The introduction of social networking has opened up a whole new frontier for speakers. They give you the ability to build your own tribe – people who enjoy the information you provide and want to follow you and get more hints, tips and value from being connected.
From a speakers point of view it is a really easy and simple way of staying in touch with a large number of people. You get the opportunity to show them on a regular, even daily basis that you have something interesting, unique and valuable to say.
At every talk you do, you should be encouraging people to link with you or follow you and you will be amazed and gratified to see how many actually do. Social media is the perfect platform for staying “top of mind” with people. It is a great tool that allows you to engage in a dialogue with potential clients, build connections and develop trust based relationships over time.
Just recently there has been a plethora of social platforms that you can belong to and take part in. They all have their own following and “profile” in the market. Each of them will attract a different segment of the market and a different type of person. Below is an overview of three of the most popular that you might want to consider.
• Facebook.
Facebook used to be more about home and family use but currently is becoming more business orientated and more and more “business pages” are being created on the platform. It allows for a rich and dynamic conversation and easy community building. If you are speaking to a customer base that is women/home/lifestyle/children/life stories/relationship based then this would be a great platform for you to use.
• Linked In.
This is probably my personal favourite social network as it is all about business to business. It is relatively easy to build a netowork and its usage seems to be growing each and every month. If you speak on business topics and your target audience is either small business or corporates, then this is an arena you should be using. It has easy integration with blog’s so you can showcase any articles you write on your profile as well. You also have the ability to post events and advertise them to your following for free and once you get going it is easy to add people to your network.
• Twitter.
Not everyone understands twitter or what to use it for. You should think about twitter as sending SMS’s out to your tribe several times a day and you can push interesting information to your potential clients using this medium. They can communicate with you as well, but it is not easy to have a deep conversation in 140 characters or less! It is a good community for building a client base that thrives on information and want lots of titbits on a regular basis. Dell computers have used this platform very successfully to rocket the sales of their 2nd hand laptops for example with all their employees tasked with each tweeting several times a day. Use it if you love it and will spend time on it and it will bring you rewards.
Whichever social platform you decide to use, remember the rules for being social.
It is not about selling, selling, selling. Engage with your tribe, give them things of value and tit bits and tips they can use and share. Post interesting and perhaps even amusing material on a regular basis. Build those relationships and develop trust ……. Relationships mean money in the bank.
Adele Howell-Pryce is the current CEO of the ISPA (International Speaking Professionals Association). The ISPA is a platform for Subject Matter Experts and emerging professional speakers to create a professional profile and promote themselves as speakers. Visit www.InternationalSpeakingProfessionals.com for more information, tips and tools.