exploring cultures, countries and comfort zones
Around the World in Eight Marketing Tips
As President of PSA (UK), I decided to travel to
every national speaker convention between
November 2007 and November 2008 to discover what the worldwide speaking community
can teach us. I gathered the following valuable
marketing tips from eight different countries.
Use your voice to sell yourself. You’re a speaker,
and your voice is your best asset. Use audio to
market yourself. Get a high-quality digital
recorder, and record tips and advice. Use the
audio clips on your site or in emails to prospects. I have a
weekly 10-minute Web radio show that attracts thousands of
listeners and generates business at almost no cost. Do not call
it a podcast, because that high-tech term will discourage
more than half of your potential audience.
—PSA UK, London, UK
Edit your selling message until everyone understands it. If it is too complicated to explain, it is
too complicated to sell. A French mathematician
once said, “A theory is not a theory until you can
explain it to the first person you meet on the street.” Your
marketing message should pass the same test.
—CAPS, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Make it as easy as possible for prospects and
clients to contact you. List all contact numbers
and addresses clearly on your business card, in a
font that is legible and large (at least 8 point).
People lose business by handing out cards with type that is
too small, or is difficult to read, such as red text on a black
background. —PSA Holland, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Harness the power of technology. Learn where
your best prospects spend their time online, and
engage with them there. Comment on blogs in
your area of expertise. Use free Web tools to
inform prospects of your whereabouts and what you are
doing. If you’re not on Twitter.com by now, you should be.
Follow me at twitter.com/mediacoach.
—NSAA, Melbourne, Australia
If your speech is filmed, make arrangements in
advance to ensure you get a copy. Use clips, or
the entire speech, as premium incentives to
distribute to prospects. Every speech is valuable,
and you can select clips based on a prospect’s interests and
location. —MAPS, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Consider using cartoon portraits or graphics to
market yourself. They can make you stand out
from the normal head-and-shoulders shot. I was
“cartooned” by artist Roy Blumenthal in Durban,
and have used the graphic very effectively.
—PSASA, Durban, South Africa
Get a pocket video camera and film wherever you
go. Create a video blog of your travels, meetings
and events, and publish it on You Tube. I bought a
Creative Vado video camera for $80 and I take it
everywhere. I’ve already had several bookings after people
have seen my video blog, and remarked, “So, that’s what you
do. That would work for us, too.” —NSA, New York, NY
Stand out by developing a unique profession. I got
this tip from Dale Irvin, CSP, the world’s only
“professional summarizer.” Why is he the only
one? It is because he has trademarked the phrase.
Smart move, Dale. —GSA, Salzburg, Austria
Conference host, speaker and PR expert Alan Stevens is
the director of MediaCoach Ltd., author of The Pocket
Media Coach, and has notched up over a thousand
radio and TV interviews. He can be reached at alan@
mediacoach.co.uk or www.alanstevens.net.
