Living an inspired life means I  see positivity and opportunity  under any circumstance. Combining my inspiration with my entrepreneurial mindset means that in any given  situation a light bulb will go off with a new idea for a blog post! (Even during Earthquakes). This public relations  blog post was inspired by my 3 minutes of television fame while modeling for My Fashion Plate on NBC a couple months ago. View my TV appearance clip here!

Being a Marketing professional I’ve always undestood how PR works hand in hand with marketing. PR is essentially the practice of managing the communication between your organization and the public to gain more exposure and target new audiences.  However, the days of submitting a traditional press release and hoping it gets picked up by a magazine writer or television station with significant lag time in publishing your news is over. PR has taken on a whole new spin with the embracement of social media.

While social media continues to experience exponential growth, there’s no doubt that having your company featured on TV or a news article published is still an exciting accomplishment. Thus while on TV for my FashionPlate I realized what a huge accomplishment it was for their company; definitely something that deserves recognition beyond 3 minutes. With Social Media, we can now optimize our PR appearances and turn them into a more personal marketing campaign. A successful PR program mixes traditional PR strategies with innovative social media practices so I’ve created a list of ideas on how to make your PR go social:

1. Teaser Posts: Create some excitement about your upcoming appearance. Whether it’s a mention in a magazine, a radio interview or television appearance, let your community know exactly when and where they can see your company in the media! Post anticipating tweets and Facebook updates a few outs day. Ideally your posts will generate some retweets and shares thus making more people aware of your upcoming appearance.

2. Interactive Promotion: Turn your teaser posts into a fun promotion that encourages your community to not only share your PR news to their social networks but also reward them for actually viewing your PR appearance. This can be done through asking your community a question on Twitter where the answer can only be found through viewing your PR exposure. Those who reply with the correct answer can be rewarded with a prize.

3. Blog post follow up: After your PR appearance, draft up a quick blog post with information about your feature. If it’s a TV clip, see if you can obtain a file of the clip to host on your own YouTube and embed in your blog post.  If you don’t have rights to the clip, create a link to it. If it’s a radio appearance, see if you can get an audio of your airtime.  If it’s an article, link to the online version of the article.  Make sure to thank the media graciously for your appearance.

4. Social Media shoutouts- When thanking the media in you blog posts, Twitter updates and Facebook updates make sure to make connect back to everyone else’s social networks. This significantly increases the chances that your partners and the media outlets will repost your information. You’re recognizing others by their social media handles and everyone loves to be recognizes. For example in the MyFashion Plate segment all the outfits were from Nordstrom. In a tweet I would make sure NBC and Nordstrom are both refered to by their Twitter name “All outfits featured on our @nbcsandiego segment are from @nordstrom“.

5. Media Section- Create a media section on your website that showcases all of your appearances. This is a great way to strengthen the credibility of your brand, show off your great media accomplishments and have a hub that visibly organizes everything. You can place links of all your Social Media press releases here too.  (See below).

6. Social Media Press Releases- When creating a press release, your social media version should be customized for the web. Social Media press releases have sharing features, a specific tweet that readers can post, links within the press release etc. PitchEngine is a useful site I’ve found that’s a Social Media Press Release Builder. Here is a good example of a Social Media Press Release for Playlistify created by Press Doc, another great resource to write, edit and publish your own social media release online and share it with journalists, bloggers and your clients. Notice how Playlistify’s Social Media press release has a visible Share button on the top right and links to resource on their own website plus partner websites.

So if my Marketing career doesn’t work out, it’s good to know I can fall back on my modeling career . Know examples of companies that do a great job with Public Relations on Social Media? Please share in the comments below.

*MyFashion Plate’s TV appearance was booked by their Public Relations company, RKPR a San Diego PR company that does an amazing job at connecting their clients to the media.

Duck and Cover? No way! Tweet  and post a Facebook update? This is our first instinct!

Another earthquake hit San Diego this evening and it’s evident that Social Media has revolutionized the entire earthquake experience. Rather than making sure we’re safe with the good ol’ “duck and cover” routine, the first thing on our minds was to socialize with others experiencing the earthquake and to make sure and let people know that we “definitely felt that one”.

I’ll admit that my first instinct upon feeling the earthquake was “I have to Tweet this!” I immediately pull up Twitter on my computer to find our good friend, Fail Whale. Next I decided to take a video and capture the action but the earthquake ended as soon as I started filming.

After failed attempts at posting a real time update during the earthquake, I’ve decided to show the world in images what an earthquake in San Diego really looks like.

Here are my observations on how Social Media plays a positive roll in alleviating the anxiety of a scary natural disaster:

- People feel a sense of community on Social Media. We know we’re not alone and feel a level of comfort to see others going through a similar experience.

- Foursquare adds a gaming feature to the earthquake which gives people a laugh. Even if you’re laughing at how ridiculous it is to check in to an earthquake, laughing is such a great remedy in any fearful situation.

- Social Media provides real time, live updates from the people actually experiencing the earthquake. Waiting for the news has a lag time, but now we’re are updated instantly and knowledge always provides a sense of security.

Did you experience the most recent San Diego Earthquake? If so, what did you do? Were you on Social Media? Please leave a comment and share your experience!

Professional speaking has helped me in many areas of my business including marketing, business development and improving my overall communication skills. While not everyone is meant to be a Professional Speaker for a living it is highly advantageous to have the ability to speak professionally in your area of expertise. I shared in an earlier post tips on how to grow your business through professional speaking.

I’ve also given you tools on optimizing your speaking engagements with 10 Social Media Tips for Professional Speakers. Now I’m giving you an opportunity to take action and begin your speaking career or add another speaking gig to your resume with my call for speakers! This year I began educating my way to success by teaching a Marketing and Communication course at Platt College San Diego. I’ve already completed two terms and my next class begins next week. To enhance my course material I use videos, real life examples and invite industry leaders to speak.

Guest Speaker at Platt College MJD Interactive

Having guest speakers has been very educational, entertaining and informative for my class because students are learning from people who are working in the careers they aspire to. My class is every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8:30pm. The next term is June 3rd to July 21st. I’m currently seeking speakers to present 1-2 hour presentations on the following topics (I have listed suggested speaking points but am open to other ideas):

• Mobile Marketing- Mobile websites, Mobile applications, growth of mobile usage, text message campaigns
• SEO- What factors are considered SEO?, How Social Media plays a role in SEO?, keywords, linking
• Web Development and Design- Website usability, building a website that’s SEO friendly, incorporating Social Media elements into a website, design elements, etc
• Many of the students are Entrepreneurs and interested in starting their own business so anyone who also runs their own company (especially if it’s on topics relating to marketing and technology) is a great candidate to speak in my class.

Guest Speaker at Platt College Michael Martin

If you’re interested in speaking for my class at Platt College, please email: Melodie at MarketingMelodie dot com with the following information:

1. Name
2. Company & Title
3. Website URL
4. Social Media URLs
5. Topic
6. Brief description of presentation
7. Additional comments or information

I realize as a working professional your time is extremely valuable. I would like to make this experience mutually beneficial. This is an unpaid speaking opportunity but I’m happy to provide follow up recommendations, testimonials, take photos/video during your talk and promote your business through my own social networks.  You’re also welcome to share opportunities with the students such as job openings or internships. I look forward to hearing you speak soon!

I’d like to take this time to express my gratitude for everyone who’s been a Marketing Melodie supporter and fan. Whether you periodically read my blog, regularly interact with me on Twitter and Facebook or are a valued client who invests in my services, I sincerely appreciate you!

To thank everyone for their support, I’m hosting another Social Media Swag Bag giveaway! I know Swag can often be clutter but I’ve taken the initiative to find things that are practical and useful. I’ve posted tips on Hosting Successful contests on Social Media and  have already given away fun Social Media Swag but since I’m very active in the social media scene, I’m constantly acquiring more goodies to share with you!

The winner receives the following plus a few other surprises:
1. Yelp Lunchbox complete with a Yelp Thermos, bottle opener and buttons. Yelp is one of the best resources for receiving authentic and honest feedback from consumers about any place you may consider trying whether it’s a restaurant, retail store or a service provider.
2. A very comfy PitchEngine t-shirt. PitchEngine is a great resource to accelerate your PR presence in Social Media.
3. Google Keychain that lights up in different colors. I’m not sure if this has a practical use but it’s always cool to have Google Swag!
4. Bing Pen and sticker
5. Rackspace stress relief cloud. Because we can all use a de-stresser and clouds remind me of being a carefree kid staring at the clouds while intrigued at all the animals and things I cold see in the sky.
6. Cool Twitter Conferences Lanyard
7. An assortment of Social Media Stickers
8. Hoovers Mobile Phone Couch from the Hoovie Robot
9. An assortment of Social Media stickers
10. iContact Cups that change color depending on the temperature of the liquid you’re drinking. Email marketing is a very targeted form of direct marketing because consumers have to opt in. iContact offers a free trial. I’ve personally used them before, very user friendly interface.

11. Everything comes in your very own Reusable Windows 7 Bag (Remember to bring your own bags to the grocery store). I’m finally using Windows 7 on my HP Netbook.

There are 3 ways you can win. You can enter up to 3 different times:
1. Leave a comment on this blog telling me what your favorite social network is and why
2. Follow me on Twitter and Tweet this blog via the “Tweet” button on this post.
3. “Like” Marketing Melodie on Facebook and leave a comment on my wall about  how Social Media benefits you either personally or professionally.
I’ll choose a winner at the end of May. Good luck to everyone and thank you all again for supporting Marketing Melodie!

*Photo Credit: Photos taken by Marketing Melodie

I’m happy to report a safe return to sweet home San Diego from my first international trip to Hong Kong. Although I’ve been back for over a week now, I’m slowly but surely recovering from the unexpected Jet Lag. I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who generously offered me travel advice. As soon as I announced that Marketing Melodie brings Marketing Expertise to Hong Kong, everyone stepped up by giving me invaluable tips which significantly increased the quality of my overall travel experience.

Hong Kong is much different than I imagined. It trumps every “big” city I’ve visited in the United States: New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, etc. as far as the amount of people, tall skyscrapers and commotion in a condensed area. Everywhere I turn, at any time of day there are massive crowds in every direction. The streets are filled with endless vibrant and colorful buildings. My primary reason for visiting Hong Kong was for business to speak at the INET Asia Regional Conference on the topic of How to Engage Your Customers through SEO and Social Media and also attend the co-located event, Hong Kong Electronics Fair. I’m fortunate that I was able to optimize my time there to experience everything Hong Kong has to offer. My good friend from high school, Lauren who resides in Boston was able to take some time off to join me during my trip.

The rest of this post is my daily Hong Kong experience through a photo blog corresponding with my own insight. If you prefer not to read it all, skim through the photos and view the rest on Marketing Melodie’s Facebook.

Day 1: After over 20 hours of traveling (more than double my previous longest travel time), I arrived in Hong Kong. Navigating my way to the hotel in a new country was a challenge but I made my way to the Harbourview Hotel. Located right near the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Harbourview is a very clean and quaint business hotel. I was delighted to discover they’ve recently joined Facebook and Twitter but highlight of my evening was definitely earning my first passport stamp!

Day 2: Monday was cloudy and humid, not the best weather conditions to tour the city, but nevertheless we made the best of it and took the tram up to Victoria’s Peak for an incredible view of Hong Kong. We also walked around and toured several bank buildings to experience city life during the work day. That evening I attended the INET welcome reception on the rooftop of Wooloomooloo restaurant with an amazing view of the city. I met the other speakers and locals who part of the organization. Everyone made me feel very welcome in Hong Kong. I was delighted to find a Loving Hut vegan restaurant right downstairs from Wooloomooloo so I picked up take out to eat at my hotel. The Loving Hut menu was completely different from the San Diego menu; it was customized with many delicious Hong Kong style options.

Day 3: I arrived at the Convention Centre early for the opening keynote of the INET Asia Regional Conference. The morning session was a great learning experience for me as experts educated us on IPv6 securing the future growth of the internet. I spent the rest of the afternoon checking out Gadgets at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. This event was enormous! It was 5 floors of every type of electronic device you can imagine from tea kettles, fans, lighting equipment to new technology products: netbooks, notebooks, cameras, smart phones and more. That evening there was a very fancy business dinner arranged for about 20 speakers and VIP guests. This was a 15 course meal with an abundance of delicious selections and also the largest meal I’ve consumed in a sitting. Each time we thought the dinner was over, the servers continued to bring out new dishes. They graciously prepared vegetarian options which I very much enjoyed. The dinner ended with a 3 course dessert including traditional “birthday buns” seen in the photo below.

Day 4: The second day of the INET conference kicked off with another morning keynote, then various speakers who educated on multilingualism and internet navigation. This is a very important topic to anyone who plans to grow their business beyond their native country. I learned about the importance of understanding local search patterns, usability and  options to optimize domains to meet different country standards. The afternoon session focused on SEO and my presentation came up quickly. I was honored to present in front of such an advanced crowd on a new topic, Social Media. My passion is really to educate and empower others with social media knowledge so they can use these powerful tools to grow their business. I received great feedback about my presentation and have made it available through Marketing Melodie’s SlideShare. That evening, I enjoyed dinner at  restaurant called Heaven on Earth in Lan Qwai Fong, the heart of Hong Kong’s nightlife and

Day 5: Thursday was another jam packed day. The Hong Kong Art Centre is right next to my hotel so I enjoyed many of their exhibits. I also walked around the 13 story mall, Times Square which easily may be bigger than the Mall of America. After window shopping, I headed back to the Convention Centre to check out some more gadgets at the Hong Kong Electronics Show. Then I took a cab to my new hotel located on the Kowloon side. The Mira is a high end boutique hotel with luxurious amenities. The rooms are fully equipped to ensure a relaxing stay. After getting settled at the Mira, we walked over to the Intercontinental Hotel, which I’ve been told has the best view for the Symphony of Lights show that happens every night at 8pm in Hong Kong along the harbour and with all the buildings in the city. It’s quit an amazing spectacle.
Mira Hotel, symphony of lights

Day 6: Foursquare Day arrives in in Hong Kong! Before celebrating, I started my day by enjoying activities hosted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board. They do an amazing job at offering tourists cultural, fun and cost effective entertainment. There are dozens of programs free to visitors. I took advantage of their morning Tai Chi Class and then a Feng Shui Class. That evening, I headed back to Lan Kwai Fong for Foursquare Day in Hong Kong! I set this event up from another country solely by connecting with the Hong Kong Tech scene through Social Media. I’m grateful for everyone who immediately stepped up and helped put the event together. Without everyone’s help, the event wouldn’t have been such a success. Foursquare Day in Hong Kong took place at a fine Italian restaurant/bar W52. W52 prepared delicious Italian style appetizers available all night and offered everyone a complimentary drink upon check in. Although the event was just shy of unlocking the Swarm badge, I had a marvelous time meeting everyone and learning more about the Hong Kong Tech/Social Media scene. The event started winding down at 9pm so the night was still early which gave me a chance to scope out a few other spots in Lan Qwai Fong. The nightlife in Hong Kong is very vibrant and active. I was told places stay open until 6am and beyond.

Day 7: I began my last full day in Hong Kong at the Nan Lian Gardens run by the Chi Lin Nunnery. The peaceful garden is the perfect get away from the bustling city. Located in the garden is a gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant with a beautiful waterfall view. I enjoyed a tasty 7 course vegetarian lunch. Then I toured the rest of the garden and nunnery. That night I finally went to a traditional street shopping district called Ladies’ Market. Ladies’ Market is filled with endless rows of vendor selling fashion accessories and clothing. After late
night shopping, I was ready to go back to my hotel to pack for an early morning departure.
Veggie photo Garden photo Ladies Market

Whether you had a chance to read this entire post or not, I’m glad I was able to write it all down  to personally document my adventures in Hong Kong. For the short time I was there I was productive from a business perspective (thank to my new HP Mini netbook) but also enjoyed a cultural experience in a new city. I’m not one to take “vacations”. I consider my life in San Diego an ongoing vacation which I’m grateful for but after this trip I’ll consider visiting more new places as opportunities arise.

Additional Trip Highlights:

• I love  how generous the Hong Kong Toursim board is. They really take the initiative to ensure visitors have a great cultural experience. In addition to offering the free classes I took on Tai Chi and Feng Shui they offer many other attractions such as guided tours, chinese teaappreciation class, etc.

• Delicious food- Although Hong Kong isn’t known for being a vegetarian city it’s easy to customize dishes and find vegetarian options. I met Adaline at the Foursquare Day event who is a veggie foodie and runs a great blog Doufu Mafia about being vegetarian in Hong Kong.  Their vegetarian dishes are deliciously made with many varieties of mushrooms and tofu not found in the US.

• Unlocking 3 new Foursquare badges during my trip! (Overshare, Super Mayor, Foursquare Day)

I recently made an exciting announcement about taking my professional speaking career to an International level at the INET Asia Regional Conference in Hong Kong. My trip is from April 10th-18th. Foursquare Day on April 16th happens to be during my trip. While I’m sad to miss the San Diego event, I won’t let distance prevent me from celebrating my Mayorships and earning more badges!

I’m officially organizing Foursquare Day in Hong Kong! Although I literally know nothing about the businesses in Hong Kong or their tech scene, I’m using the power of Social Media to connect. I’ve been in contact with a few people already. I’d like this to be a Swarm Badge event at a venue with food and drinks. Perhaps 6-9pm? This will be very similar to a tweetup but rather than tweeting the entire time, we’ll be celebrating Foursquare!

I’m at the very beginning stages of planning Foursquare Day in Hong Kong but would love to make this happen! If you’re in the tech/ social media scene in Hong Kong or know anyone please spread the word and contact me if you would like to be involved. All the details can be found on the Foursquare Day Wiki and the Foursquare Day Facebook Page. I look forward to reporting my progress on Foursquare Day in Hong Kong and am excited to take my enthusiasm for Social Media to a whole new continent!

I recently wrote about how to Grow Your Business Through Professional Speaking. Of course I included social media insight with another post on 10 Social Media Tips for Professional Speakers. I mentioned to stay tuned for more upcoming posts related to professional speaking. Now I’m proudly announcing that I’m going global with my speaking career!  I was invited to speak at the INET Asia Regional Conference in Hong Kong on SEO and Social Media! My first international appearance is coming up soon on April 14^th at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

My trip is being sponsored by the Internet Society ISOC and the DotAsia Organisation. ISOC is a nonprofit founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington D.C., USA, and Geneva, Switzerland. ISOC is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. DotAsia is a nonprofit overseeing the governance of the “.Asia” domain extension with a core mandate to promote Internet development and adoption across Asia. Every .Asia registration helps fund community work in Asia.  Since its launch in 2008, they’ve been proactively contributing to the Internet community in Asia.

With my invitation to speak at this invite I have an opportunity to be a part of the initiative to educate on the evolution and use of the Internet through SEO and Social Media. I’ll be giving a 30 minute talk on how to Engage your Customers through SEO and Social Media. Then I’ll be participating in a panel discussion to answer questions from the audience.

Presentation Description: In an evolving world of new technology, we’ve all heard buzz on the importance of SEO and Social Media for ensuring that your business is found, connecting your company to consumers and building a strong community of loyal customers. While having a great domain name and website are the necessary first steps, Melodie will teach you how to strategically use your domain and website to accelerate your marketing goals through SEO and Social Media. She will help you understand basic principles, then dive deeper by discussing how SEO and Social Media work hand in hand to improve your overall marketing campaign. Attendees will leave the session empowered with best practice guidelines for SEO and Social Media and knowledge on how to communicate effectively to engage customers online.

I’m very excited and grateful for such an amazing career opportunity and also my  first trip out of the continent. To answer the question I’ve been getting from everyone, Yes, I do have a passport! I’ll be flying out of Sunny San Diego on Saturday April 10th and returning on Sunday April 18th. I’m spending 7 nights total in Hong Kong with 4 nights at the HarbourView Hotel and 3 nights at boutique hotel, The Mira.

During my trip I’ll have some time to tour the city. If anyone has been to Hong Kong, I would sincerely appreciate any recommendations and tips about traveling there! I would also appreciate international travel tips in general!  In addition, Foursquare Day on 4/16 occurs during my stay in Hong Kong. I’m going to do my best to connect with the Hong Kong Social Media community (through Social Media) to organize Foursquare Day in Hong Kong! So if you know anyone I should connect with to make Foursquare Day happen in Hong Kong, please let me know.

*Photo Credit: Hong Kong night view Kabbacchi

Thanks to social media, I successfully pulled my first April Fool’s Day Joke! Despite me posting about April Fool’s Day all day, I still got some of you!

Being a Vegetarian /aspiring Vegan is an extremely important part of my life. A meat free diet provides me with more mental clarity, physical energy and overall a feeling of joy as I know my choice is contributing to a more sustainable environment. Based on my passion for this lifestyle, I couldn’t stand to have people believe me any longer, hence this blog post comes just slightly an hour after my joke to officially say APRIL FOOL’S!

Special Thanks To:

1. Foursquare’s faulty location based check in system for allowing me to check into Butcher Shop Steak House while I was actually at my house in Mission Valley.

2. My Twitter followers who I fooled for creating even more buzz by tweeting me back with updates confirming my vegetarianism begone status!

3. My Facebook friend’s who I fooled for commenting and liking my status, causing their activity on my wall to show up on their own stream. This allowed ever more people to see my joke. (I did get caught in the end).

All joke’s aside, this post demonstrates the power of Social Media and how quickly information goes viral. If you have engaged followers who pay attention and participate in your network, it will take your business to the next level. I’ll conclude with one of my favorite articles: 57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan. This is a powerful read for everyone, especially those uninformed on health benefits of a meat free diet. Once again, HAPPY APRIL FOOL’S Day. Feel free to share some of your favorite jokes in my comments below.

In my last post, I discussed how to Grow Your Business Through Professional Speaking. In this post,  I’m here to share ways to enhance your speaking engagements through Social Media! If used strategically, Social Media is a powerful tool for Professional Speakers. It will drive attendance, create positive buzz, build trust and strengthen relationships with your audience even before you take the stage.

BEFORE THE EVENT

1. Offer a promotional code: Ask the event coordinator to provide you with a promotional discount code. This allows you to offer value to your network through a discount when inviting them to the event. This code may be shared by your friends to others outside of you network, therefore allowing your speaking engagement to gain publicity to new audiences.

2. Create buzz through a contest: Ask the event coordinator to provide you with a complimentary entry to give away. Whenever I ask, the event coordinator is more than happy to do this after I explain the benefits of hosting a contest. Follow my 6 Tips for Hosting Successful Contests on Social Media and you’ll be well on your way to not only gaining more visibility, but growing your network to those interested in your topic. You will supply a demand to those who want to attend,  increase the value of your business by creating a relevant promotion and showcase benefits of attending your speaking engagement. Here’s an example of a contest I created for DOMAINfest, a speaking engagement I participated in January: Marketing Melodie Socializes DOMAINfest 2010. Another example is a contest I created for Cool Twitter Conferences where I spoke last year: Cool Twitter Conferences World Tour in Full Swing.

3. Post Tips as teasers for your presentation: Take all of the main points of your presentation and turn these into  short “Tips of the Day”. Preferably 120 characters or less they can be tweeted and easily retweeted on Twitter.  Start posting these around 2 weeks out before your speaking engagement. These tips are designed to educate your following and also serve as teasers to hook them into wanting more information.

4. Write your own blog entry about your speaking engagement: This doesn’t need to be a long post, but it’s an opportunity to direct people to your own website when posting about your speaking engagement on your different networks. Give a brief background about the event and organization. Link back to the event website where people can register to attend. If you’re offering a promotional code include this in your post. Here’s an example of a blog post I wrote for my speaking engagement coming up for AIGA:  Melodie Speaks at AIGA: Social Media Design Techniques

DURING THE EVENT

5. Promote your Twitter handle in the beginning: During your introduction, let people know they can follow you on Twitter. Many people will tweet facts, quotes and valuable information they learn during presentations so their followers who aren’t at the event can gain insight. By providing the audience with your handle, you’re empowering them to cite you in their tweet.  This provides more credibility to those reading the tweets and will prompt others to follow you if they’re interested in your topic.

6. Create a Hashtag: Create a specific hashtag for your speaking engagement. Promote this in the beginning along with your Twitter handle. This allows you to track buzz, tone and sentiment during your talk.  If you’re speaking at a large conference with many other speakers, this also allows the updates from your specific session to stand out to people following the general conference hashtag.

7. Tweet Questions: Encourage user participation by asking your audience to tweet questions during your presentation with the hashtag you created. This allows your audience to ask questions on the fly as they come to mind. Q & A is often reserved for the end of presentations. Many times, people have questions but forget to ask by the time Q & A comes up. By allowing them to tweet questions you get more people inquiring which allows you understand patterns of interest and areas where your audiences would like more explanation. Some conferences broadcast the tweet stream to their audience through services such as TweetWall.

AFTER THE EVENT

8. Offer incentives to connect: Provide incentives for people to join your Facebook fan page, connect with you on LinkedIn or follow you on Twitter with a valuable offer. Examples of offerings include: “Send me a Tweet after the event and I’ll email you my presentation”. “Add me on LinkedIn after the event and you’ll find a link to my SlideShare account where the presentation is posted”.

9. Immediate follow up: Many people will come up to you after the event to ask additional questions and leave you their card because they are interested in your service or product. Collect everyone’s contact information and send an immediate follow up thanking them for attending. This personalizes your audience’s experience and allows you to be top of mind.

10. Collect testimonials: Review the tweets that occurred during your presentation (which can be easily tracked by your hashtag) and take screen shots of posts that can serve as positive testimonials. Testimonials are a great tool to help you get hired for future speaking engagements.

It may not be necessary for you to use every single tip I’ve listed, but I trust you can apply at least a few to enhance your speaking engagements.  Stay tuned for even more posts that related to professional speaking!

Professional speaking is truly a passion of mine.  I began my speaking career in high school by joining the Speech and Debate team. Since I was a student I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to educate others and express myself on topics that inspire me.  When I began my Marketing career, I incorporated professional speaking as a tool to enhance my credibility and market my own business. I highly recommend professionals in any field participate in speaking engagements related to their industry. I’ll share a few reasons why professional speaking is such valuable tool for growing your business.

Credibility- The nature of professional speaking itself provides credibility.  The audience admires your courage for first, getting on stage (as we all know the number one fear in America is public speaking) and second, your ability to capture their attention.  As a speaker you’re viewed as an expert and authority in your industry. Of course your credibility by being on stage must be accompanied by great content. To ensure your presentation strengthens your credibility, do research on who your audience is before you speak. This allows you to customize the speech and create content that matches up with your audience’s needs.

Marketing- Professional speaking is an incredible tool I use to market my own business. It’s an opportunity to present yourself as a thought leader and present cutting edge news and information in your industry. It’s also a great way to educate others on your area of expertise. When you’re speaking on topics relevant to your audience, by default, you’ll provide tidbits of information about your service offering. Rather than being viewed as a person giving a sales pitch, you’re seen as a resource and subject matter expert.

Inspiration- What inspires you to do what you do? Answer this question and share it with others. People love hearing personal and authentic stories. Customers want to do business with people rather than corporations. Hearing success stories from the heart is inspirational. Don’t be afraid to add personal elements to your presentations. Inspiration arouses creativity and is a strong positive motivator.

I’ve learned that the more I make myself available as a speaker, the more speaking engagements I attract into my career. Each time I speak, I fine tune and improve my skills. I learn more about how to connect with my audience and I continue to grow my network of prospects and partners.

I now offer Marketing Melodie Professional Speaking services.  Businesses and organizations can hire me as a speaker to educate their company, speak, moderate, emcee events and even serve as a spokesperson for topics related to Online Marketing and Social Media.  The benefits of hiring me as a speaker extend far beyond having me at the event. I include Social Media promotions, additional educational resources for continued professional development, one on one consultations related to my speaking topics and access to my presentations.

If you have tips on improving professional speaking skills or know of other benefits,  please share them in the comments below.  This is the first of a series of posts that relate to professional speaking. Stay tuned for more to come!