How many public speaking engagements has your company done this year?

Use PR to make the most out of this vital outreach tool

You already know you need to promote your business so that people know who you are. Public speaking engagements provide an ideal way to get in front of your target audience, demonstrate your industry expertise and position your company and CEO as thought leaders.

Still, is one speaking engagement each year enough? How about five? Is 10 too many? A public relations firm can help you find the right speaking engagements and determine the right number you should participate in to put your company on top.

Four benefits of public speaking engagements for your business

You can make friends for your company.

Public events allow you to meet people you might not cross paths with otherwise. It’s possible that these new contacts could bring you new clients or customers. You may also find mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities. Additionally, meeting new people gives you the chance to be a resource for someone trying to solve a professional or personal issue. If you can provide the solution, even if it has nothing to do with your company, you will have gained a new friend who will remember your helpfulness and perhaps send business your way in the future.

You become part of the conversation.

People are talking about your industry. They are concerned about trends, laws, news and the future of the field. When you have information to add in these areas, by lecturing, answering questions or giving presentations, they will soon be talking about you.

You increase your visibility and reach.

You can be the foremost expert in your field, but if you never share that knowledge, no one will ever know it. By accepting questions and other points of view after your speech, you can offer additional perspective and engage with the audience. As an added benefit, if you record your speech, you can share it further with people who didn’t attend the original event with tools such as SlideShare, videos and social media channels.

You receive branding opportunities.

When your CEO or other company executives speak at public events (and do a good job) it puts a human face on your organization. You can use the occasion to show some personality. For example, if your company culture is laid-back and fun, use a bit of humor or have the speaker use a more relaxed style in the speech.

What is the right number of public speaking events and which should you attend?

Just as every company is different, so too are the number of and types of events that are right for your company. Nonetheless, there are some points to keep in mind:

Stick to your area of expertise.
Start small until you are completely comfortable with the process of public speaking.
Select single-track events as much as possible, meaning that at the given time, you are the only one speaking, so attendees basically have no other choice except to listen to you.
Strive for the largest audience possible, even at multi-track events, to increase your chances of generating business and networking.
Study as much as you can about your potential audience, learning information such as how much they are likely to know about your topic and what they will be most interested in hearing about.
Strike the right chord with a blend between giving a great speech and selling the benefits of your product, which you can do with spokesperson training from PR.

With help from Axia Public Relations, you can find the best public speaking events to let your company shine. Contact us to learn more about our KeyNote program, where we help you identify and promote public speaking events to obtain maximum exposure for your company.

Lisa Goldsberry is a blogger for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business and technology PR. Lisa has worked for Axia since December 2013. Learn more about Lisa Goldsberry. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.