It is not about whether colleges have the money. Believe me, they have lots of it -- they are recession-proof --. But rather, it is all about how to get booked to speak at colleges.

As professional speaker, you should understand that the college market is totally different from other markets. Marketing to them should be done differently. Keep in mind, you are dealing with educators. They want the speakers they perceive as the best person for the job.

One big mistake a speaker can make is to create his material or speech first then trying to find a market to buy it. The more effective approach would be creating a speech aimed directly at a specific market.

The way people perceive your material affects your success. For example, if you have a book about motivation titled "Motivation for success", adding a word or phrase that directly addresses your market, such as modifying the title into "Motivation for College Success". It will sell better in the college niche than the former title because it is perceived as more specialized to the college market.

As much as possible make your promotional materials market-specific. If you target the college market, make your marketing materials exclusively for them. They will see you as a specialist and absolute expert in the field.

Trying to get booked to speak at colleges can be very easy if you market properly. You don't have to be well-known in other speaking arenas. They won't really care at all if you're not a celebrity in other markets. Additionally, you won't need expensive sample videos to get you booked. Implementing the marketing strategies above is enough to get you the spot. By the way, one-sheets will not work in this market. It is way better to promote via brochure.

The best thing about colleges is that you can always be asked to come back and speak again. There are new audiences every year and if you can impress the college coordinators you can easily be booked again the following year or maybe every semester.