How To Improve Your Online Brand Presence
The topic of public speaking is one that can make a lot of people out there shudder. It’s intimidating, and a skill that many spend years trying to master. Yet in the midst of 2020 and the many shifts that businesses and teams have been making to go fully remote, I want to touch specifically on the topic of virtual public speaking, and how mastering it can help to improve your online brand presence.
What is online brand presence?
Many of us have been on remote teams for a while now, or some just for a few months. At the end of the day, I think we can all agree that there has been a shift that is likely here to stay. Even post-COVID-19, we are going to see many businesses and teams continue to stay remote because of the benefits some have seen from it.
With this shift, there are now more opportunities than ever before to package, perfect, and present your message for your personal brand. And while you may not want to hear this… one of the best ways to elevate and grow your online brand recognition is through public speaking.
Brand Awareness & Virtual Public Speaking
“By public speaking, you can elevate your value by at least 50%.”
That’s powerful when it comes to building your online brand presence.
In 2020, what does public speaking look like? A lot of us might be separated by screens, and be more distanced that what we are used to. Yet that doesn’t remove the intimidation that might come with public speaking. Speaking into a phone or computer screen to a group can feel just as weird… yet if done correctly, these moments can be just as powerful as in-person.
With that in mind, let’s use this time to improve and maximize your online brand presence. To start, take a look at these 3 tips.
- The Moment
- The Message
- The Method
Let’s break down each of these listed items, and dig into how they can help maximize your online brand presence.
Building Online Brand Presence: The Moment
Whenever we think about how we are going to deliver a message – virtually or in-person – it all boils down to what you are planning to deliver, and how.
The secret sauce to truly connecting with your audience through screens is being present in the moment.
What does this mean?
Take time to soak in where your audience is currently at, look at the feedback they have given you leading up to this, how are they potentially feeling, and then put yourself into that seat.
Think about how your specific brand’s message needs to resonate with them, relative to what day of the week, time of the day, or current state of the world. The exact moment you are in is important.
In other words, a good virtual speaker is present, and thinking about their audience first.
Building Online Brand Presence: The Message
We all have a message that we want to share, and heading into any virtual meeting or webinar, we typically know what we are going to say ahead of time.
But pause and ask yourself this, “How are you catering that message to what is relevant right now?”
This correlates with the ‘moment’ point that we just touched on.
How can you work to put a twist on your message, that helps to make it more appealing, more relevant, or generally just more relatable? This will look differently depending on what the virtual meeting or calls are about.
Building Online Brand Presence: The Method
Every single day, we are bombarded constantly with messages. Which means that right now, your biggest competition is time.
So many people just don’t have the time or bandwidth in their head to be present, and to hear what you might be trying to convey from behind your camera. So it’s up to your personal brand to anticipate that, and pivot.
How can you get their attention? Do you need to start off the call with a joke? Maybe some relevant statistics, or stories?
Repackage a mundane experience to be more engaging, by utilizing your own online brand presence and voice. Do this intentionally, and it will enable you to deliver a powerful message, in a short window of time.
Virtual Speaking & Online Brand Presence
To wrap-up, here are the three areas to keep in mind next time you have a virtual speaking engagement:
- The Moment
- The Message
- The Method
If you are able to clarify and maximize all three, you will see pretty powerful results.
Last thing… because this is a topic that I’m specifically passionate about, we are starting to put together a virtual online training that will focus on delivering your keynote in the virtual world.
If this is something that you would be interested in, head here to learn more information and we will make sure to keep in touch!