highlighted speaker. Typically, this is a ten to fifteen-minute talk helping the members get to know you and your business better so they can make better referrals to you. These groups also have some slots available for guest speakers at their meetings.
“Lunch and Learns” provide another great speaking opportunity. They are local business networking groups that typically meet monthly at restaurants and have a featured guest speaker for each meeting. If you can’t find a group who needs a speaker, you can create your own Lunch and Learn event. Many restaurants will let you use their facilities free of charge if the attendees pay for their meal. Meetup.com and Eventbrite (www.eventbrite.com) are good sources to find and register for these events. Of course, the wider your network, and the better your network understands you and what you do, the easier it will become to secure speaking opportunities and/or get asked to speak at local meetings and events.
Once you have completed enough free speaking engagements to gain confidence as a presenter, you can begin to branch off into longer talks for more targeted audiences. You can put together your own workshop and market it to your ideal audience for a small fee (free events tend to result in a higher percentage of no-shows than paid events, but are also a good way to create an audience). At your workshop you can give your “signature presentation”– a standard talk you become known for that you can take to different audiences and use to attract new clients.
The internet and today’s technologies make reaching a wider audience very easy. Online speaking (audio or video) can be live or pre-recorded, and there are numerous opportunities – most of which are free or cost little to produce. Social media has unlimited opportunities for you to speak to and grow your audience. Video is one of the fastest ways to attract attention and gain recognition as an expert in your field. You can be a guest on podcasts and internet tv shows, and ultimately you can create your own channel with your own video and/or audio productions.
If securing a venue and soliciting attendees for an in-person workshop is challenging for you, try offering a webinar instead. Online platforms such as www.Zoom.us allow you to speak to an audience online. You can offer free live webinars and record them for replay later. You can also charge people to attend your live webinars once you feel confident in your content and delivery. You can then offer the replay for a small fee or as a bonus for a client.
Begin speaking where you are most comfortable and present as often as possible to build your confidence and your audience. Click To TweetBegin speaking where you are most comfortable and present as often as possible to build your confidence and your audience. The more you speak, the more visible you are, the more credible and trustworthy you become, and the more quickly new speaking opportunities (and clients) will find you.
Don’t overlook the power of your voice to grow your health and wellness practice through online and offline speaking and presenting. Develop talks and presentations of different lengths (from five to 60 minutes) so that you will always be ready to say yes when you get asked to speak, no matter the time constraints. Remember that people need to trust you to become your clients, and they can best get to know you through hearing you tell your story and talk about your work. Be consistent, authentic, and confident in your presentations and keep your content fresh for your raving fans. Then watch your business grow!
