Boost your PR with public speaking

Are speaking engagements right for your brand?

Speaking engagements with the right audience are a good PR exercise and can benefit particular types of businesses – particularly B2B, where the opportunities are numerous. Speaking is worth considering if you are looking to:

• grow your personal profile
• generate leads, particularly if yours is a professional services business.
• promote your expertise and position yourself as a thought leader.
• get involved in highly effective networking. When you attend a networking event, 10 people might meet you. When you are the speaker, everyone in the room has met you!
• position yourself as an employer of choice, and attract staff
• form alliances and partnerships with industry associations and complementary businesses
• promote referrals. Businesses often ask for “suppliers” through their own networks.

Direct communication at an event enables you to present your brand more creatively or more directly – often with messages the media won’t normally publish. Your company’s name and speaker profile will show up in event agendas both in print and online, and is likely to be sent out to a large member or subscriber list.

Which types of businesses it benefits most
Whether or not speaking will boost your business will depend on what opportunities are available in relation to your target audience. Speaking, by nature, creates profile. For this reason, it’s a must PR activity for people-oriented businesses, such as consultancies and agencies whose key staff are the business. Why not promote that aspect of your business (your key people) that attractssales and generates income?

B2B speaking opportunities are plentiful, particularly in the areas of property, urban planning, entrepreneurship, economics, health and marketing. Among these, there are industry associations, chambers of commerce, business groups.