It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who say they want to be visible to their market but do nothing about it. Regardless of whether you want online, local, regional or national visibility, you must have a plan.
Your plan should include timelines, activities, completion of key documents, ideal market description and outcomes. You need to also determine if you are looking to build a local presence or if your goal is to have a strong online presence.

Local

If you’re looking to build a presence in your local market one of the quickest ways is to speak locally. There is no shortage of organizations, groups and companies who seek out experts who can offer presentations on a variety of topics.
A quick Google search will bring up plenty of listings in virtually any local market.
However, make sure the groups you speak to are a fit for your expertise. Unless you are new and need the experience, there’s no point in speaking to groups not in your target market.
For example, in my case, business organizations are often a great fit for me to showcase my expertise. Knowing this will save me time when booking opportunities.
Recently, a woman gave me a lead for a local organization. It quickly became apparent this organization was not a good fit for me.
The group was geared towards the elderly. People who are retired, have no intention of building a business and are not interested in speakers who speak on business topics. They are interested in hobbies, crafts, and motivational topics. Not that I could not give a great motivational speech, but to do so to this group is not a good use of my time. To offer motivation to a business group is a completely different focus.
Knowing who my ideal audience is allowed me to save everyone time.

Online

As with local opportunities, there are more than enough online opportunities for an expert to keep themselves busy for a long time to come.
It’s a lot less difficult to gain visibility online than most people realize. However, it does take consistent effort
Seek out guest blogging opportunities. There are plenty of opportunities to guest blog. It’s likely you read and subscribe to blogs that have a similar readership as your own. Reach out to the blog owner about the possibility of writing for them.
Imagine how visible you would become if you were to guest blog one to three times per week. Within a short period of time you could literally explode your online presence.
Online radio and podcasting. Over the last decade, online radio and podcast shows have exploded. There is ample opportunity to get booked on shows from every industry and market. One of my favorite ways to find interview opportunities is on iTunes. A quick search on virtually any topic will bring up links to shows that are seeking guest experts.
One of the services I offer my private clients is to get booked on shows. Last month, one client has eight speaking engagements. Another had five. The process is simple, but somewhat time consuming.
It takes more than a quick search to determine if a show is a fit. This is why clients love this service. We do all the “heavy lifting” and all they need do is give a great interview.
Interested in getting booked for shows that are a perfect fit for you? Let’s set up a time to talk. Kathleen (@) kathleengage.com.
Before seeking out opportunity, it’s a great idea to create a media overview on your expertise.
Blog on your own blog at least twice a week. Consistent blogging is a must do to create a following of loyal readers. Avoid a hit and miss approach. Develop a blogging calendar to plan out your posts and assures you will be consistent in your efforts.
Build your social media presence and value by posting high value content. Post quotes, videos, images and memes that are consistent with your expertise and messaging.
Build your connections, friends, circles, and followers in each of the primary social networks if, and only if, this is where your market hangs out.
Seek out Joint Venture opportunities with experts who have a similar market as you.  Not only will this give you greater market reach, it can generate revenues on an ongoing basis.

Preparation

To get the most out of your efforts, it is essential you prepare your marketing material. Two important documents are your expert one sheet and your media overview document.
I have created these same documents for many clients who know they need this information and prefer to pay to have these done for them rather than spend time trying to figure out what they need to include.

Kathleen Gage Expert One Sheet
Kathleen Gage Media
If you’re interested in having your expert one sheet and media overview document done, send me an email and we can discuss what it would take. Kathleen @ Kathleengage.com
The bottom line is this; you must put effort into your presence. When you do, you make it so much easier for potential clients to find you. Whether your clients hire you for speaking opportunities, consulting or coaching, if they know you exist, they can do business with you.