How to Make Sure Your Big Event Gets Noticed

Event planning can be tricky—especially when that isn’t your primary profession. There are, after all, people who do this as a career because there are so many subtleties and nuances to not only creating a spectacular event, but also attracting an adequate audience. The main objective, aside from creating a truly noteworthy event, is ensuring that you have a nice audience for the event itself. Here are a few things you can do to make sure the audience you’re targeting knows about the event and what it has to offer them.

Create an Event Specific Website

Buy a domain specific to the event and keep it simple, memorable, and relevant to the event. You want the website to provide all the major details. Include pictures, speakers, and perks that are available for the people who attend your even. People want to know what’s in it for them. Also if there are costs for attendance and/or parking, be sure to make those things clear on the website too.

Generate Local Media Buzz

This includes newspapers, television news, and radio programming. Many television news shows offer community calendars as do radio stations and newspapers. Take advantage of those things by announcing your event on them. Be sure to include important details like the benefits to those who attend, who should attend (cancer survivors, young moms, elderly, professional women, minority groups, etc.), and where the event takes place.

Use Banners and Signs Strategically

When it comes to banners and signs, one thing is true; the more the merrier. You want to place these signs around town so that the demographic you’re targeting for your event will see these signs and become curious about your event. Curiosity is an excellent motivator. Be sure to include a link to the website on your sign (that’s why it’s so important to make it memorable) so that passengers can look it up right away and drivers can look it up when they get home.

Ask for High Profile Endorsements

Your local community has plenty of people who are widely recognised. Don’t be afraid to ask for endorsements from these community leaders. Just make sure you’re getting endorsements from people who will be respected by the audience you’re attempting to attract and who are appropriate to the venue and event.

You don’t have to have years of experience in the event planning industry to create a huge buzz about your event. These tips will help you generate plenty of that and to attract the crowds you’d like to see.

Attached Images:

•  License: Creative Commons image source

Chris Jenkinson writes for Sherwood Signs,  company with experience in signage or banner advertising.

 

 

How to Get Started Marketing a Book

By: Marsha Friedman

It’s understandable, really. People who have the passion necessary to write a book usually have just one thing on their minds: writing a book. Not marketing a book. Some may think ahead to getting it published, but, tragically, that’s where the planning often ends.

I’m not exaggerating when I say “tragically”! I talk to many people who’ve poured years of effort, money and sacrifice into their books, which wind up sitting in boxes in their garage. They never thought about how they might market their books themselves or budgeted for book promotion services.

When’s the best time to start thinking about marketing a book? Ideally, before you even sit down to begin writing. Because — and I speak from experience here — the first step will help in your writing.

Step 1: Ask yourself, “Who is my audience?”

The answer is the first piece of any marketing plan and it can also help you define what you’ll write. When I decided to write a book about public relations, I had planned to write it for businesses in general. Then I thought, “That’s too broad. Who will my audience really be?”

I decided to write for individual professionals such as doctors, lawyers and financial planners. Not only would that put a face to the people I was writing for, it would also give me the first piece of my marketing plan.

If you want to write a book and you’re a financial planner working for baby boomers chugging toward 65, you might write about planning for retirement after age 50. Another audience might be the boomers’ kids – adults who may be helping their parents. Depending on the expertise you put in the book, you might find other audiences you can target as well.

Here are the next steps to consider in planning your promotional campaign:

• What’s the best way to reach that audience? Where will you find the people you expect will be interested in your book? Will you buy advertising, look for speaking engagements, try to whip up interest from the media? You might hire a publicist or contract with your publisher to handle PR, or put together a promotional tour. You’ll definitely need a website. Will you build one yourself or hire a pro? Research the options that appeal to you and find out how effective they are in terms of meeting your goals. If you’re considering contracting with professionals to help you, get references from people who’ve had successful marketing experiences.

• How much will it cost? Some options are less expensive, others more. Look into the ones that interest you and get an idea of their price. Decide how much you can afford to spend and budget for it. Is there an organization or business that would benefit from sponsoring you? A landscape designer, for instance, might get financial help from a plant nursery or a tools manufacturer in exchange for standing behind a business or product. A chef might find an ally in a food manufacturer.

• Develop a following online. Do you have a database of people already interested in what you have to say? If not, turn to social media and start building it now. The more of a following you have, the more potential audience you’ve created for your marketing message. Big numbers will also turn heads when you try to get speaking engagements or guest spots on radio and TV talk shows. Having a following is everything. The organizations and media that book you for an interview are also hoping all those followers will either buy tickets or stop by their website.

Marketing is too important to be an afterthought, so think about it long before it’s time to get started. Yes, I understand the effort that goes into writing a book. I know it’s hard to think about anything else! But if you have invested your dreams in that baby, you probably want to share it with the world. And that takes planning.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 22-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors and professional firms. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself: The 3-Step Method to Increase Your Visibility and Explode Your Business and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI’s PR Insider every Thursday at 3:00 PM EST.

 

You Can Learn to Love Public Speaking

Public speaking is one of the most feared aspects of modern life. Even people who seem to be totally self-assured and confident can be reduced to a jiggling mass of nerves when confronted with the idea of giving a speech or a presentation. Are you one of the people who would rather do anything than to speak in front of others? If so, you may be relieved to know that there are ways to overcome your fear and learn to be blissfully comfortable when doing public speaking. It’s important to learn this, especially for one that want to become a midwife, or anything else. Here’s how:

• Be mentally prepared. Of course you need to know your speech or presentation inside and out. You need to be so comfortable with the material that you could do a passable job of presenting it without notes. Equally important, however, is being aware of how you are going to feel and present yourself while speaking. Before you give your speech, close your eyes and breathe deeply to stimulate relaxation. Imagine watching yourself from the audience and seeing a presenter who is relaxed, knowledgeable, and friendly. By planting the idea that you will be great in your mind, you can make it a reality.
• Be in control. You are in charge of your thought processes. The brain can only handle so many tasks at once. Just as too much fear can prevent you from thinking clearly, concentrating can block feelings of fear. If you are in front of a group and feel panic trying to set in, take a moment to breathe deeply and remind yourself that you know the material.
• Make a connection. A truly great speech or presentation will feel more like sharing information with people instead of talking at people. While it is okay to have notes from which to jog your memory, be knowledgeable enough that you rarely need the notes so you can simply make a real, personable connection with your listeners. Talk as if you are talking to a friend and make sure any visual aids are secondary to you.
• Be yourself. The fact that you are delivering important information doesn’t mean that you have to become a robot. Try to maintain a relaxed demeanor and speak in a conversational tone. This will make the presentation more comfortable for everyone involved. After all, everyone hates a dull, monotone speaker.
• Find a role model. If you are at a complete loss as to how to give a speech, find a speaker you admire and carefully watch and listen to how he or she does things. This will give you a great starting point from which you can develop your own particular style. Soon, you will be the model for others.
• Work the audience. Let everyone know at the beginning that you expect them to raise their hands before making comments and when you will be accepting questions. If someone interrupts you, kindly but firmly remind them of your guidelines. It is also a good idea to use humor and personal anecdotes. Make eye contact with different people around the room and smile often. This will help to keep your audience involved and interested. By working them correctly, you will have the audience hanging on your every word.

Bobby G. likes to write about how to help yourself be happy.

 

Strategic Event Planning and Management

It can be incredibly daunting to organize and manage an event; it can be even how more to ensure that it goes on to become a success. As hosts, we always want things to be outrageous and over-the-top:  something the guests haven’t seen before. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to get the basics nailed first and foremost. The best events are not always the ones with all the bells and whistles; rather they’re the ones that went smoothly, no matter how simple they were.

Effective Stage Design

More often than not, an event will require a stage or some platform where hosts and various presenters can be seen by the audience. The stage will be the main focus of the entire venue, so it has to be extremely presentable. The size of the stage will vary according to what the event needs, but it should be large enough to accommodate all of the people who need to be in it, without them crowding the entire space. The height of the stage is also very important. While social functions may require just a short platform, larger and outdoor events may require something with a higher height. When it comes to decorating the stage, you need to consider what the event is all about, essentially. If it’s a more social event with scholarly lecturers, then a more academic and minimalistic backdrop may be required.

Organization of Audience and Guest Reception

The success of any event is contingent upon how comfortable the entire experience was for your audience members. Hence, they should always be your primary concern. So that your guests get to follow the entire flow of the event, it is necessary that you give out handouts detailing the sections of the program. An all-day affair will require an entire itinerary. For lengthy events, keep in mind that your guests would naturally have a limited attention span. Although they aren’t exactly like kids who lose their interest after a few minutes, nonetheless schedule breaks and intermissions and provide refreshment options for your guests during these breaks. To keep the enthusiasm high, pique your guests’ interest by giving a witty introduction or a sneak peak of what’s about to come.

Strategic Event Planning

The success of your event will depend according to how your audience sees your presentation to be relevant. Given that you already have a specific audience in mind, make sure that you pick out speakers who are interesting according to your audience’s perspective. Tailor your activities using the same rationale as well. If you’re entertaining a group of resident physicians with hectic schedules, do away with the games and trivia. Proceed with the lecture instead, as their time is of essence. On the other hand, if you have students who have all the time to while away, then go ahead with whatever game you had in mind originally.

Your author Michelle Gibson is an expert in event managent and is available at many speakers bureaus

 

Public Speaking Tips For An Influential And Motivating Speech

Public speaking is an important aspect of your business and even if you hate standing in front of people and speaking, you should become proficient in public speaking. You are your most important brand and are the face of your business. Successful public speaking will increase your visibility, will generate leads for you and will express your knowledge in your business offering and sphere.

Successful public speaking tips

Public speaking should influence, motivate and activate an audience. Your public speaking speech should be memorable and should leave the audience enticed and energized. There are certain public speaking tips that will motivate and if followed, you will be able to overcome your fear of public speaking and will assist you in giving an unforgettable public speaking speech.

Public speaking tips and training

• Experience, experience, experience

Experience breeds confidence and your public speaking speech should represent you. Expressing your experiences on a personal level with your audience with only make you connect further with them and they will perceive you as more credible.

• The importance of the message

In great public speaking tips regarding fear, you should keep your attention on the message of the speech and not the process of actually talking. This will help lower anxiety and keep you focused.

• Don’t apologize

If you have made an error or mistake don’t publically apologized, the audience may not have even noticed it and you are just drawing attention to the error.

• The power of the people

Your audience has invested time in hearing your public speaking speech and want to be inspired and motivated by you. Remembering this will help with anxiety and fear you may have.

• Visualization is key

An important point in public speaking training and practicing, when getting ready to deliver your speech, it is recommended to visualize yourself on the actual day; totally in the same surroundings, the same clothes and with your public speaking speech in hand.

• Relax

Although you may think that this is easier said than done when giving your public speech, try and relax. Start off your speech by acquainting yourself with the audience and getting settled in front of all of the people waiting for your inspiring speech.

• Acclimatize yourself to the surroundings

It’s recommended to know the room or environment in which you will be performing your speech. Evaluate where you need to look to cover the entire audience and become similar with any visual additions you may be using.

• Target Market knowledge

Know the people you are speaking to. This is vital in public speaking training. You will know what jokes they may enjoy and what the tone of your speech should be. You could also greet some as they arrive to acquaint yourself better with them.

• Practice makes perfect

Practicing your public speaking speech will only benefit you while up on the stage. Be knowledgeable about what you are talking about as it is easier to discuss something you know a lot about than something you don’t.

Jemma Scott is an avid writer of business developments and tips. Her interest stems from her time in office space in London as well as serviced offices Singapore.

 

Five Common Roadblocks to Effective Workplace Communication

Whether in one’s personal life or professional life, effective communication is paramount to success in creating and reinforcing a positive relationship. In the work environment, communication impacts both immediate goals and long-term mission completion. Meeting or exceeding project standards, promotions and employee turn-over rates are directly affected by either poor or excellent communication skills, regardless of positions hierarchy. When customers or clients are involved, it can present additional challenges and rewards.

Sources of Communication Problems

There are almost as many specific reasons behind problems with communication as there are personalities on the planet. However, many general reasons are interwoven into specific instances.

1: The speaker is not well-versed in the topic. If the person speaking doesn’t have the depth of knowledge or expertise in the subject matter to articulate ideas, standards and requirements, problems will arise. Oftentimes, the speaker will become frustrated or irritated that the results weren’t what was expected or required. If you don’t know enough at any particular time to give specific and clear points, solicit discussion with the experts first. Tell them the type of results you want. Discussion can lead to clarity and solid understanding. When others and you understand each other well, everyone has communicated effectively. Then if the results aren’t what was expected, you can take action based on that performance, but poor communication shouldn’t be an issue.

2: The receiver suffers from low expertise or understanding of area involved in the communication. This can be especially trying for the speaker, but it can be minimized by having the receiver recap or rephrase instructions or suggestions. Encouraging asking questions can help also, but be prepared for little response. Sometimes, people don’t know that they don’t know enough to ask. Be open to questions during performance, and be patient in answering.

3: Cultural differences exist between parties. Cultural differences can include language comprehension. Also, cultural differences exist between genders, unfortunately, and when the sender or receiver lives under different cultural rules than the other, effective communication can be challenging at best. Act professionally and respectfully and be as clear and concise as possible. Understand and respect the other’s culture, but be aware that business is business, and the mission is paramount.

4: The receiver is not interested in either the subject matter or listening effectively. This scenario is especially difficult and aggravating. If someone actively shows disinterest or is passive-aggressive in reception, it’s time to get extraordinarily specific.

Document each communication point and directive. Include specific deadlines, standards and requirements. Delineate expectations and restrictions. Don’t allow any room for perceived or contrived error. Even a statement such as, “No personal calls allowed” can generate the reaction of not using—or answering—the phone at all. Instead, specify that they are to use the phone but for business purposes only and in a professional manner. They are to take calls from within the business directory and from customers or clients and conduct themselves to the highest professional standards while doing so.” If they fail to perform or “act out” even after that specificity, you may have cause to present the incidents to your supervisor or take disciplinary action against the receiver.

5: Time constraints prevent full communication. Time is not always on the side of the communicator. Be as concise as possible and always invite questions later. If you know that you don’t have time to be thorough at the time, let the receiver know that more detail will be forthcoming—and follow through on it. Never leave under-communication standing long. Everyone gets frustrated when that happens, and frustrated effort rarely leads to quality product or performance.

Article written by Holly Adams, who writes for Coupon Croc. Dress the part and shop online with an Asos discount code to save on the best workplace attire.