Congratulations !

If you get to this page, it means that you have entered your name & email address so gps-SpeakerMarketing.com can provide you with a free application / evaluation / survey of your speaking business and where you are relative to being The Next Million Dollar Speaker.

The good news?  There are probably thousands or even millions of other speakers out there who dream of being The Next Million Dollar Speaker but there is one big difference between them and you…

… most of them did not take the first step and sign up to get the application for an evaluation of your speaking business by gps-SpeakerMarketing.com’.  This shows that you are willing to take action to realize your dreams which is an attribute that will serve you well on your journey to become The Next Million Dollar Speaker !

When do I get the application/survey?

Since you signed up and gave us your email address, you can expect to see the actual application/survey in an email to you very shortly.  If you don’ see it in the next couple hours, please send an email to Dave@gps-SpeakerMarketing.com and one way or another we will get you an email with the application.  (Please check your “Spam” folder first before sending us an email.)

Once you get the application all you need to do is “Hit Reply” and edit our email to fill in your answers to the questions.  Depending on how many applicants we get on a particular day, it may take as little as a few hours for us to respond or, if we are really swamped after one of Dave’s speeches, it could take a few days to get back to everyone who applies.

We look forward to working with you !

Dave Wheeler

*********************************************************

Questions?

You might have some questions, so we have gathered some of the most common questions and provided answers below.

Is there any cost for the application / Million Dollar Speaker consultation?

No.  There is no cost for the application or the initial consultation that gps-SpeakerMarketing.com will provide as feedback on your application.  Even if you decide that you want to strike out on your own and don’t need help from gps-SpeakerMarketing.com, all the information we provide you as part of the application process or the speeches made by Dave Wheeler are all yours to keep.  We want to earn your business and as you probably heard, our goal is to help make one of our clients “The Next Million Dollar Speaker”.  We hope it is going to be you!

Will applicants appear on a
“Next Million Dollar Speaker” reality TV show
like “The Apprentice” or “The Last Comic Standing”?

At this point, NO.  The application is simply to identify speakers that have the ambition (and some of the skills) so that gps-SpeakerMarketing.com can help grow their speaking business.  If a reality show comes out of this process, well… we will have to take that as it comes but know that it is not our intention to promote this process or the speakers involved to turn it into a reality show.  The speaking business alone is plenty entertaining for us !

What will gps-SpeakerMarketing.com do for me as a speaker?
What will it cost?

You can check out the services and training that gps-SpeakerMarketing.com offers by exploring our website but since each speaker is at a different point in the development of their speaking business we tend to custom tailor solutions to your particular situation.  The costs for many of our services are posted online and before any charge is made, we make sure that both you, our customer, and gps-SpeakerMarketing.com know what is expected.  We want you to be successful as a speaker and happy as our customer.

Any other questions?

Just leave a comment on this page and we will reply either directly via email or on this page so that others can benefit from the answer.

We look forward to working with you !

Dave Wheeler

www.gps-SpeakerMarketing.com is looking for “The Next Million Dollar Speaker”.

Nearly every speaker I know who has tried the plugin discussed below has benefited from using it.  That’s why I call it the “Best SEO Plugin for WordPress”.

What is so great about the
“Best SEO Plugin for WordPress”?

Once a speaker understands the power of using keywords in their blog posts or online articles, they usually start to wonder how they are doing “keyword-wise” as they are writing their posts/articles.

To complicate things, there are a number of additional factors beyond keywords (or keyword phrases) that go into making your page appear higher in search results.  This is known in marketing circles as Search Engine Optimization (also known as SEO) … and many of these additional factors have been included in the FREE SEO Plugin for WordPress that I am about to show you.  That’s why the title of this post is “The Best SEO Plugin for WordPress” !

Here is how to add
“The Best SEO Plugin for WordPress”
to your blog !

There are many SEO Plugins that you can find by searching within the “Content Management” part of WordPress.

For example, the picture to the right shows some of the plug-ins that were found when we searched for the term “SEO”.

The key part of that picture is the plugin near the bottom of the page titled “WordPress SEO by Yoast“.  (We have added a circle and red arrow just in case the print is too small.  Take our word for it, that’s what it says.)

This plugin was created by Joost de Valk and has some great features that make it easy to “write for keywords” or at least be aware enough of keyword and keyword placement that your blog posts meet some minimum standards for keywords (and, hence, search-ability).

Our favorite feature is the small “indicator light” that is added near the “PUBLISH” button on each page where you edit / create a post.   If you do not meet enough keyword factors, the indicator is red.  If you meet some of them, it might turn yellow and if you meet all the necessary factors (to a certain level), the indicator is green.  The Plugin also adds fields where you can enter the keyword you want to focus on (with a pull-down menu of related keywords) as well as Meta Description and other fields that should include the keyword.

If you are unsure why your indicator light is red or yellow, there is a tab located below the text box that will give you a “Page Analysis” showing how your article stacks up against suggested SEO parameters.  After a while, writing for keywords will become “second nature” but it is still nice to have the “green light” before you push the “PUBLISH” button !

If you want to learn how to add a Plug-in to your WordPress blog, check out our “Widget vs. Plugin” video:

Click here … Speaker Marketing WordPress Basics Video – Plugins.

 If you want to learn how to add a blog post or article to your WordPress blog, check out our
“How to Write a Blog Post” video:

Click here … Speaker Marketing WordPress Basics Video – Writing a blog post.

Would you like our  Full List of
recommended WordPress Plug-in’s for Speakers?

Just subscribe to our email list to get access to the full list of recommended WordPress plugins for Speakers.

What’s the next key Plug-in feature?

“Measurement.”

Subscribe to our email list so you will be told when the next article is released !

Everyone has old VHS video tapes hanging around that contain treasured family moments or some early aspects of your speaking career.  Maybe they are  just background showing things you used to do but wouldn’t they be great to have in digital format?

If you have been a speaker for a while, I am sure that you have some old VHS video cassette tapes kicking around.  They might be some of your early [i.e. “very rough”] speeches or they could be family events or other interests you had back when VHS video was the “cutting edge”.  This is valuable video footage and could be something that you will want to include in future video projects such as a retrospective or “where you came from” type video.  These types of videos give audiences a perspective on your story and help build interest in your upcoming speeches.

Did you know that images on VHS video tape degrade over time?

Old tapes are based on magnetic particles on the surface of the tape and when they are exposed to heat or even ambient magnetism the patterns (which is the video recorded on the tape) can become damaged or even unrecoverable.  Do you remember that the way to quickly erase a tape was to put it close to a strong magnet and scramble the magnetic particles on the tape?  You may find that some videos recorded as little as 10 years ago have lost a good amount of their picture or audio quality and they will only get worse.

How can you capture those memories from the past before they fade away?

1st … Convert your video cassettes over to digital format.  This will make it easier to work with them and easily create backup copies if they are important.

2nd… Load them to the internet.  The odds are that the internet will be around long after we are so why not put your videos somewhere (i.e. online) that they will be preserved for generations to come.  There is no guarantee that YouTube will be around forever, but the odds are better that they will last longer than you or I will and, besides, it doesn’t cost anything to load them up !

VHS video cassette Conversion Services:

gps-SpeakerMarketing offers video conversion services to clients as one way to help them develop their Speaker video library.  If you would like a quote on conversion of your videos, here is the easy way to estimate the cost…

a) Identify what part you want converted.  This can be done by starting the tape at the beginning and timing when certain segments appear.  For example, you may have lots of crowd scene prior to your speech but at 5:20 (5 minutes, 20 seconds) your speech starts.  It might end at 32:45.  If you got some testimonials on the tape you might have the following detailed conversion request:

Convert the following segments to files:

5:20 – 32:45 (speech)

41:30 – 53:00  (testimonials)

b) Schedule your video to be converted by contacting gps-SpeakerMarketing.com via a comment on this page (we read all comments) or by calling our office number at 203-885-0113.  Someone will get in touch with you with more details on how to ship or deliver you tape(s) and the expected costs.  For a quick estimate, figure about $20 per 30 min. tape plus shipping & handling but note that prices are subject to change and will be more if you need it done quickly.

Now is the time to convert your old videos !

Leave a comment below or call our office number at 203-885-0113.

gps-SpeakerMarketing offers Speaking Marketing services and products to help professional speakers (or aspiring speakers) to establish and grow their speaking business.

Jumpstart your Speaking – Marketing!

The Get-Paid-Speaking Marketing Jumpstart packages include the design and delivery of traditional marketing products around a speaker’s central brand or theme.  Examples of products include graphic design & production of business cards, flyer/one-sheet and stand-up banner.

Deluxe
Speaking-Marketing Jumpstart Package:

The deluxe Marketing Jumpstart package from gps-SpeakerMarketing.com provides a speaker with all the [offline / real world] marketing tools they will need to present themselves in a professional manner.

The deluxe Marketing Jumpstart package starts off with a Personal Marketing Brand Consultation with one of gps-SpeakerMarketing.com’s MBA Marketing specialists.  Various aspects of Graphic Design will be discussed as well as the speaker’s target audience and future marketing plans.  The goal is to come to a unified game plan for all elements of your Speaker branding.

After the consultation, the speaker’s logo will be designed.  This is typically done first since it will incorporate many aspects of the speaker’s brand and will also be used on nearly all the other marketing materials.

A speaker’s business card is generally very straightforward from a design point of view since it often follows the color scheme and design of the speaker’s website, assuming they already have a website that is in line with their branding guidelines that were discussed as part of the Marketing Brand Consultation.  Most speakers opt for a full color, glossy front of their business card with a matte back which can be written on.  The back can also be printed with a speaker’s theme or catch-phrase or most popular speech title and if it is done in black & white or grayscale it can still leave room for people to write.

Every speaker at one time or another will need to give a presentation and the deluxe Marketing Jumpstart program includes the design of Powerpoint slide templates.  Typically there are two styles provided… one for the initial slide or title slide and one for slides within the presentation (internal slides).  These also should follow the brand guidelines that were laid out at the beginning.

One of the most critical pieces of marketing materials is a speakers “one sheet”.  This is a sort of flyer that explains what the speaker does for clients and the topic(s) that the speaker presents on stage.  The deluxe package includes the design & layout of a two-sided speaker 1-sheet along with printing a limited number of hard copies to go with the electronic version of the document.  An important note:  Speakers are responsible for the content (i.e. text) for the one-sheet although the deluxe Marketing Jumpstart does include a limited amount of coaching / editing.  Speakers are encouraged to start taking notes with ideas for things to include on their one-sheet as soon as possible so that they have more than enough content to create a compelling document.

Finally, a stand up banner will be designed, printed and delivered to the speaker.  This retractable banner can be displayed on stage with the speaker or at the doorway to the event.  It is a great way to carry a speaker’s brand image into pictures of the event as well as providing an excellent promotional tool for event organizers.  Depending on the design, it can also give visibility to a speaker’s website or other online properties (YouTube Channel, Facebook Fan Page or similar).

By now you are probably wondering…. What is the price?

The deluxe Speaker Marketing Jumpstart Package sells for $ 2495.00.

BASIC
Speaker Marketing Jumpstart Package

The BASIC Marketing Jumpstart Package includes three things that provide the absolute minimum of marketing materials for a speaker to begin their professional speaking business.  The 3 components are:

1) A Personal Brand Marketing Consultation with one of gps-SpeakerMarketing.com’s MBA Marketing specialists,

2) Graphic design and layout of your business cards, as well as

3) A single sided speaker “one-sheet”.  A speaker’s one-sheet tells about the speaker’s topic, audience feedback and various reasons why someone should hire them to speak.  A one-sheet by gps-SpeakerMarketing.com is delivered in both hard copied form as well as electronic (PDF) format.

Printing of the one-sheet and business cards are included for a minimum quantity and the speaker can purchase additional prints if desired.

The BASIC Speaker Marketing Jumpstart Package sells for $ 1495.00.

When you are ready to take your speaking business to the next level …

Other popular products include the gps-SpeakerMarketing.com Online Business System, Internet Marketing 4 Speakers Training program and the Get-Paid-Speaking Marketing Jumpstart (GPS-MJ) package.

The gps-SpeakerMarketing.com Online Business System (OBS) ™ is much more than just a “website”. It goes well beyond something you might create for free from a template and includes modules that are specifically designed to help a speaker grow their speaking business and expand their audience.

Internet Marketing 4 Speakers (IM4S) ™training program is conducted at least twice a year and covers the topics that speakers need to be familiar with to be successful with today’s online business environment if they are going to build traffic of vistors to their website. IM4S is included in OBS or can be purchased separately.

Why bother with
Speaker Branding?

Speaker Branding activities can establish, cultivate and improve your image with clients and potential clients while also, if applied correctly, improving the profitability of your speaking business.

Your brand is part of everything you do and everything that customers & potential customers see, feel or hear.  In many businesses, a strong brand is considered as important an asset as the company’s real estate holdings or their capital equipment.  As a professional speaker, you can either hope for the best or you can make the extra effort to present yourself in the best possible light.

What goes into your brand?

Marketing Materials

Sample business card by gps-SpeakerMarketing.com (front)

These include your business card, brochure/one-sheet, postcards, handouts, banners, website graphics, promotional items, media kit and much more.  Everything that is associated with your business contributes to (or takes away from) the development of your speaker branding.  Graphic design is an important element of your brand since each piece of marketing material should use similar visual cues to indicate that it is part of a larger concept… your brand.

Product / Packaging

As a speaker, we often don’t think about how our “product” (our speeches) are packaged or presented.   Do you relate well to your audiences?  Are you dressed to an appropriate level for the impact you want to have on them?  How are you introduced, either on stage or informally?  All these are aspects of your Product Packaging.

On top of your own personal appearance, the appearance of your products says a lot about the value they offer to prospective customers.  If you photocopied and stapled together a stack of papers and called it a “book”, how many people would buy it?  What if it was written in crayon?  Obviously I’m exaggerating for effect and there are cases where a stapled stack of papers written in crayon might be very valuable (think: Ninja Secrets of a Nursery School Teacher) but in most cases, a published book is better than a handful of papers and a professionally pubished CD or DVD has more value than one created on someone’s home computer and titled with a sharpie.  What message(s) are your physical products saying to your customers?  Do they show that you are a well respected professional or someone who just threw a speech together?

Touch Points

These are the places where your customers or potential customers interact with your brand.  While the touch points include the marketing materials listed above, they also include things like customer service, follow-up, policies and more.  In short, your brand is the customer’s total experience of all your interactions, your products and marketing materials put together.  Each time you “touch” a customer or prospective customer you are building (or hurting) your brand.

What did your customer take away from their last interaction with you or someone who represented you?  How did they feel about the exchange?  Did they feel they got a good value?  Or did they feel like they were a stepping stone on your path to closing the sale?

Touch Points is an important aspect of speaker branding so don’t pass it off as being “too soft”.  Survey your customers (with very short surveys) to find out what is working and what is not.  Better yet, ask them if they would feel comfortable giving a strong recommendation for you to one of their colleagues.  This is the “Ultimate Question” and is an amazing indicator of how well you are handling touch points.  (To find out more, get the book “The Ultimate Question” by Fred Reichheld.)

Where should a Speaker start building their brand?

Without a clearly differentiated message, it will be difficult to create a strong brand impression because you will be overshadowed by all the other messages from other speakers and the media in general.  If you don’t stand out, you won’t get hired.  It is as simple as that.The first place to start is by defining your niche or the target audience for your message on stage.

Once you are clear on your message as a speaker and how you are different from other speakers, there are a number of places to start building your brand depending on which road you are taking to professional speaking.

Start where you are.

Are you speaking often to large and small audiences?  Perhaps your first purchase should be a stand-up banner that you can position on stage or at the entrance to give your audience a visual indicator of what you are all about.

Are you still looking for gigs (either paid or unpaid)?  Perhaps a professional video showing your best material on stage would be a good investment.  Once you have that, a website is another good marketing tool or you could post your video on YouTube.com or other video sharing sites.

Or you could begin to develop your community of fans by building and feeding Social Media properties online.  A Fan Page on Facebook, a Twitter.com account or a profile on Linkedin.com could all be a stepping stone towards starting a conversation with potential audience members about what they want and what you can deliver.

The important thing, no matter where you are starting, is to TAKE ACTION NOW!  Don’t wait until “the time is right”.  Start now working toward your vision of your brand and it will begin to come alive.  If you do nothing, you get nothing.  Don’t wait.

gps-SpeakerMarketing.com can speed up the process !

We have MBA-level strategic thinking in the field of Marketing along with thousands of dollars worth of training with some of the wealthiest Internet Marketing gurus on the planet.  Invest in a consultation with gps-SpeakerMarketing.com to access our expertise and give your speaking business (and your brand) just what it needs.

We help speakers do what they do best … write speeches and deliver them for audiences.  We understand what is needed to build a successful brand around a speaker and we can help you become more successful.

Leave a comment below if you want to learn more about what we can do to help improve your speaker branding !