This article will discuss where to become an influencer and how you can make this work for you.

The concept of being an influencer, or in this case, a "personal brand strategist," is quite simple:

Get followers; produce compelling content that gets shared, liked, and commented on by those followers; and engage and interact with those who engage and interact with you.

Get followers: Creating compelling content is easy

It's the conversation that surrounds it that's tough. Whether you're speaking at a conference or having a meeting, get to the heart of the message in your presentation.

By employing the tactics outlined below, you'll quickly reach and engage your followers.

If you're the conference organizer and planning to attend a talk, message the organizer and ask them for an A-list presenter. Ask them which speakers are speaking at their conference.

Note the topics they list.

Create a six-item speaker wish list. Know the topics they're covering and be sure they include the following:

• Key message point
• Takeaways
• Audience
• Benefit
• Sentiments
• Specific skillset

Your wish list should include the topic the speaker will be discussing, any benefits to their audience, plus at least two takeaways. The rest is for you.

Get to know the speaker's history by clicking on their name in the speaker bio tab at the conference website. While you're at it, you can glean some additional insights from the events they've attended and the topics they've covered.

Use their bio as your go-to source of information. Your content strategy should include going back to their bio and incorporating the info into your content marketing strategy, along with the three things they mentioned in their bio.

Idea generation is now much easier thanks to modern technology

More than 50% of companies have realized that sponsoring experts in a specific field improves engagement, boosting sales, and strengthening customer loyalty. What you have to do is identify the experts who will bring the best content to the conference.

Tip: Before you sponsor a speaker at your event, read the speaker bio. Do you know what they've published or performed at conferences, or how they've sold their expertise to organizations?

Go online and see if you can find their YouTube channel, then embed some of their most famous videos into your own.

Include them in the speaker schedule. Instead of cutting them out, ask them to participate as a panelist. They'll bring a completely different perspective to your audience.

The following questions are a great way to get to know an expert:

• What's the single biggest mistake you've made with your business or industry?
• How would you describe your current state in your business?
• Where do you see your business in three years?
• How will you take action today to get there?

You've been invited to speak. It's now time to create a content strategy that sells, engages and grows your audience.

Design an engagement strategy

Just because a speaker is there doesn't mean they'll get any interaction. Ask the speaker before the event what their plan is for responding to questions or comments.

Let them know you're expecting a high level of engagement and expect questions. Don't try to box them in; let them answer any questions, and encourage them to take more questions.

This increases the chances they'll get high levels of interaction and engagement.

Tip: Asking attendees to join your conference blog is an excellent way to engage them and to ensure you don't lose any content.

Convert those who don't engage into those who are interested in your content.

Provide inspiration and resources

At the heart of any great content strategy is inspiration and content, which is why the following tips are so important:

• Create a vision for the event or content you want to create.
• Ensure the content is accurate, focused, and designed to produce high levels of engagement and engagement.
• Provide the resources necessary to help your audience achieve their goals.

Use case studies to build credibility

When you invite an expert to share their expertise, it's important to ask them to walk you through their expertise in detail, so you can see the real-life scenarios they're working on.

Your audiences want to understand how you can get results similar to theirs. Your case studies can provide this insight.

Tip: Ask questions to make sure you understand the purpose and outcome of each case study. Also make sure they demonstrate the value of the case study.

Include a call to action

The moment you ask someone to take a step forward to achieve a goal, you need to give them a specific way to get there.

Attendee satisfaction is the most important thing you can deliver to your audiences. The question you need to ask yourself is, "How can I create the best experience for my attendees?"

To achieve this, provide content that connects attendees to actionable resources.

Engage your audience before, during, and after your event

Once the event is over, your focus should be engaging your audience. While you'll be doing your best to have a great event, it's important you remain engaging for your audience once the event is over.

A good way to do this is to create a content strategy before, during and after the event. This will allow you to have a comprehensive content plan when you start planning the next one.

Avoid the big fail: Refuse to play by the same rules

Don't be tempted to try to keep up with other speakers by following a checklist of bullet points or tasks. These activities will take time away from the key benefits your audience wants to achieve.

Instead, look for opportunities to share specific knowledge that your audience will find valuable, and highlight the steps attendees need to take to get there.

A good way to do this is by offering your audience the opportunity to use real-life scenarios from your case studies, so they can see the content that has helped them succeed. This will give them a great overview of what you want to share.

Use the insights you gain from hosting the right content to upsell your audience.

This will ensure that you're offering something new and valuable to your audience at each event, which will help build their trust in you and your content.

Conclusion

Hosting a great content strategy can help you achieve significant business results. It can help you build a new audience for your business, and it can drive conversions at every event.