Melanie
Welcome to the Monday Morning Marketing Podcast for all decision makers and action takers. Take it away, Esther.
Esther
And welcome back to another episode of the Monday Morning Marketing Podcast. Today we want you to be a guest, but what's in it for you? So we are talking about guest blogging, being a guest on a podcast, being a guest at an event. There are lots of ways you can show up as a guest. But what exactly is it that you need to do and what's in it for you?
Melanie
You asking me or are you asking them?
Esther
Well, I was asking them first, you know, just to see if they knew, but I don't think we'll hear their answers for-.
Melanie
no, I don't think so either. Okay, so why is it important to be a guest? Because there's no harm in being seen as an expert in something. Being and becoming an authority is really important, especially as a marketing tool, because then you become sought out and become the go to person. Sometimes you can just do it with the way you phrase your business, like tweeting goddess, for instance. Or it could just be that you are literally everywhere. But sometimes running your own podcast or running your own event isn't enough to imbue authority. You need somebody to see you and invite you as that expert, as that authority in order to be seen clearer.
Esther
Yes. Okay, but then we run into the thing that people a lot of times say, you know, oh, it's great exposure, right? We're not talking about exposure. We're. We're not talking about being taken advantage of. We're not talking about, oh, do this for free or, you know, paint us a painting for free that, you know, we'll use in our gallery for free. And it's great exposure for you. We're not talking about that. We're talking about literally coming or going somewhere, showing up, being there physically or, you know, online, showing your face, letting your voice be heard. That's what we're talking about. We're talking about coming on our podcast, we're talking about going on someone else's podcast. We're talking about starting your own podcast. You know, we're talking about writing an E. An email sequence and being. Having it included in someone else's email market marketing. But it's helping to promote you. You've already written the sequence. We're talking about writing a blog and having it included in, I don't know, Irish tech news. Are they looking for social media marketing world? Social media marketing world.
Melanie
They're always looking for intuitive and, you know, authoritative people to write blogs for Them. And it's not just to elevate yourself, but to elevate them as well, because that means that they're bringing in, you know, movers and shakers and decision makers, which we like on this podcast. We do like decision makers, makers and action takers. So it's really important that even if you do build your own platform, that you make yourself available to others, because then you're not just building authority, you're also building your community and your tribe because you're going to other people's tribes and communities and letting them know you exist.
Esther
Very true. And when you get selected by something like Social Media examiner, they will share that out with their thousands and thousands of subscribers and people who follow them online. And people will click on their link that they put to learn more about you. They will land on your website, they will then talk to you directly, they will purchase from you, they will inquire about your services. There is always something in it for you.
Melanie
And better still, they could even invite you to social media marketing world. You may even become a speaker or run a workshop at the event, because they understand your kudos. They understand the authority and the value you give people as well. It's not all about how you. How great you are. It's how much value you give the people who watch, listen, or read you.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
Combination of all three. So, you know, it's. It's understanding that it's yet another way that you can get yourself out there. And it doesn't sound like much, writing a blog and putting it on somebody else's website, but if it was on the right website, wow.
Esther
Yes. And that's something that you have to bear in mind whenever you're doing your research. If someone reaches out to you and said, you know, write me a blog about XYZ research and see just what you know, how lucrative it could be for you. If they're a new company, if nobody's heard of them, if they have a very small social standing, it may be a case of there's more in it for them than there is for you. But this is why you need to do your research and not jump in blindly just to have your blog showcased on someone else's website. We're forever getting emails about people offering to guest post or guest blog for us, for the podcast and for our businesses. But we have to be selective. I know Melanie writes all her own blogs, all of them on Stomp. It's only Melanie that writes the blogs on our podcast. It has been our VA and it has been ourselves.
Melanie
Yes.
Esther
So we are very selective if the right person with the right topic and the right audience came along, we couls.
Melanie
If Mari came along and said, hey, do you want to. Oh, we think about it.
Esther
But you have to also consider if there would be any negative impact on your business if you were to guest on something that doesn't align with your either morals or your mission value statements, etcetera. So do your research. Don't just go, oh, great, I've got an opportunity to guest blog for, you know, this online magazine. Great. What's in it for you?
Melanie
Yeah, I mean, you've got to be. Even though you. They may have a larger audience, me writing a blog on Farmer's Journal or something like that, it's got to be relevant.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
So, you know, it's the amount of times I get. Because I've got two emails, I've obviously got STOMP, and then I've got Irish Tech News, and then, of course, I've got the podcast as well. But these are the ones I get the most inquiries and the amount of times I'm approached by the. By the right people. But I'm the wrong contact to Irish Tech News for putting stuff up. I'm. I'm not the crypto person at all. And here's a press release, here's the latest news. And we would like to write a blog and like, it's not useful. You're not, you're not targeting the right person.
Esther
No.
Melanie
And I don't even forward it on because I get so many now. I just delete them. So if you want to stand a chance of actually getting a blog up, you do need to not just work out, is this the right website, but is this the right person I need to send it to as well? Because I don't look at them now. If I. If the. If the title says the wrong thing, I just delete them, basically.
Esther
So your email is going into the abyss.
Melanie
Yeah.
Esther
Because you didn't do your research.
Melanie
Yes.
Esther
So it's the same when it comes to podcasting. When it comes to being a guest on a podcast, is it a video and audio podcast? Will your face be seen? Do you need to do your hair and makeup? Will it be audio only? You know, a more traditional type of podcast. Do the presenters align with what you're talking about? You know, obviously, ours is the Monday Morning Marketing podcast. If you're not talking marketing, I don't think you're a good fit. No, for the podcast, I mean, yeah, we go off on some other things, like relevant for Businesses, because marketers are businesses and businesses need marketing. So. But 99% of our podcasts are all about marketing in some way or another. You know, even guesting is marketing yourself. So you might think this podcast isn't extremely relevant to our own brand. It really is. Yeah.
Melanie
Yeah. And it's also not just authority building, but it's also helping you connect on a personal level with people. We can watch webinars and we can do online conferences and we can email people, but not anywhere near as memorable as actually connecting with people in person on a personal level. And so even if it's just blogging, you're putting yourself across in such a different way and people are understanding the way you speak, the, the tone, the pitch, the, the speed that you're, you're putting things across. And even if you're using videos or graphics or images or that sort of thing, which I would highly recommend you do, are going to be doing blogs. But, you know, being a guest on a business radio show, that's also possible pretty much anywhere that you'll, all of you, every, every nation out there will have a SME or a business radio show that you can apply to.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
And if you just need to build a speaker profile and give them some value.
Esther
Yeah. Our friend Wayne Denner appears every week on a local radio station up near me. So, you know, it is possible.
Melanie
Yeah.
Esther
He's a cyber security, so it's all, you know, very relevant for businesses and parents that he be on every week. So it is, it is very possible. There's also guesting at events, so. So some events will ask you to pay to speak, others will, you know, speakers will ask for a fee to speak. But if you can kick start your speaking experience by being invited to speak on stage, then it's very valuable too. It may be an event with 50 people, it may be an event with 500 people, but every experience helps and it can get you to the point of speaking on bigger stages and being seen. You don't know who's going to be in the audience. There could be somebody in the audience that is planning a bigger or, you know, more extravagant or in a different country event and they hear what you say and they like the way you say it. Then you could be invited to speak at other places and then be able to ask for your speaker fee or at least accommodation and flights paid for.
You know, start small.
Melanie
Yeah, pretty much. But it's down to confidence. I think largely a lot of people probably do write really well and would love and attend all These events. But I think it's down largely to the fact they just don't have the confidence to put themselves out there or to. Or they don't feel that they're different enough to be seen as an expert.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
But you know, even if we're all saying the same stuff, it's. It's how we're saying it.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
It's how we're delivering it. And people connect with the, with the speaker on an emotional level as well. So when you're writing your blogs or you're creating your scripts, if. Or anything like that, depending on how you, how, how you format your delivery, I think you can get too close to thinking it has to be absolutely perfect. And for those who have listened to us for nearly five years and more, you know that we're kind of one take wonders.
Esther
We are one and done.
Melanie
Pretty much. And we're still here. We're still getting downloaded, we're still getting great speakers.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
And so people connect with us now because we're genuine.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
We're authentic and kind of no must, no fuss.
Esther
But it did take us a while to step out of our, Build that.
Melanie
We had to build that authority and we had to build that confidence. Absolutely. And please do not listen to the first 10 episodes. Oh, Lord help us.
Esther
Just sent them to listen to the first. Don't tell them what not to do. That's what they're gonna do. But it is, it is a matter of doing your research, taking that step, stepping out of your comfort zone. The number of people that we've had on this podcast, that we've met at events, that we have been blown away by their knowledge. And when we ask them to be in the podcast, they can't believe that they've been asked. They can't believe-.
Melanie
It's their first time. We have, we have popped so many cherries when it comes to guests, it's un, unreal. How many people have never done a podcast before?
Esther
Yeah, I asked a woman a couple of weeks ago to come on the podcast and her first reaction was, how much is it going to cost? She automatically thought she was going to have to pay for it. And it's that not knowing because she's never set foot in the podcasting world yet. So she was unsure, you know, maybe how many other people are holding back from requesting to be on shows because they think they're going to have to pay. I don't know. As if it's a, an advert on radio. How many other people are holding themselves back and not.
Melanie
There are times, though, aren't there. There are. There are times when people can sponsor podcast.
Of course, of course.
And, and sponsor speaking, you know, at events and. And sponsored posts. They are things. They are, but they're largely not done.
Esther
No.
Melanie
On any of these.
Esther
You know, and I mean, you feel free to sponsor the podcast and we will promote you.
Melanie
But you still have to align with us.
Esther
Yes, exactly. So that's why our sponsors so far have been Agora Pulse and Feedalpha, because they are marketing platforms, they help marketers, you know.
Melanie
So if you're a marketing tool or another marketing platform, as long as you align with us. Absolutely.
Esther
Yeah. But at the end of the day, like I said, do your research. What's in it for you? If it's going to be more work than reward, Maybe think twice.
Melanie
Yeah.
Esther
But if you've already got the basis of a blog post, if you've already got the information to go on a podcast and speak about it for 20 minutes, then that's 20 minutes of your life, you know, 30 at the most. If, if you've got technical issues or whatever. But it's not going to take days out of your time, it's not going to take weeks or even months. You know, think-.
Melanie
once it's produced, then that's out there in the ether forever.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
You know, it's, you know, we share all of our podcasts out on our social platforms for a year.
Esther
They stay on our website forever.
Melanie
Yep. And they're downloadable at any time. So, you know, it's. It really does help build those extra contacts, those touch points.
Esther
Yeah.
Melanie
With people. And the more that you put yourself out there and do you know what, there may be people that know more than you. Okay. But they're not confident enough to put themselves out there. And so because you are, you'll get the business before them.
Esther
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. That's what it comes down to. Step out of your comfort zone and the world is your oyster. So we invite you to be a guest.
Melanie
And you can be a guest on our podcast as long as you align with us. So if you don't know how to reach us, it's podcast, themondaymorningmarketing.com or you can find us on any of the big social media platforms. Please visit our website at themondaymorningmarketing.com and you can visit our shop, get some of our merch, get some of our downloads, and of course, just shoot us a message if there's any topics that you think we can cover or you can contribute to. We'd love to hear from you. So are we done? Esther.
Esther
We are done.
Melanie
And we'll be back again next week for another podcast. Bye for now.
Esther
Bye-bye.
You haven't gone off in your little rants yet.
Melanie
I should really, shouldn't I? What could I talk about?
Esther
I don't know. There's just songs going through my head at the minute. Earworms.
Melanie
Wake me up before you go go. No, not that one.
Esther
It's too early in the morning for that one.
Melanie
Okay.
