I received an email from one of my vendors the other day… Here’s what I saw in my in-box:

From: Diana Smith
Subject: 50% Off!

Seconds away from tagging it as spam, I decided to take a more in-depth look. It was then that I recognized the email domain name as being from a vendor. The person sending the email was a new sales associate, writing to introduce herself and provide a special discount on new orders.

To me, she looked exactly like a spammer, and I ALMOST deleted her message. Most people probably would’ve deleted it without even thinking twice about it.

I decided to send her a quick note with some helpful advice… ideas to, perhaps, keep her emails from getting tagged as spam in the future by me or her other customers.

From: Diana Smith / ABC Printing Company
Subject: 50% OFF New Orders in November!

Can you see the difference those small changes would make?

Even if the recipient didn’t recognize her name, they would recognize the company’s name. And, the more specific subject line makes it clear what the email’s about. It can also be intriguing to the recipient, so they’re more likely to open it.

Just some food for thought next time you send out an email. Will people recognize you — or delete you?

If you’re not, why not?

Here are a few ways in which you can benefit from using Google Alerts…

1.) “Call for speakers” is the traditional term used by organizations looking for people to speak at events or conferences. You never know when you’ll run across an alert from a group in your niche… this is a great way to get instant notification of speaker openings. Be sure to put quote marks around the phrase, so you don’t get a bunch of alerts referring to Bose Speakers. :o)

2.) Set up an alert for your own name and/or brand. I have an alert specifically for “Butterfly Herder.” As a result, I’ve seen many Facebook posts & tweets from colleagues & friends who have referred me to potential clients. It’s kinda cool! I was able to send a quick note of thanks almost immediately after they posted. Great way to show appreciation.

If there’s a chance that your customers, colleagues, or potentials would have a reason to criticize your company or brand, this can be very helpful for ‘putting out fires’ or crisis management. As soon as your name starts showing up on websites, you’ll see the notifications and can address the issues right away.

3.) Got competition? We all do. Use alerts to keep track of other speakers in your industry. What are they doing? What aren’t they doing? Could you be doing more — or differently — to get new speaking clients?

4.) Are you a Toastmaster or NSA member? Google Alerts are handy for keeping track of the regional & national activities of your organization. Share that info with fellow members so they’ll understand that there is life “beyond” the local group.

5.) Working on a new product? Use alerts to do research! If you’re working on a new product that’ll help new managers become better managers, consider creating an alert for “new managers” and “job skills” — or whatever terms work best for you. Keep track of the info being posted all over the ‘net. This is a fabulous way to make connections with other speakers & authors… and it’ll increase your own field of vision, too!

Those are just a few ideas — do you have others? Post your suggestions below!

How long has it been since you updated your speaker photos? Are people still seeing a pic of you from 5 years ago? Are you wearing a different hair style nowadays? Or, perhaps you have a bit less on top than you used to, but your photos show you with a full head of hair?

Not a good idea… Why?

Well, first, it’s terribly distracting to your audience. If they’re looking at a program with your pic from 5 years ago, and you’re on stage speaking… what’s going through their minds?

Very likely, it’s NOT “Wow! This is a great speaker! I’m taking notes like crazy!” … rather, it’s PROBABLY something like “Hey, his head is shaved in this pic, but the guy on stage has a full head of hair! What’s up with that?!”

Second, old pictures can lower your credibility in the eyes of the audience AND your meeting planner. Credibility is critical. And if you can’t spend an hour or two every year updating your photos, what else are you NOT doing? Maybe you aren’t providing the audience with the most up-to-date knowledge & ideas available? Perhaps you’re over-priced? Who knows?!

A lot of interesting thoughts go through the minds of people around us. Your job, as you market your speaking business, is to be genuinely “you” and ensure that the image you’re projecting is how you want the world to see you.

I’m not telling you to be and do everything everyone else wants you to do… just be yourself.

Be the “you” of TODAY… not the “you” of yesterday!

As a professional speaker, you need to offer more than simply a keynote or two to your clients. But you don’t want to offer so many different things in different forms that you confuse your client. You’ll seem scattered and unfocused.

What is it that you’re selling? Keynotes, seminars, consulting, coaching, training, retreats?

Decide what you really enjoy doing and focus on that. It might be keynotes plus consulting. In other words, offer to give a keynote address at your corporate client’s year-end conference and then offer a short-term consulting service where you help employees or association members implement the changes you recommended.

You’ve just expanded your income and provided a great benefit to your clients.

Or you could also offer a keynote address plus a two hour training session on the same day of the conference.

There are many successful speakers who simply do nothing but keynotes. It’s entirely up to you but I urge you to be both flexible and focused in the menu of services you offer.

Often speakers are asked to do both: the kick-off keynote and then a break-out or training session later on the same day.

High paid speakers such as Alan Weiss, author of The Million Dollar Consultant and Money Talks, often consult with the CEO of the organization on how to raise the company’s ranking and improve the bottom line. Then Weiss gives a keynote address at the conference to get everyone on board with upcoming changes.

What can you do to enhance what you’re offering?

Begin by thinking of all the different spins you can do on your topic. Your intellectual property – in other words, what you’ve written and spoken about – is what you have to offer. That’s what you exchange for money. And you can package and sell that in many different ways.

I also recommend that my clients sell their services by appealing to the individual buyer as well as the big corporate client. That way, they’re recession-proofing themselves in case of economic turbulence. (How prophetic was that advice?).

This marketplace depends on a strong economy, a healthy population (Toronto had a SARS epidemic a few years ago which seriously affected the convention market) and a stable safe environment. And we can’t promise any of that with any certainty.

When your expertise is of value to a wide variety of individuals, you’ll always have internet income from all around the world, no matter what is going on in your particular corner.

So beef up your menu and get going!

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Cathleen Fillmore, owner of Speakers Gold bureau, consults with speakers who want to find the money in the marketplace and maximize the returns on their talents. Cathleen is a member of MPI, a certified consultant with the American Consultant’s League and a consultant to some of North America’s top speakers. Sign up for her advanced marketing techniques newsletter ‘Speakers Gold’ at 6figurespeaker.com and get a free report on Getting Paid for Speaking.

You may reprint this article provided the resource box is reprinted in its entirety. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cathleen_Fillmore

As you know, speakers who have their own information product end up getting more speaking gigs. This is important to remember. If you are a speaker, and you want to increase the chance to get more speaking assignments, you need to get busy creating a product for yourself.

Create an info product that people will enjoy reading and use. You don’t want to create your own product for the sake of doing so. People won’t be able to use it or enjoy it, and this will also hurt your reputation as an expert. And what happens then, you won’t get hired to be a speaker at any more speaking events.

Creating product that will help people learn a new skill will give them the incentive to want to learn more from you. This will give them the encouragement to seek you out. What better way to do this than to attend an event where you are speaking. This way they can get to hear you and learn what you are about.

Some speakers wonder how to create a product they can use or send to their list or to bring with them to their seminar? Making a product is not really that hard to do. It really just takes a little ingenuity and creativity. If you are not a writer, you could hire someone to write the product for you. Just go online to Elance, Guru, or even to Craigslist and find someone who is willing to create your product cheaply. If you do know how to write, you do not have to be extravagant. It’s not hard knowing how to make products if you use your mind and focus on what you want to create.

If you are familiar with the internet, you will know info products are the biggest sellers. Informational products are sold online more than any other product because you can make a lot more profit from them. So think about creating info products that you can provide to your attendees as well as those who plan the event. This will not only give your attendees something permanent from you to go back to, but it will also boost your expertise to the event planner for the next seminar or presentation they plan to give.

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http://www.GetSpeakingJobs.com is where you can find over 100+ hours of downloadable audio and video lessons that will show you how to make $100,000 to $1,000,000 dollars PER YEAR as a professional speaker. James Malinchak, the author of this article can be your online business coach and mentor. Simply visit http://www.GetSpeakingJobs.com to get started today with several FREE professional speaking audio recordings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_R_Malinchak

I’ve noticed an annoying trend on Facebook lately… people “tagging” others in videos and/or photos when they’re not actually IN those videos/photos.

Seems strange, I know… but in the social media world, that’s big-time SPAMMING and it’s not a good idea.

WHY are they doing it?

Well, when a “big-name” person with lots of followers is tagged in a post, video, or photo, it shows up on that “big-name” person’s Facebook page… which means lots of people will see it… which means the post, video, or photo could potentially get a lot of attention… which is what a spammer wants, right?

I know YOU’RE not a spammer, but using a technique like this (even innocently) could get you tagged as one. There are better & smarter ways to promote yourself, your events, and your products.

One of the primary reasons people enter this occupation is because they wish to earn some life-threatening cash.

With dreams of stardom and hopes of owning the Mercedes and the million-dollar home, they set off in hunt for getting highly paid gigs only to get knocked down by rejection after rejection. After doing some investigation, they discover that virtually all of their starting events will be free speaking gigs.

What?!?

If “free” is a horrendous four letter word in your livelihood vocabulary, you will need to change your thinking about the importance and value that “free” can actually provide. There are wonderful advantages that come with speaking without charge — including having the capacity to promote your back of the room products where you can genuinely profit. You’ll be gaining new experiences and building your clientele list.

1. “Free” still gets your name out.

The more people who hear you speak, the more people you will have to potentially buy your product and refer you to other people are seeking professional speakers. As an example, speaking at no cost for an organization like a Rotary Club or Elks Club can result in paying jobs because most of the members who owned by this organization have businesses of their own or are in positions in their careers where they’re the decision makers to “hire” speakers.

2. You can, nevertheless, have the opportunity to sell your products at these free speaking engagements.

Statistics show that back of the room products account for over 50% of professional speaking profits. Promote your enterprise and promote your products in the same location! At at minimum, you will be able to refer them to your web site for more info or additionally, to purchase products and books. The more people that hear you, the more opportunities you’ll have.

3. Free speaking opportunities are still opportunities where you are able to create a video tape of yourself.

Many speaker bureaus and meeting planners won’t hire you without seeing a video tape of your presentation. On top of that, many organizations such as the Rotary Club or Elks Club have people who can assist you create your video. Can you trade services?

4. Free speaking engagements are a fantastic place to network.

Hopefully by now you realize that you have to get your name out there. As a way to get your name around, you’ll ought to be around. You can nevertheless mingle with your guests as well as network with meeting planners for the function.

5. A totally free speech happening is still a fantastic reason to send out a press release.

If you are looking for a cause to send out press releases about yourself or your livelihood, use free speaking engagements. Submit them to local newspapers and various online sites that have a “to-do in your field” section. This is barely another method to get the word out about your enterprise.

Speaking free of charge has its advantages. What you will have to learn next is how to leverage these free occurrences into referrals and product sales. As you do this, more people will realize you and your company will be well on its way to success!

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Zane O’Neill has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. Not only does this author specialize in weight loss, fitness and diet, you can also check out his latest websites on Pet Water Fountain and portable electric generator.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zane_Oneill

Hey! Stop thinking that way! Shame on you! :o)

I’m talking about a LIST. Santa has a big LIST… how big is yours?

Or, better yet, do you have a list? If you’re a speaker, you need one. Even if you’re an aspiring speaker — just getting into the business — now is the perfect time to begin. And, every time you speak, take that opportunity to build your list even more. Before you know it, you’ll have 10,000 or more subscribers!

A good friend of mine, Darren LaCroix, coaches professional speakers. One piece of advice that he always emphasizes is the importance of bringing along a clipboard to a presentation. As you’re speaking, you can pass it around the room and invite people to sign up for a newsletter, free report, e-book, etc.

When you do this, be sure to let them know you’ll never share or sell their information… and that they can easily unsubscribe at any time. (Then, of course, be sure to follow these two rules. It’s critical to be ethical when managing a mailing list.)

After your presentation, be sure to send each of those subscribers a confirmation email and link to whatever you promised them. Don’t wait too long — get it done within a day or two of your speech. A large number of people in the speaking industry lose business simply because they don’t follow up. So, get started on the right foot immediately by communicating your trustworthiness & reliability.

Watch for other blog posts on additional ways to build & manage your email list!

By now, I’m sure you’re aware that a strong brand can really boost your speaking business. Much as we wish, strong brands don’t “just happen” and they’re not always easy to build. It takes a plan and a firm commitment to do the work involved in making it happen.

As we head into the new year, here are some steps you can take…

Step #1 ~ Identify Your Brand Personality

For many speakers, their brand ‘personality’ is their own personality. If you’re a humorous or animated speaker, then your brand may be funny or animated. If you’re hard-hitting and serious, that’s likely your brand personality. It’s much easier and more effective to be yourself than to try to be someone completely different.

There are a lot of high-level, super-awesome speakers out there — and deep down, some of us may want to “grow up to be just like them” one day. Your job is to be uniquely you… not exactly like them. Your perceived credibility & authenticity depend on this.

Step #2 ~ Identify Your Primary Marketing Tactics

Your brand personality is expressed via every single marketing & communication message you have. When your message is consistently communicated, your brand will grow stronger. Some marketing tactics to include are:

• Social networking
• Blogging
• Article marketing
• Advertising in niche publications
• Email newsletters
• Postcards
• Website

As you market your speaking business, be sure to have a unified approach. For example, if you’re a controversial personality (think Larry Winget), you’ll want to make sure you stir up controversy in your blog posts, articles, ads, email marketing, postcard mailings, and social networking communications. People want to know what to expect. Give it to them and you’ll strengthen your brand. If you aren’t consistent, you’ll confuse people — and confused people don’t buy.

Step #3 ~ Create & Continually Adjust Your Plan

Take a look at your current marketing and content plan for the upcoming year. You’ll probably need to adjust some of the messages so they provide a consistent theme & personality. It may be as simple as creating a salutation or signature line that you’ll include in each communication, or it could be as elaborate as creating a new website that matches your personality. Sometimes small changes can make a big difference — but don’t hesitate to make bigger changes if it’s going to create more alignment with the goals of your speaking business.

Remember that your personality doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be like somebody else, or an exaggeration. What it does need in order to grow stronger is a consistent approach. When each communication & marketing message supports your personality and personal brand, it becomes stronger in the minds of your prospects & clients. They’ll begin to identify with that personality and want to do business with you.

Poke around this blog, read the marketing articles that interest you, and consider subscribing to the RSS feed. Over the next several months, you’ll find many new ideas, how-to’s, and specifics on developing your speaking brand. And, if you have an idea to share, be sure to comment!

Good luck in the new year!

Hello… nice to see you!

If you’re reading this, it means that you’ve found a BRAND NEW area on my website. Cool, huh?

I’m creating a new blog that will focus on marketing for professional speakers — but as you can see, I’m still adding content.

Feel free to look around… and post a comment or two, if you’d like. I’d love to know what topics YOU’d like to see in this spot.

Hope you visit again soon!

Cynthia