Small Business Marketing Should Include Speaking at Events

Small business marketing encompasses a variety of campaign tactics, but one that often gets overlooked by small business owners and marketers is speaking or presenting at local events or industry shows.  Don’t panic – this doesn’t mean you have to get on the major speaking circuit and travel cross-country like Dr. Phil.  Rather it can be as simple as reaching out to local business chambers of commerce, rotary clubs and industry associations to present a case study, or share a best practice.

SMBmarketer just tweeted a link to a great article from Inc. magazine called “10 Tips to giving an important speech” that talks about the value of speaking to your business, and some simple methods you can incorporate to become a better speaker.  You can view it on our SMB_Marketer twitter profile, or by going directly to the specific tweet.

When you participate in an event on behalf of your small business, whether as a sponsor, or as a speaker, be sure to promote your participation.  Using press releases to announce your trade show event, is a smart marketing basic that should not be overlooked.  If you are speaking at a conference, or even just participating  on a panel discussion with other speakers, it is important to get the word out in advance to your database of prospects, your customers, and to show attendees.

Often times the local new media and industry journalists will cover these events, and sending them your press release only helps to call attention to your session, as well as establish your name in their minds as prospective interviewee for a follow up news story.  Your sales team can you also use your press release to stimulate interest in your company, and to drive potential meeting appointments while at the show.

Writing press releases that promote your trade shows and speaking events are a great opportunity to create news for your small business.  Writing press releases can be challenging when you are not sure how to create the right message.  If you are a small business owner trying to get started marketing your business, be sure to subscribe to our blog and download our free “Smart Marketing Playbook” article series. Our blog discusses simple strategies to help small business owners grow their business, while our featured articles provide more insight into the ten smart marketing plays that can help make your business successful.

---