5 Mile Famous…. A friend shared that expression with me the other day and it intrigued me. I checked online. A coach in England and a real estate book popped up, neither of which provided any stand-out relevant information. No problem. I was already thinking about how being 5 mile famous might pertain to a speaker.
It’s easy to understand 5 miles logistically. Stick a pin in a map and draw a circle around it with a 5-mile radius. Before the internet and then the pandemic, that’s how most of us speakers found speaking opportunities. We got out there and networked within a radius that worked for us. We made real-time in-person connections. We shared that “Main Street USA” community mindset and it worked.
Now we have the internet and its ability to bring the world to our doorstep, 24/7. There’s no way to stick a pin in that. There’s no way for young up-and-coming small business owners and entrepreneurs to know what they missed out on either. But maybe that’s okay. Maybe it’s okay for speakers who’ve been around for a while too.
When you think about your business and what you have to offer as a speaker, how wide are you casting your professional net so people can learn about you and your problem-solving solutions? Rest assured, even if your clients/customers are mostly within a 5-mile proximity, that doesn’t mean you have to give them up to take advantage of the internet and all the Zoom-like technologies. Here are a few thoughts on taking advantage of speaking opportunities both in person and online.
Connections: If you enjoy speaking in person, then keep going. Just because you have the option of speaking online, that doesn’t mean you have to. I get it… there’s just something about being able to make eye contact and read someone’s body language when you meet them. Speaking locally also presents opportunities to reference local people, events, anecdotes, etc., which help to build connections quicker.
Community Support: Few things feel as good as knowing people think of you as the local expert. But there are ways to accomplish this online too, which means you can be 5 mile famous both where you live and online. You might even be pleasantly surprised how many of your in-person peeps start reaching out to you online.
Networking opportunities: Speaking locally allows you to connect with and build relationships with others. But you can build relationships online too. Yes, it’s a bit different. In person, you can only make so many connections within a 5-mile radius. On the other hand, online, you can make as many or as few connections as you’d like.
No Travel: Yeah, nothing better than being able to stay local, close to family and friends. It saves you time and travel expenses too. Hmmm… I guess this applies whether you’re speaking local… or online.
One of the best things about being a speaker is that the choice of how often and where you want to speak is always yours to make. This article was just a way of reminding you of your options.
Online opportunities are expanding and will continue to do so. Locally, there will always be opportunities for growth and success too, as more people acknowledge you as the go-to 5-mile problem-solver expert you are. In fact, doing a great job within a 5-mile radius is likely to reward you with the kinds of testimonials and referrals that could help you reach the next level…maybe 10 miles.