From fear to focus: “one speechwriter’s journey” remains a work in progress

Part 3 of 3

In two previous installments, I wrote about the steps I’m taking to revive my speechwriting career after a four-year break and in a new city where I have no contacts, no credibility and no name recognition. 

Those steps included joining the national and local chapters of trade groups such as PRSA and IABC, subscribing to the local weekly business journal, joining the local Chamber of Commerce and taking part in networking events and business start-up classes. 

In this final reflection, I’ll talk about target marketing, personal branding, including blogging, and publicizing your business.

First, target marketing. When I returned to speechwriting, I made the decision to target the types of businesses and individuals I had previously written for – C-level executives in specific large industries.

From the Indianapolis Business Journal list of the largest companies in Indiana (where I’m located), I targeted aerospace, defense, health and technology companies (my personal interests) with revenues between $500M and $60B.

Then I drafted “personas” not only of the C-level executives, but also for their Directors of Communications. Those are the folks with whom we usually have first contact, and to whom we must talk, impress and make the sale.

This process is detailed in a blog I published on Aug. 10, 2009, called “Use persona-based marketing to effectively reach speechwriting clients ( http://www.starkscommunications.com/speechwriting/use-persona-based-marketing-to-effectively-reach-speechwriting-clients/). You may want to review it.

Second, personal branding. As you know, this includes your professional “look” in terms of business cards and letterhead. It might also include a tip I picked up from a networking guru – a metal “name tag” (under $10 at Office Max/Office Depot), which includes not just your name, but title and business you represent. Wearing this to networking events may be part of your “brand” and helps you look more professional than a “Hello, my name is…” sticker.

However, in terms of personal branding, I’ve found that the speechwriting blog I began writing only five months ago has had the most positive impact on my personal brand.

This once-weekly blog allows me to write about what I know and care about – speechwriting – and, in the process, get my name in front of speechwriting colleagues, corporate communications directors and the executives for whom I hope to write.

Before this June, I had never written a blog. Today, my blog has been featured on the Vital Speeches of the Day Web site (vsotd.com); on the IABC Web site (IABC.com), and this week was named one of the 115 Best Public Speaking Blogs by Andrew Lugan, author of “Six Minutes: A Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog,” http://sixminutes.dlugan.com/, (which itself is a fabulous blog).

Third, the press release and other marketing of your freelance speechwriting business.

Although I opened my speechwriting business in March of this year, it took me until this very week to send out a press release I thought was tight and sharp and good enough.

I sent it to the Indianapolis Business Journal, the weekly paper that serves my small town and the daily paper that reaches the greater Indianapolis area.

I’ll post it on my blog next time and perhaps you’ll critique it for me. I’ll also let you know what results it produces. In a few weeks, I plan to launch an advertising campaign in the IBJ and will keep you posted on that as well.   

So, you might be asking, what has all this activity gotten me?

Not a lot of speech assignments so far, but it’s given me more confidence at networking events. It’s brought me into contact with many interesting people in a variety of businesses and it’s improved my writing skills. 

It has also led to being asked to write a speech for the mayor and former mayor of Indianapolis to give at a fundraising event for the homeless. I wrote the speeches and was invited to hear them delivered. More about that in a future blog. 

In sum, I still feel like Mary Tyler Moore, brand new in the Twin Cities, throwing her beret in the air to the strains of “you’re gonna make it after all.”

More hard work is ahead, for sure, but Mary made it…and so will I.