You might think I’m crazy.
But if I had to recommend just one tactic to aspiring or established authors and speakers it would be this:
Grow your email list.
Here’s why:
As a speaker, you need to generate income. (Non-speaking, that is.)
What are the steps you need to take to make money? Let’s work backwards:
A variety of components need to come together to make your brand a “hot” one for conferences and keynotes.
You need prestige and a solid reputation. You need to have expert status. And you need to sell products in order to fuel your speaking business.
An email list will help you achieve ALL of these goals.
And as your reputation among consumers grows, you’ll get on the speaking radar, so to speak, and become an even more valuable name.
There’s almost nothing else that will set you up for long-term success and ensure high-paying speaking gigs than an email list.
In fact, it should be your number one priority in terms of marketing goals.
Build your email list quickly and robustly, and you’ll position yourself for success.
Let’s break down the process into actionable steps.
An email list is simply a collection of email addresses you’ve acquired from people who have heard you speak, bought a product, visited your website, etc.
As you gather email addresses in your customer relationship management (CRM) system, you can segment the list based on a number of factors, such as:
With this strategic information, you can build tailored messaging that is personalized, targeted and relevant.
By communicating regularly with your email list (we recommend weekly), you’ll connect with your target audience, deliver information that’s valuable to their interests and needs, and grow your authority.
When a consumer lands on your homepage (or some other lead-generating page), there will be an email opt-in form inviting people to join your list to get free information in exchange for their name and email address.
This data is automatically added to your email list in your CRM and the recipients will start getting messages, depending on which workflows (or series of emails) to which you add them.
The sky is really the limit when it comes to what content to send to your email list. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the content should be relevant and timely.
For example, you’ll want to create a “thank you” email to thank people for subscribing to the list and manage their expectations for what kind of content you’ll send and how often you’ll send it.
In addition, you’ll want to create exclusive articles and guides, eBooks and checklists, or videos and courses that will position you as an authority, build your credibility, and ultimately, help people see you as a trusted expert from whom they’ll want to purchase products and services.
Your email list can be THE driving source behind your speaking biz.
If you want to put your career trajectory into overdrive, build your authority, grow your audience and sell products, then an email list should be your number one priority.
Do you find your email list is helping your business? Where do you struggle with email marketing?
