Branding is not just for big companies who spend tons of money on TV ads, billboards, and PR firms to create public-friendly images for themselves.

As a speaker, trainer, coach, consultant, a leader in your industry and a business professional, you too should create a brand for yourself.

It is a sure way to distinguish yourself from your competitors let alone carve a niche for yourself. In today’s world, branding and marketing are necessities for everybody running any kind of business.

You cannot sit and wait for people to come looking for you. You have to make them know that you exist. – Ires Alliston

There is the need to put yourself out there, so people can know about you, trust you and like you. Plus it also established you as the authority in your niche.

If you are a public speaker, a trainer or a coach, below are seven vital tips that will help you to brand and market your way to astounding success!

As a Public Speaker, Your Audience is Your First Avenue for Marketing Yourself.

If your speeches not only helped and resonated with a lot of people in the audience, you better believe that they will talk to other people about you. The same goes for trainers and coaches. The satisfaction of clients is paramount. Imagine a situation where you have ten clients who are perfectly happy with the service you are rendering to them and they refer you to others?

These ten people can tell others about you in the course of conversations, idle chats, or more importantly, as a result of a desire to help a friend or relation who is in need of the services you render. What do you think will be the outcome? An increase in your customer base. Word of mouth a very powerful tool in any business. It can even be more effective than a television or radio advert. Therefore it is a tool you should use to bring yourself to prominence. Keep your clients happy and they will tell others about you. Help your audience to discover the truth they need to know, and your name will be on their lips.

Who do you Serve?

There a Set of People who Stand to Benefit the Most from Your Training in a Coaching Program.

These group of people should form your client base. Assuming you are a fitness trainer, your client base will be made up of people interested in maintaining their fitness. This, of course, will not include everybody.

As a speaker, it is important to choose your target audience. It is important to bear in mind what your message is and decide which set of people will benefit the most from it. These people are your target audience. Some public speakers, however, do not have any particular set of people their messages are prepared for. They try to reach to everybody because their message is probably for everyone. However, there are other speakers who have a specific message for a specific group of people who are supposed to form their target audience.

Develop a Catchy Phrase

An important part of your strategy for marketing and making yourself a brand is to create a catchy phrase that will be associated with you.

This phrase should be used always at either the beginning of your speech or its end. It will help to keep you in the kind of your listeners. As a trainer or a coach, you should have a logo that will represent your brand. This logo should be able to attract and hold people’s attention. It should be on the wall in your training venue or your coaching classes. If you are running a TV show as part of your program, then the logo should be always come up at the beginning and end of the show. It is important for symbolizing your program in the mind of the public. It will be something you are known for and can be used to identify you.

Have Business Cards Handy.

They should be with you everywhere you go, so you can give them out to the people you meet. Now, I am not saying do the “spray and pray” method where you hand your business cards to everyone you meet and wherever you go then hope and pray that someone will call you. This doesn’t happen all the time. However, make it a point to have your target audience in mind even before you go to a conference, event or networking functions. Once you’ve established that, offer your card to them and get their card also. The person you meet in a function that night can be turned into a new client tomorrow. That card might just do the trick. Don’t forget to follow up as well.

The money is in the follow up! It’s critical. – Ires Alliston

Belief in Yourself is Extremely Important.

Doubts can kill or cripple you. Belief in yourself will give you the confidence you need to tell people about yourself and get them to believe that you are the best. You will never be able to convince a potential client that you are better than the competition if you do not even believe in yourself.

Social Media Can also be Used Effectively to Brand or Market Yourself.

You can do this through a blog. This blog can serve as a platform for sharing your ideas, views, and knowledge. It is an easy way to let people know who you are and what you do. What people read on your blog should give them a taste of what they should expect from you. It is a way to show the public who you are and what they can gain from you. You can also design and launch your own website. This is where your clients and fans can log on to learn more about you and the services you provide. Publishing of e-books or hard copy books will also help to put you out there. All the great public speakers in the world today have all published books at one time or the other in their lives. In fact, a number of them, publish books regularly.

Rise and cut above the noise!

It’s Important to Stand out From the Crowd.

Be unique. Do not be carried away by what others are doing or saying. Do your own thing, so that you will be known for it. As a speaker, or a trainer, or a coach, what is that special quality that you have, that makes you different and can give you an edge? Maximize it, build on it and it will definitely set you apart from the others in your field of interest.

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Be great,
Ires