Most business owners recognize that communication skills are incredibly important. Whether it’s obtaining funding, pitching new products, hiring the right team or taking exploratory meetings, sharing your ideas and vision clearly is critical for the growth and development of the brand.
Without question, one of the most effective means of communicating your ideas is through public speaking. Now, before you break out into a cold sweat at the mere idea of speaking in public, understand that public speaking is a great way to boost your reputation and your business. So, getting over any fear you may have is well worth it.
Here are several reasons why public speaking is good for you and your brand:
Be Seen as an Expert
Public speaking allows you to show off your knowledge. What good is it to have knowledge and expertise in a particular field or industry if no one knows about it? Public speaking allows you to position yourself as an authority within your industry.
Network
Public speaking events are a great way to connect with others in your industry. Whether it’s through participation from the crowd or meeting other speakers during the event, you can form connections that can help you and your brand excel. You may never have had the opportunity to meet these potential partners and consumers if you rely solely on online advertising.
As a bonus, you can also gain valuable insights, viewpoints and more knowledge while connecting with others. It’s always a good idea to expand your knowledge base.
Be Memorable
Long after the chairs are restacked and the microphones are put away, you and your brand will be remembered. This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how your presentation went. So, remember to create content that is relevant to your audience and practice!
Humanize Your Brand
Today’s consumers want to know the human beings behind the brand. While you can attempt to share yourself with your prospects online through your blog, videos and social media pages, there is no better way to be seen as human than in person. Consumers trust a brand far more when they can make a personal connection.
Create Brand Ambassadors
Business owners know there is generally no better form of advertisement than word of mouth. When one person hears from a friend or family about an awesome business, they have complete faith in said business.
When you give a memorable presentation, you leave the audience feeling excited, even electrified, about your brand. Event attendees are more than likely going to share information about you to anyone they know who is in need of your products or services.
Expand Your Brand’s Reach
Marketers know you should always repurpose your content to get as much mileage out of it as possible. When you speak at an event, the content you prepare is intellectual property and it offers a tremendous amount of value. By recording your presentation and offering it to your online audience, you expand your brand’s reach.
Grow Your Online Traffic
Here’s a fact many business owners don’t take into consideration: growing your presence offline will naturally grow your presence online. Think about it. What happens when audience members leave the event? They go home and type your name or your company’s name into Google to find out even more information about you. Suddenly your website and blog see a flood of new traffic. Not only will your traffic see a boost but your Google ranking may see a boost as well, making you more visible to others searching for what you have to offer.
Educate Prospects
Often, when people are aware they need help in a certain area of their life, they know just enough to go out and search for answers. When you can provide those answers, you become a trusted source of information. And, once people are armed with this information, they can make better purchasing decisions. And who better to purchase from than the brand who gave them invaluable information?
In today’s digital landscape, there is no denying that website and social media networks offer tremendous marketing opportunities. Having said this, you should never overlook the power and influence that comes from public speaking.
Public speaking is a great way to explain concepts, answer questions, create long-lasting personal relationships, and give your future client the confidence that your brand is right for them. If you haven’t thought about public speaking to grow your brand, you should definitely consider it. A memorable presentation can translate into increased revenue and set you apart from the competition.