How well known are you in your market?
When someone says, “If you want to know all about [insert your industry/expertise here], you’ve got to check out [??]” – is it your name that is coming up in the [??]? If yes – then you have probably done a great job positioning yourself in the market. If not, then you’ve got a bit of work to do – and it can all start with five simple strategies that help you make a name for yourself in your target market.
Over the last many years, I’ve made in-roads as a speaking business expert. Just as Amy Porterfield is the queen of Online Marketing and Tony Robbins is the master of motivation, I own a spot in the speaking industry. It was solidified years ago when I had my first brush with what I’d call “industry fame.”
My husband and I were on a tiny snorkeling boat off the coast of Maui with about 30 other tourists during our honeymoon. We were chatting with others on the boat and I think we may have mentioned something about being from London, ON. The woman who was sitting nearby approached me and said, ‘is your name Jane?’ ‘Yes’, I replied with a question mark on my face. ‘Oh my gosh, she said, ‘you’re the Wealthy Speaker coach, I’ve read your book!’
It was quite an experience to run into someone who knew me in such a remote place. But now after 30 years in one industry, attending conferences, writing articles and speaking, I think it’s common to run into someone who has read my book or knows my name. And you know, that is pretty cool!
So how well are you known in your target markets for what you do? And what can you do to become more well-known? Let’s take a look at the steps you can take to make a name for yourself in your target market.
5 Strategies for Making a Name for Yourself In Your Target Market
If your name isn’t coming up at the top of the list when people in your target market are looking for an expert, then it’s going to be more difficult for you to book speaking gigs and get bigger fees. But when your name is known, and your expertise is something the market is craving, it makes all the difference in booking business.
Here are five strategies you can use to start building your name in your target market.
Pick a Lane and Get Focused
We talk a lot about picking a lane here at Wealthy Speaker headquarters. It’s the first, and most important step in building your speaking business. So, I won’t expand too much on this. Just keep asking yourself, ‘will what I’m doing right now help me be known for [my one topic] in 5 years?’
Set Yourself Apart
What makes you unique? Why is what you have to say more important or valuable than the others in your industry?
You need to set yourself apart from industry folks so that you can get paid. One of my clients was well known in the dental industry, which supposedly didn’t pay their speakers well. But low and behold, when he started to branch outside the industry, they wanted him more and have found a way to pay his going rates.
If you’re good, you can ignore it when they say, ‘our industry doesn’t pay well’. You just need to quit banging your head on the wall and find some new markets.
Establish Your Expertise
A big part of becoming the known expert in your industry is sharing your expertise so you can establish yourself.
Start by writing articles to establish your expertise. This is a great, and easy, way to build credibility within your target. Make sure the content that you share has a strong value and that your by-line at the end of each article drives people towards your website. Today it’s easier than ever to get published on LinkedIn and other social mediums, so even if you don’t have your own blog, get yourself published!
Write Books
Have you written a book? If not, it should be on your list as a ‘to-do’.
A book may not need to be industry specific in order to further your cause. If you are an expert in sales, you might target the real estate industry. The book might contain real estate examples but doesn’t necessarily need to be specifically written for them. So, you can get creative with your topic to make it unique, just make sure it makes your expertise shine.
If you are at the beginning of your book journey, it may feel overwhelming to write a book. Simplify it by breaking things down into smaller chunks. When I was prepping to write my first book, I took a writing course at the local University, read Anne Lamott’s book, ‘Bird by Bird’, attended a writers conference in Mexico (best NSA conference EVER!) and then started writing.
It took a year from start to finish but breaking it down into small chunks helped.
Position Yourself as an Expert
Position yourself as an expert vs. a speaker vs. someone who’s there to sell.
When you purchase advertising or a booth at an event, you are there in a sales role. But when you speak at an event or are on a panel, you are positioning yourself as an expert. (Note: you may speak for free at your industries’ biggest events, but if doing freebies leads you to more freebies, then you’ll need to rethink your strategy.) You want to be known as the ‘expert’, so make sure that is how you are putting yourself forward and presenting yourself.
I hope this will help you think about your target markets and how you might become more famous within them!
