Finding Your Niche s a Professional Speaker

Dr. Gary Arnold's Book
How the Top 1% of Speakers and Coaches Do Internet Marketing
Paperback: ISBN:978-1-57867-041-3; eBook: ISBN:978-1-57867-043-7

Cut through the competition by identifying and targeting your niche. The field of professional speaking is very broad. The competition within the field can feel brutal. Your first step in building a strong, sustainable career as a speaker is to identify your niche market. The more specific you can be, as you define the traits and qualities of those who will be interested in your services, the better.

What's Your Mindset?

First, you have to approach your speaking business with a market mindset rather than a product mindset. What you want to talk about is not nearly as important as what people want to hear. You could be the most gifted and inspired speaker on the planet, but if you topic does not appeal to, or fill a need for, others you won't get speaking jobs, and that is a cold hard fact.

Know Who They Are.

Take the time to find out who your general market is, and then drill down to the specifics. What are their problems? What needs are currently unmet? What are their desires? What motivates them? Take a close look at the demographics for your target market. How old are they? Is this a gender specific interest? What is the general level of education? What is their socio-economic status? These are some of the kinds of questions you should be asking. This information is critical to both your presentation development and your marketing strategies.

Know Who You Are.

As I said, the field of professional speaking can feel brutal. It can also feel crowded. Finding a way to distinguish yourself from the pack is critical. First, you have to know what your strengths are as a speaker, and play to them. Once you have determined who your market is, become a subject matter expert in that area. You will get nowhere as a speaker if you don't offer information that your audience thinks they can get some place else. How can you, and what you know, offer something different? How can you turn your skills and expertise into a specialty field, and zero in on a hidden or pocket niche? How can you present yourself as unique in a crowded field?

Finding your niche, and then setting yourself up as shining star, takes some time and footwork on your part. There is no shortcut for the research and planning it takes to find your audience and position yourself to capitalize on it. If you do the legwork, it will be worth it is as you create a professional speaking career that really takes off.