an Article
for Professional Speakers by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
When you're a professional speaker your video is your most
important selling tool. It's hard to imagine any speaker who
wouldn't be even more successful with a "best-selling" video.
I talked to Mark French, President of Leading Authorities,
Inc., for his inside insights into what makes a great video.
Here's what he told me.
What
You Want to Do
1. Grab attention quickly. Meeting planners have very little
time. They view tapes so they can quickly qualify or disqualify
a potential speaker. If your tape doesn't engage viewers in
the first minute, their fingers will hit the eject button.
2. Make yourself the obvious choice over the competition.
Your tape must answer the question, "Why should I book this
speaker instead of someone else?" The tape must establish
your credentials and provide a compelling case for why you
are the best-qualified person to speak on your topic.
3. Demonstrate your content. The tape must show you speaking
on your topics effectively and knowledgeably. Tapes that consist
of stories without examples of context are ineffective at
best.
4. Show yourself interacting with an audience and commanding
their attention. Humor and stories are also valuable if they
advance your presentation, rather than substitute for it.
How
You Do It
1. Accumulate good footage of your speaking, preferably
from two or more venues.
2. Maximize the visual impact. The nicer the stage and backdrop,
the more visual appeal your tape will have. The larger the
audience, the better. A formal setting is usually more impressive
than an informal one, but a mixture is also good.
3. Maximize tape quality. Offer your clients the opportunity
to archive or distribute your tape to attendees in exchange
for facilitating a quality taping. Be certain there is a direct
feed to eliminate background noise. Ensure that the cameras
have a clear view of you. Use two cameras if possible, one
on you and one on the audience. Have the audience microphoned
so that when there is a reaction to your presentation you
can capture it on tape.
4. Choose the company that will help you produce the tape
with care. (In the interest of full disclosure, I admit a
bias to our company, Leading Authorities Creative Media. We
have produced tapes for top speakers such as John Alston,
Gary Bradt, Marcus Buckingham, Jim Cathcart, and George Walther,
to name a few.) Whatever your choice, here are some key considerations:
- Does
the vendor KNOW the speaking industry? Any editor or producer
can turn out a videotape. In-depth knowledge of the speaking
industry and how clients make their speaker choices is a
big plus.
-
Does the vendor have experienced editors and producers who
have received recognition for their work and have extensive
experience in broadcast media? Top talent working on your
project will increase the odds of an effective tape.
- Does
the vendor take a creative approach to producing a tape
that is tailored to you? Or is it a cookie-cutter approach
that will get you a video that looks like everyone else's?
A tape that is original and creative will help you stand
out from the pack.
- Does
the vendor have the ability and resources to archive your
work digitally so that it is easy to update? Archiving can
save time and money down the road.
"These are challenging times," says Mark, "but also times
of great opportunity. The speakers who are going to succeed
are those who invest in strong marketing materials to support
the selling process."
(474 words)
* * *
Mark French is President of Leading Authorities, Inc. which
now offers Leading Authorities Creative Media News, an online
business newsletter for speakers with timely ideas on increasing
business and maximizing marketing potential. http://www.LeadingAuthorities.com
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