Five Ways to Build Public Speaking into Your Marketing Plan

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Sometimes companies face publicity droughts. Without a new product launch, an earnings announcement, a change in leadership or a relatable current event, companies can go through periods without the opportunity to generate positive public exposure.

Ubiquity is the key to remaining foremost in the minds of target audiences. But what are companies to do when there's nothing newsworthy to promote? Luckily, speaking opportunities at industry conferences abound throughout the year.

Here are five tips for targeting -- and capitalizing on -- speaking opportunities:

1. Identify relevant conferences in advance: Most conferences have long lead times for speaker submission deadlines, so it's crucial to begin the process of identifying relevant conferences early. There are subscription services that search for relevant conferences based on any number of variables such as industry, geographic location, size and date.

If you don't want to pay for a subscription service, a simple web search will return numerous sites that list conferences for various industries. A few recommended sites include:

• CurrentPartnering.com lists upcoming partnering events
• ConferenceAlerts.com
• AllConferences.com has thorough listings from A to Z

Additionally, many media outlets host conferences, so it's worthwhile to browse the websites of the top trade publications in your industry to identify opportunities.

A little digging is often needed to find speaker submission guidelines and deadlines as this information is not always posted on the conference website. Also, some conferences change dates from year to year, so you can't depend on the schedule from years past.

2. Keep track with a database: Whether you use a spreadsheet or a document table, it's critical to create some kind of database to keep track of conferences each year. Include the name of the conference, when it's taking place, when the speaker submission deadline is, guidelines and protocols for speaking submissions, contact information, conference URL and a bit of background information about each conference.

Sometimes conference dates are listed before any speaking submission information is made available. That's why it's also crucial to check the conference website often and update your database accordingly.

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