4
Phase II
Marketing to Reflect Positioning and Benefits
Taking the time in Phase I to focus on your speech and your positioning gets you ready to take aim at your marketing. Your marketing materials need to reflect the benefits of your presentation and your brand. I mentioned Amanda Gore’s experience with “Be Good” marketing in the previous chapter, but here I’ll show you the traditional marketing components you’ll need to use to promote yourself — to get your name out there. Just because these are the traditional components doesn’t mean you stop being creative and inventive.
No amount of marketing dollars can overcome a mediocre presentation.
There is no better marketing than a great speech. Have I said that already? Hopefully I’ve said it several times because I want you to really take it to heart. No amount of marketing dollars, no fancy Facebook page, no ultra cool website can overcome a mediocre presentation. So if you don’t think your speech is great, you need to go back and get ready before taking aim.
Marketing Materials
Everything about marketing has changed. Yester-year we used to use packets and one sheets, now we use websites as our primary marketing tool. Whereas before our “speaker” positioning was front and center, now we want to position as an expert who happens to speak.
What does that mean? If I go to your website and it says, “Hire me, I’m a speaker,” I will be clicking away within seconds. If I go to your website and it says “These are the benefits and outcomes of our work and one of the ways that we deliver on those outcomes is speaking,” now I’m listening. Whereas before you and your credibility were first, I believe the needs and the outcome for the client should be front and center now.
Today, the keys that should be universally apparent (that is, on every page) on your website are your name, your brand, and your promise.
Components of a Great Marketing Piece (Website)
There is an easy checklist that you can use to ensure that your marketing materials have all the right components. The formula makes it much easier to develop marketing materials that actually work — that is, result in bookings. I’ll get into specific marketing pieces later in this chapter, but as an overview, here are the perfect dozen pieces.
1. Your Name
2. Brand
3. Promise Statement
4. Photos
5. Short Bio/Credibility
6. Return On Investment (ROI) Bullets
7. Powerful Questions
8. Testimonials
9. Client Lists
10. Reflect Your Essence
11. Uniqueness
12. Call to Action
Your Name
Some of you may be aiming towards having a company that is bigger than you, something that you could sell to someone else. If that’s the case, then you may not put your name right in the banner. But if you are the brand, and in some cases that may be the case, then don’t forget to add it right from the start.
The keys that should be universally apparent (that is, on every page) on your website are your name, your brand, and your promise.
Always keep in mind that someone might search the Internet and come into your site on the “Contact Us” page. If that was the case, would they know within 15 seconds who you are and how you might help them? Many people overlook this and that’s why having those three pieces (name, brand and promise) in the top banner or navigation area can be helpful.
Your Brand
Some people may brand themselves (i.e., Dr. Phil) and some people may brand their work “Working in the Positive Zone with Susan Miller.” Having an interesting brand can become a hook, “Hey, I wonder what working in the positive zone means?” Then, when paired with a solid promise like Susan Miller’s “Creating a High Energy, Low Stress Workplace,” you get it. A brand may not necessarily stand alone, but when combined with a solid promise, it should make perfect sense.
There are some terrific brands in our industry. Mark Bowden’s “TruthPlane” for instance. You might not know what that means until you see his promise to “Connect with Your Audience, Command Attention and Convey the Right Message” and when you read further that it’s about communication and presentation skills, it all becomes crystal clear.
Your Promise Statement
This is your big picture — one line — that shows the meeting planner the results of your expertise. Examples might be: “Turning Managers into Leaders,” “Leading Teams Through Change,” “Boosting Small Business Growth,” etc. My promise for my coaching company is “Catapulting Your Speaking Business.” This is probably the hardest thing you will have to define. To get to this one sentence, turn to Coaching Exercise 8.
Photos that Reflect You
How many times have you looked at a website to see either no photo at all or a photo that does not reflect the personality of that speaker? Who you are is such an important piece of the buying puzzle. The meeting planner wants to know who you are and the minute they go onto your website, they should be able to get a sense of you. We’ve heard it said that photos are the windows to our souls and, before a buyer spends thousands of dollars, they want to see what you are all about. They are either looking for reasons to qualify you and take you to the next step or disqualify you and put you in the no-go pile.
Your photo answers some important questions:
• Are you fun?
• Are you confident?
• Are you a good person?
• Do you have integrity?
• Do you have great energy?
At least a portion of all buying decisions are made based on gut feeling. Whether a planner knows it or not, they trust their instincts a great deal and your photo is the first checkpoint that will either take you to the next phase or not.
Some of the No-Nos
Don’t use staged (in studio) photos of yourself with a microphone, pointing a finger, in the superman pose, old hair styles or glasses, anything that could be deemed cheesy. What worked ten years ago, does not work today — especially in photography.
Women and men who change their hairstyles often have to ensure that their photo reflects who they are today. If you are worried about looking old it may be because you are old looking. Update your look if needed, but don’t try to hide the person you are today.
Short Bio/Credibility
A full-blown bio can go onto your website on the About You page, but on the home page of your website you are going to need to draw out the highlights of your credibility. Remember — expert first, speaker second.
This section should answer the question, “Why is this person credible to deliver this message?” Unless you are speaking on family values, your short bio is not the place for information like where you live with your family and your hobbies. Save that for the long version.
Be as specific as possible to show the reader how your background prepared you to speak on this topic.
Return On Investment (ROI) Bullets
In the example in Coaching Exercise 8, we’ve already drawn out what some ROI bullets might look like. ROI bullets answer the question, “What will change as a result of your work?” They need to be meaty, specific, and concrete.
Consider a good bullet to be something like: “Your team will learn how to quickly diffuse conflict and difficult situations” as opposed to “Your team will work better together.” Really go into the nuts and bolts of what you are teaching in order to build your ROI bullets.
Powerful Questions
They teach us in coaching school that our best weapon is a powerful question. Providing a list of questions, a quiz, or an audit for your clients will help them discover how much they need you. A quiz (say, ten questions) might be best placed on your website; whereas, on your one sheet, you might only ask two or three of the most powerful questions.
The phrase, “How would your company be different if …” followed by a list of things that you list as ROI could and should peak the interest of the meeting planner, especially if you are hitting a hot-button need for them. A hot-button need is something that they are struggling with right now. Ideally, the market should be full of people who have the need that you are offering to fill.
Let’s use Barbara, from Coaching Exercise 8, as an example — she’s turning managers into leaders.
Would your company be run more effectively if:
1. Your managers were strong communicators;
2. Your managers made better decisions;
3. Your managers hired winners who performed at high levels;
4. Your managers were consistently taking on more responsibility and operating at higher levels of efficiency; and
5. Your managers were strong, confident leaders.
The goal is for anyone who takes the quiz to immediately think, “Yes, we need this!”
Testimonials
Please excuse me if I slip into rant mode here for a minute.
Testimonials are one of the marketing tools that speakers rarely use effectively. Do I mean that speakers don’t supply their clients with enough testimonials — No! I mean that every speaker is using the same testimonial letter as every other speaker. Let me give you an example of a lousy testimonial.
Testimonials are one of the marketing tools that speakers rarely use effectively.
Dear John Smith,
Thank you for participating in our 4th Annual Sales Awards Banquet. Our meeting was a huge success largely due to you.
Our audience loved your presentation and the comments are still rolling in. You are truly a great speaker, John.
Thanks again, Joanne Nugent Sales Manager
This is a lovely vanilla flavored letter, but it’s not telling the prospective client anything that he or she hasn’t heard a zillion times before. You are a good speaker — so what! So is everyone else.
You are a good speaker — so what! So is everyone else.
What you want for testimonials is for them to answer the question: “What changed as a result of John Smith’s presentation?” That’s what you need to ask your client to write about. Some speakers design the letter for the client; some ask for a two-line testimonial over e-mail. I think if you can get it on letterhead, it would be helpful. It’s nice to scan the logo of the company along with the two lines and use it all on your website (provided you obtain their permission). So here’s what you do want:
Dear John Smith,
Oh my goodness, people are still buzzing about your presentation during sales meetings, at the water cooler, even in the employee washrooms! The phrase “Close it with love” has been posted on bulletin boards and walls all over our building and in our other three offices as well. Every week, we start our sales meetings with the alignment technique that you shared with us and after only 30 days, we have seen a 15% rise in sales.
You are unbelievable, John. Thank you so much for making our company a better place to work and, more importantly, a more desirable company to do business with!
We’ll see you in April for that follow up program we discussed.
Thanks again, Joanne Nugent Sales Manager
Do you see the difference between Example 1 and Example 2? Night and day. Every speaker has a drawer full of Example 1, so by getting some more potent testimonials, you will have yet another way to differentiate yourself.
Strategically Place Your Testimonials
Whether it be in your print materials or on your website, try to place your testimonials immediately following a statement that you have made. You might put a testimonial that backs up your promise statement within close proximity. Every time you make a claim, have a testimonial from someone else to back it up. Every speaker might say that they are high energy and humorous, so have a testimonial that helps go that one step further and says why the energy and humor was effective with that group.
Testimonials don’t have to be three paragraphs long, one to two lines can be super effective.
Client List
Consider the types of engagements that you are trying to book and have your client list reflect that plan. For instance if you are trying to book international conferences of associations, then you don’t want a list that has a lot of local corporate work. Many speakers look too small or too local in their client list. If you do the National Association of Financial Analysts, Madawaska Chapter — just list it as National Association of Financial Analysts. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not asking you to lie. Lying will almost always come back on you, but, I don’t believe that you need to describe the circumstances of each and every event — the client name is sufficient.
In terms of a one sheet, you’ll need just a partial client list — no more than 20 names. On your website, however, you can list all of your clients. You may even organize them into industry categories.
An example of a good client list, one that shows a good variety of national and international organizations, may look like the one below.
Bank One
International Association of Technology Engineers
Merrill Lynch
National Association of Women Business Owners
Boston University
A less effective client list, one that shows only local organizations, might look like the one below.
Ann Arbor Realtors Association
Ann Arbor High School
Ann Arbor Junior Chamber of Commerce
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor
When you are first starting out, you’ll need to go with what you have, but be sure that you can update your materials as your client list grows. A meeting planner who looks at hundreds of speakers each year knows what to look for on the client list, so make sure your list is actually adding to your credibility rather than taking away from it.
Reflect Your Essence
All of your marketing materials need to show and tell the reader who you are. Think of a number of terms that describe you and make a list for the people who are going to help you design your marketing materials. You might use words like: confident, professional, value oriented, honest, warm, etc.
So what are you all about? What’s important to you? What colors resonate with you? Show your suppliers exactly who you are, so that they can reflect that in your marketing materials.
One exception to this might be if you plan to sell the company. You may not want your presence to be so front and center on your marketing materials. It will be more about the value that you offer.
Delivery Style/Uniqueness
It’s not unusual to see several speakers’ websites touting all of the same phrases: high energy, humorous, thought-provoking, etc. Try to delve further into your talent to come up with words that will differentiate your style. Really listen to what your audiences say to you after your presentations. They will often provide words that can be used in your marketing.
When using language that describes your presentation, try to use terms that can be associated directly back to you. For example, Jamie Renfrew’s “Meet Me Halfway”™ technique is designed to bridge divides in your team and rebuild unity.
Call to Action
Every marketing piece you develop should explain to the reader what action you want them to take. Whether it be your website, print materials or video, they should all finish with a call to action. “Call today to find out how to Turn Your Managers Into Leaders” or “Contact us now to schedule your time with Sara Jones.” It’s not that the client can’t figure it out, but we want to guide the process as much as possible. For instance the next step in your process might be a 15-minute conference call to determine if you are the right fit for the job. If so, then that’s what you want them to do and all calls to action should state such.
Coaching Exercise 8: Getting to Your Promise Statement
This line explains the big picture of your bottom line results. It shows the prospect the results of your expertise. Examples might be: “Turning Managers into Leaders”, “Leading Teams Through Change,” “Boosting Small Business Growth,” etc.
The steps and the sample below give you an idea of the process. In the end you should have a short, powerful phrase that sums up what you do and who you do it for. Turn to the next page and create your own promise statement.
1. List all of the outcomes that take place as a result of your presentations.
2. Now that you have your list, ask the question, “If people do all of these things, what will they get?” Continue to ask until you have another list.
3. Take a look at the entire list, circle the best and most unique words, and try to sum it up in one sentence.
Your Promise Statement: Sample
Barbara speaks to managers about building their teams. So she lists all of the outcomes (ROI) that will result because of her presentation:
1. Managers communicate more clearly and purposefully with their teams.
2. Managers will hire, develop and retain high performers.
3. Managers will make better decisions more quickly.
4. Managers will take on higher levels of responsibility in the company.
Now she looks at this list. If managers do all of the above, what will that give them? She could bat this around for awhile, but one idea would be that managers lead better. Therefore the phrase might be “Moving from Manager to Leader.”
Then she needs to check in with the market place. She needs to ask clients (preferably C-Suite executives), “How would your company be different if all managers were better leaders?” If they respond, “That would be fantastic,” then she knows she is onto something.
Your Promise Statement
1. List all of the outcomes that take place as a result of your presentations. What will change in the organization or individual as a result of being in your session?
2. Now that you have your list, ask the question, “If people do all of these things, what will they get?” Continue to ask until you have another list.
3. Take a look at the entire list, circle the best words, and try to sum it up in one sentence. Make sure that your promise statement is one that will appeal to meeting planners — something that makes them say, “Yes, we need that!”
You can also find all of these exercises in a separate and conveniently bound workbook: Wealthy Speaker Workbook and Planning Guide.
Marketing Materials — What Do I Need Exactly?
The manner in which clients buy has changed over the years and will continue to change along with technology. The old method of marketing was called “call-send-call.” You would call someone on the phone to see if they had a need. If they did, you would send them your marketing package which included a folder of print materials and a demo video. After a week or two, you would call back to follow up.
But now with technology in place, you might not even start out the same way. You might send someone an e-mail query (see Chapter 5 for a discussion of Cold Calls Versus E-mail Query) to establish whether or not there is a need. If you do call them, you might have them go to your website while on the phone, or you might send them an e-mail proposal once the phone call is complete. Ideally, of course, you want them to be calling because you’ve established yourself as an expert or because they were referred to you by a colleague. With this said, you need to prepare for all occasions and give them sufficient tools to book you.
To market effectively, you want to aim at three components.
• Website
• Video Samples
• Social Media
Your Website
There are three main areas to consider when building or updating a website:
1. Image/Marketing — Make sure your website produces the desired image and establishes you as an expert in your field.
2. Traffic — This includes not just getting people there, but making them a part of your community or orbit once they arrive. “Orbit” is a word that Bob Scheinfeld uses to talk about people who are on his e-mail list. Bob is a master at Internet marketing.
3. Conversion — Get them to buy a product or a service once they have visited.
Website Goals
Your first step is to really get clear on the goals for your website. What is the big picture? What do you want to happen once people arrive? Many speakers use their website as an image tool only — probably not on purpose, but simply because they haven’t taken the steps to build traffic or convert it. If your main purpose is to allow people to get a feel for you and your work, then this is fine, but, you could be missing out on some major income-generating opportunities.
Website Reference Tool
www.speakerlauncher.com 
Book Buyer LOGIN (red button)
Check out some of the technology masters like Bob Scheinfeld, Randy Gage, or Tom Antion.
Your website is your first line of offence when it comes to marketing. It’s your image, it’s your giant calling card, it’s a chance to really Wow! the client. A large percentage of speakers’ websites I’ve seen would not impress seasoned meeting planners, so I’m happy when I see people doing web overhauls and updates.
Writing Content for Your Website
One of the most difficult tasks for a business owner is writing the copy on their website. The #1 reason for this? They have no focus. Typically you are thinking about serving three or four different markets when writing the site. Choosing one target market makes this process so much easier. You can serve your other markets by offering program titles that are more specific, but it’s very helpful to write only for your primary target market.
It’s very helpful to write only for your primary target market.
Technology in Phases
Getting educated on how traffic comes to your site and how to convert them into buyers is a heady and time-consuming process. Consider working on your website in phases. Many Internet marketing gurus will tell you that your web designer (the creative one) probably does not know very much about how search engines find your site. Hopefully you can find a designer that does know the scoop, but it’s safe to say that you should educate yourself regardless. The process might look something like this:
• Phase I — Get a website education. Learn about traffic, search engines, key words, meta tags, etc.
• Phase II — Draft the content for your website and choose a web designer.
• Phase III — Get the website built. Stick with the basic components, and a name capture element (a way to gather names and e-mail addresses) and leave the bells and whistles for another phase.
• Phase IV — Test your site. Get feedback and make changes.
• Phase V — Make changes and add bells and whistles, such as quizzes, product pages, etc.
• Phase VI — Full blown launch to clients, search engines, etc.
One of the main reasons to have a website is to capture names and e-mail addresses. How well is your site doing this?
Name Squeeze, Dangling a Strong Carrot
It’s true. Without a name capturing mechanism, your website may be missing an important marketing tool. When you gather up names and e-mail addresses, you now have permission to market to these people using your auto-responder system.
The Carrot? Dangling a strong carrot means offering something of value — so much value that people will give up their most prized possession, their e-mail address. By saying “sign up for my newsletter” you aren’t giving them any reason to sign up. Who wants yet another newsletter in their in-box? I bet I get ten newsletters a day — all unsolicited. By the way, if you aren’t set up with a proper “unsubscribe” option, you are spamming. Don’t to it. Get the tools in place to do this properly.
Dangling a strong carrot means offering something of so much value that people will give up their most prized possession — their e-mail address.
So what’s a good carrot? It depends on your audience. If I was a leader looking for communication solutions, maybe a special report on “communication mistakes leaders make” might capture my attention. Or a video. Or a three-week course. You’ll need to test your carrot and see if it works to get people to sign up.
What to Include on Your Site
Universal elements on your website, as I’ve mentioned before, should include your name, brand, and promise.
The most common tabs or pages on a speaker’s website are outlined below. As always, I encourage you to be unique. This is simply a guide so that you know where to begin.
1. Home Page. This page should include the following:
• Your name, unless you are planning to sell this company later. You are the figurehead and should be front and center;
• Photo of you (potentially built into the banner);
• Video of you speaking (see later in this chapter for more on this);
• Photo of your book;
• Brief paragraph that describes the problem (i.e., leaders don’t communicate well and these are the results);
• Paragraph that describes the solution (i.e., your formula for successful leadership communication);
• ROI bullets;
• Brief paragraph that describes your credibility (mini-bio);
• Testimonial;
• Quotes from you that establish you as the expert rather than quotes from Mother Theresa or Tom Peters; and
• Some thought-provoking questions for the reader. This might come in the form of a short quiz or audit and should lead the reader to understand why they need you.
The home page should really capture your essence and allow people to see who you are and how you are unique. Sometimes less in more on a home page, so you may not use all of these pieces on this page. Instead, you might scatter them throughout the website.
2. Keynotes and Workshop Page. This page lists your offerings and should be one of the first tabs on your list of options if your goal is to sell keynotes and workshops. If consulting or something else is your primary goal, then that should be your first tab or link.
The format for the program outlines page could be as follows:
• Title,
• Subtitle,
• One paragraph that describes the program,
• Bullet points describing the benefits of that program (ROI),
• One short paragraph that describes your style in presenting the program, and
• A testimonial that backs up your style.
To differentiate your programs, you might add a little piece that describes the “Best Audience” and “Program Formats.”
Example: Leadership Communication: It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It
45-90 minute keynote — Best Audience: Leaders and Managers (also available as a breakout session — up to 1 day)
3. About You Page. This is your bio page and can cover all of your credentials as well as some personal, fun stuff. Note, to make this site about them first and you second, your About You link should be after your offerings links (keynotes, consulting, etc.) on your menu of options.
4. Clients Page. This page provides a client list and testimonials. I also encourage you to have testimonials on every page to back up your claims, as noted above on the programs page.
5. Products Page/Store. This is where you sell your books, etc. You should have a shopping cart on your website when you have two or more products to sell, but that is an entire beast onto itself. You might want to take it in stages.
6. Free Stuff Page/Resource. Your audiences can go to this page to get more information about your expertise, articles, etc. During your presentations you should be offering items that will lead the audience to your website, especially if you sell products online and not back of room.
If you find you’re getting too many navigation options, you might want to bury this within another area. Your main navigation buttons should be used for the most important pieces.
7. Meeting Planners and/or Speakers’ Bureau Page. People go to this page to find out what they need before they book you (in the pre-engagement section) and where they can get what they need once they have already booked you. The pre-engagement section should provide links to download video, one sheet, programs, bio, etc. The “once they have booked you” section might include your pre-program questionnaire, downloadable photos, bio (for publication), AV requirements, list of product and quantity pricing, articles that they can use before and after your presentation and hand-out originals. Anything that a client might ask you for once a booking has been made.
8. Contact Page. This should typically be the last option on your menu or navigation bar. My advice is to make it as easy and painless as possible for a client to get in contact with you. Have your 1-800-number and e-mail on every page if possible, but please don’t ask the client to answer 25 questions in order to make contact with you. If you do want a form, ask for three things: name, e-mail, date of next meeting or reason for inquiry. And have your phone number and e-mail above that form so they have the option to circumvent the form. My pet peeve is not being able to find someone’s email and phone number on their site.
9. Instant Chat Option. I’ve debated having this option available on my site and may still go ahead with it. Imagine your prospect being able to talk to someone live on their first contact with you. They might want to check a date or ask a question about fees. I would always try to tee up a phone call to discuss their needs first, but I think Live Chat via instant messaging (IM) might set you up as being unusual and different. Many of us might have our virtual assistant or staff person field the calls, which would leave us free for other things, but imagine how surprised a client might be to get you personally.
Coach’s Question: How is my website unique? What can I do to separate myself from the pack?
What Does Not Belong on Your Site
What should not appear on your site can be as important as what should appear. I have just one item that must be avoided — Fees. You want to talk to a client or prospect in person to get them excited about the idea of working with you. Never rely solely on technology to sell you. You want the opportunity to start to build a personal relationship. So always have fee conversations after you have established value and in person, rather than over e-mail.
Rate Your Website
Once you’ve defined your website goals, phased in the technology, and built the appropriate pages, you need to step back and rate your site. Try to put yourself in your client’s position and look at things objectively. You may want to run a beta test and get some input from people you trust. Remember one of the main reasons to have a website is to capture names and e-mail addresses. How well is your site doing this? Use the rating form in Coaching Exercise 9 to set goals and make your changes in stages, if needed.
Websites
Websites have gotten a little out of hand when it comes to providing options for the visitor. For instance, many websites use drop-down lists off of their main tabs. And when you add it all up, the visitor has to decide from 35 options where to click first. It’s too confusing! And remember that old saying, I think I heard it first from Bob Bly, “A confused buyer never buys.” On top of that many people offer all of the social media tabs on their home page as well, which means even more options. And believe me, if I head off to Facebook or Twitter, you’ve lost me, so really think about where these might best fit on your site.
If the visitor has to decide from 35 options where to click first, it’s too confusing. Remember: A confused buyer never buys.
Bottom line: Your website needs to show me within 15 seconds what you do and how you do it. So if I see your name, your brand and promise in the top banner, then I see keynotes and workshops, consulting, coaching, bookstore, etc., in the navigation options, then I know what you do and how you deliver it. Make sense?
Coaching Exercise 9: Website Rating Form
Now that your site is built, step back and evaluate it. Try to put yourself in your client’s position and look at things objectively. You may want to run a beta test and get some input from people you trust.
Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 — 10 being perfect.
Many of these items will be found on your home page, but this references your entire website.
____ First Impression — does my website look professional?
____ Can the client easily determine what it is I do? Or do they have to dig?
____ Are the benefits listed?
____ Is my promise statement front and center?
____ Is my photography reflective of who I am? Is it creative or the same as every other speakers’?
____ Do I have a video with some strong speaking footage?
____ Does my mini-bio make it clear why I am the expert to speak on this topic?
____ Do I ask a powerful question or offer a quiz that helps people see why they might need my services?
____ Are my testimonials strong enough? Do they answer the question: “What changed as a result of my services?”
____ Is my client list impressive?
____ Do I describe my uniqueness?
____ Does the site reflect my personality, my values and my essence?
____ Do I capture names and e-mail addresses effectively?
____ Am I offering just a few places to click from my home page?
____ Are my tab names clear so that people know what I offer?
____ Do I have a strong call to action?
____ Is it simple for clients to get in touch with me?
Anything you rated six or less will need work in the future. Plan ahead and make the changes in stages if you feel overwhelmed. Go back and review the website section again if you need more direction on any of these items.
You can also find all of these exercises in a separate and conveniently bound workbook: Wealthy Speaker Workbook and Planning Guide.
Managing Your Website
If you are at all tech savvy, then you may choose to manage the content on your website yourself. However, this isn’t for everyone and many designers will tell you it’s a bad idea because they don’t want you messing with their HTML. You can manage your site without knowing much HTML. You’ll save $25 to $150/hour and you’ll have the freedom to be more creative. If your website content is more than 18 months old, it’s most likely stale. Update, update, update.
If your website content is more than 18 months old, it’s most likely stale. Update, update, update.
Creativity is really the big one for me. When you get an idea in the middle of the night for a new initiative, you simply fire up your program (like Dreamweaver or Adobe Contribute) and within minutes your idea comes to life on the screen and is live for the world to see. I’ve done it both ways and I felt ten times more in control of my business once I took over my website. I was writing all the time, which meant I was more plugged in. I had my designer set up the process so that I could update the copy content. Any changes to the graphics, my designer did for me.
Managing Your Website
Great news on this front. Most websites are being based in Wordpress platforms now, which means that we can easily go in and change up our content without enlisting a web designer. Learning Wordpress is pretty easy and you may still want to have someone in charge of the site, handling your graphics portions for you.
Homemade materials look homemade.
I have a Wordpress person on my team and most of my sites have now been converted to Wordpress. I’ll have a professional design the banner and the templates and then I’ll go in and lay down all of the content.
Print Materials
Unless you are a graphic designer by trade, you will want to hire an expert when it comes to establishing the look of your print materials. Homemade materials look homemade.
What Basic Pieces Do I Need?
If you are marketing directly to meeting planners only, and not to speakers’ bureaus (see Chapter 6 for Speakers’ Bureaus), then it is debatable whether you need print materials at all. And even now, Speakers’ Bureaus mostly use websites and/or electronic materials. You might consider making the pages listed below on your website “printer friendly,” so that when meeting planners in a committee are considering you, they can pass around the pages within the group.
• Bio page
• Keynotes and Workshops page
• Home page
One Sheets
I am against developing print materials unless you have a specific use for them, such as a direct mail program. I love the idea of a post- card, for example. You must know your market and what works. If you have a market that is in any way “green” or environmentally conscious, chances are people will think that you are just killing trees by sending out print materials. And, on top of that, it’s so expensive for mailing, it may not be worthwhile.
It shocks me how many people come to me for coaching and the first thing they want to know is what to put on their one sheet. I always ask, “Why do you need a one sheet?” Typically, someone told them that they needed it, so they spend time and money developing it, only to find out that their website can work much more effectively in today’s market.
One Sheets (If You Must)
If you must have a one sheet … it should present an image to the client, give them some information about you and establish your area of expertise.
Your one sheet should say something about who you are and should immediately show the reader what it is you do, how you do it, and the value to them. The components of a one sheet are similar to that of the home page of your website and you might include some program titles and offerings.
If you are talking to a client by phone and he or she asks you to send something and you don’t have a website yet, by all means send your one sheet. If you do have a website, there is no reason to be sending one sheet PDFs as a first impression piece. Send them a link to your website.
Remember that all of your materials should have the same look and feel — keep your brand consistent on your website, print materials, and video.
Demo Video
Unlike websites and print materials that are mostly for image, the main use of your demo video is to secure bookings. It should demonstrate enough of your live speaking presentation to answer the question: “Why should I hire this speaker over all of the others?” (See 2.0 update below.)
I believe that once you surpass $3,500 in your fees, the video becomes the primary decision-making tool the meeting planner will use. Picture a boardroom table with ten people sitting around it, viewing one video after another. They might be passing around your print materials at the time of viewing. They might have your website on the screen in front of them. Chances are that the way they react to the video will ultimately be the deciding factor in whether they book you or another speaker. So let’s build a video that gets you that booking!
When you are a known expert, you get into the boardroom situation less and less. One person decides that the company needs your services (hopefully the CEO of the company) and they hire you without considering other speakers. This is when you have moved from being a commodity speaker to an expert. This is the goal. Either way, the client will want to see that you can hold your own on the platform and a killer video will help close the deal.
Videos
Although we’re still going to show you how to develop a demo video, the use of demos is becoming less and less necessary with the YouTube generation. So what’s the hottest way to get booked using video today? My recommendation is that you place a series of short (two to three minutes) videos on your website. There’s no longer the expense of producing a demo video, nor the cost of producing an actual DVD. Save the trees (no more one sheets)! Save the DVDs!
When someone wants to hire you to speak, they want to see you in action — first and foremost!
Home Page Video
Many executives or planners searching for a speaker are doing web searches. That means that if they don’t see what they want within the first few minutes on your home page, you may lose them. The best way to capture their attention so they’ll look around is with a home page video. Again, it’s short, two or three minutes max, and it’s not you talking to the camera about how to use your website. It’s you speaking live (ideal) or talking about the work that you do (and the benefits to others). When someone wants to hire you to speak, they want to see you in action — first and foremost!
Once you have your best video on your home page, then you may want to add more clips to the inside of your website, perhaps on the Keynotes and Workshops page. For you to outline a speech and then show an example of that presentation via video is way cool. You might have a few short videos and then, for those who really want to see more, have something that shows 20-30 minutes live.
YouTube Channel
YouTube and Vimeo have become great ways to attract new business, therefore, many speakers are developing a large variety of video content on their own “channel.” It’s a great and easy way to get your content out there and I understand that it helps raise your search rankings. Does that mean you need to run out and film a bunch of clips? No, but you can be thinking about taking a combination of live clips, along with clips of you talking one-on-one to the camera and starting your own Channel.
What Does a Killer Demo Video Look Like?
Again, this may not be necessary, but if you really want to deliver a demo, here are the components to a successful video. The most important are discussed below.
• Humor — If you can make your viewing audience laugh within the first few seconds of your video, then your chances of getting booked go up. Let’s go back to the scenario of a group of people watching a stack of videos. Once everyone has laughed, the energy in the room changes and they relate that good feeling back to you. If you have humor in your speech, then use it, and use it up front. Don’t be afraid to put your best stuff in the demo.
• Energy — The toughest thing to capture on film is what happened in the room on the day you shot your video. Audience reaction is key to getting good footage. You need at least a two-camera shoot to capture the audience’s reaction. Ideally you want audience members laughing, crying, being engaged, or taking notes. Capturing them laughing or clapping is a must, so make sure they are mic’d for sound.
• Quality — Before YouTube made three-minute videos so popular, the quality of the shoot was extremely important. Unless your brother-in-law is an experienced videographer, do not ask him to film your demo video on your family camcorder. The professionals know what they are doing. Camera angles are important, sound is important, even panning the audience takes technique. A homemade video looks like a homemade video. If you are after a quality demo, you need a quality shoot, done on quality equipment, by professionals.
• Audience — Consider the type of audiences that you desire (500 people or 50 people) and then try to film that same type of venue. If you seek to speak to groups of 100 or more, yet have footage of 20 people on your video, you are shooting yourself in the foot (no pun intended).
• Patience — No video is better than a bad video. Wait for the right opportunity to film. You need to be prepared to update your video every 12 to 18 months, so know that your first video will not be your last. You don’t want to spend a fortune. Your speech is going to change, evolve, and hopefully continue to get better over time and you always want to be prepared to have your video reflect that development. If you have been speaking a short while — Wait. Allow your speech to evolve for two years before going down the demo video path. You can be taping yourself (either audio or video) in order to improve the speech, but don’t rush the demo video.
When I arrived at Vince Poscente’s office he had already started sending out a bad demo video to bureaus and clients. It took us years to undo the damage and start working with the bureaus and clients who had viewed that video. We also made the mistake of not putting his best stuff first. We thought it was so unusual that it would scare people. That decision was based on fear. As soon as we changed it, the bookings rolled in. See Vince’s flashpoint in Phase I for more on this technique.
• Crap Shoot — It’s almost always the most amazing presentations that you don’t film — ask any speaker. It’s a gamble. Make it a habit to ask clients if they would like to tape your presentation for their internal use. They often respond positively. You might even encourage it in your speaker agreement. You would just ask for a high quality (digital) copy of the master in return for allowing them to film you. If they decide to do a one camera shoot, you may decide to pay for the second camera yourself. Larger conventions will often use a production company to handle all of the audio/video needs. Working with that same company can help make the filming of your presentation more seamless.
It is wise to have your expectations in writing, so that you get what you want in your video footage. That way if the filming does not turn out, you have some recourse. They may do everything right and the footage still isn’t satisfactory — you may have to try more than once to get great footage.
• Brief — Overall, it’s my opinion that a 7-10-minute video is plenty. If I’m not sold in the first 90 seconds of your video, chances are good that I won’t be sold in the 22nd minute either. That being said, I have heard speakers’ bureaus and meeting planners say that they prefer a full-length tape. You should have both available — a full, unedited presentation and a demo video.
If I’m not sold in the first 90 seconds of your video, chances are good that I won’t be sold in the 22nd minute either.
A speakers’ bureau owner told me about viewing videos with a CEO client one day. He put in a video, the client watched one minute and then said, “Next.” They went through five videos in under ten minutes. At the end, the CEO said, “I’ll take that third speaker.” The client knew what he wanted and he wasn’t wasting any time making a decision.
• Expertise — Your video must demonstrate the fact that you are credible to deliver this message. It answers “Why should I listen to you.” Some people establish credibility with the use of voice-over or some sort of written commentary that tells people about you. Avoid cliché terms and anything that looks cheesy. If you have TV footage of you being interviewed, you may want to include brief clips to add to the credibility factor and the personal touch. I love one-on-one video where the speaker is talking about their brand and how it helps people. You can also include some personal elements here.
• Style — What the meeting planner really wants to see is you speaking — your on-stage style. There should not be five minutes of preamble before they see you speaking. Have your speaking clips available fairly close to the start of the video.
• Answers the Question — The bottom line is that your video answer the question, “Why should I hire this speaker?” Make sure that you do a trial run of your video on two or three clients or speakers’ bureaus before the final edit to see if that question is being answered positively.
Flashpoint: Somer McCormick, former VP of Everything, Amanda Gore
Even though we didn’t have a super-fancy/expensive demo, the video really sold Amanda because of the quality of the presentation captured on it. Our demo was just a free master copy we received when we allowed a client to film for archival purposes. They had a great AV team that really helped the quality, so there really wasn’t any editing we had to do except top and tail it. We used this demo for years!
Tips from the Masters: Robin Creasman
How to Produce a First-Class Speaker Video that Rocks!
They say you can’t judge a book by its cover but most of us judge people by the way they talk, the way they dress, what they say, and how they say it. We form opinions about people the first time we see or hear them. We even form opinions about people we’ve never met!
Think about it! Speakers’ bureaus and meeting planners do the same thing. They make a judgment about you based on one item … your demo video. It’s a known fact that the single most important marketing tool for getting you booked as a professional speaker is your video. This single tool can make or break you when it comes to being reviewed by those who make the decision to hire speakers. Make a great first impression and you’re good to go. Make a bad one and, well …
There are plenty of stories of well-known and highly regarded celebrities, authors and “experts” whose video un-sold them to the meeting planner. Their credibility was lost because of a bad video … be it from poor production, weak content, or lackluster presentation skills. The results were the same — no booking! With a good video, you can quickly rise to the top of your niche market; you can increase your fee; and you can become the talk of the industry within a very short time. Word gets around quickly with bureaus and meeting planners whether it’s good or bad. Hopefully the word on you is good!
The following tips should help you on your journey to producing a “First-Class Speaker Video that Rocks!”
• Understand Your Audience — Understand the mind-set of the meeting planner. Like all of us, meeting planners are overworked and overwhelmed. It’s not uncommon for a meeting planner to view 100 videos to book just 20 speakers for their event (five videos per speaking slot). They want a speaker who will excite and engage their attendees; one who is entertaining, insightful, humorous, and motivational; and bottom line, one who delivers a content-rich presentation with enthusiasm. So they’re looking for a video that quickly grabs their attention, one that is unique and stands out from the crowd and one that captures the essence of the speaker doing what he or she does best … speaking.
• A First Impression Happens Only Once — Don’t blow it. Your first goal with your speaker video is to get into what I call the “maybe” pile. This is the group of videos that make it past the “trash” pile and into the “maybe” pile to be viewed again later for much more detail. The first two minutes of your video need to rock! Without question, this is the most important part of your video. If you waste any time with unnecessary baloney, such as the announcer with the voice of God talking about how great you are or you talking straight to the camera introducing yourself to the viewer and describing what is to come on the video or 45 seconds of fancy graphics, testimonials, and sound effects all building up to your spinning logo, then it will all be worthless and you’ll be certain to make it into the “trash” pile. The first two minutes need to be great. Include short clips of you doing your best material. Mix it up with some humor, poignant sound bites, engaging moments and exciting audience reactions. Coupling this with high quality graphics and compelling music should move you to the top of the heap and into the “maybe” pile.
• Be Good. Really, Really Good — This may sound trite, but it is important. Many times speakers have not put their presentation under the magnifying glass and taken a hard look at what they are saying and how they are saying it. As a producer/director/editor, I’m constantly writing and rewriting the story in order to deliver it in the best possible light. When I produce speaker videos, many times I end up editing the speakers’ stories to where they are better than the original. Some of the speakers say, “Wow, I didn’t know I was that good.” I challenge them to go and edit and rewrite their presentation so they can be as good as their demo. So it’s always better to be really good before you shoot your speech. It will make your speaker video that much better.
• Work with a Performance Coach Before You Shoot Your Presentation — Many of you are thinking that this doesn’t apply to you. If you’re thinking that, chances are you could use a coach. Every speaker worth his or her salt can benefit greatly by getting professional coaching on presentation and performance skills. Why many speakers don’t think they need this boggles my mind. Every successful actor, musician, athlete, or CEO has had some kind of specialized training to get him or her to the top of the field. And many continue to get coaching even when they’re at the top. You may offer expert advice on a topic, you may even have written the defining, best-selling book, but that doesn’t mean you are a great presenter. Great presenters have great coaches.
• Video Tape Multiple Presentations — Videotape as many presentations as possible. You often don’t discover until it’s too late that the stage and room set-up would be so professional looking or that the audience would be so responsive. And even if you bomb you can always learn from studying yourself on tape. Moreover, when producing your demo video, you only need to excerpt small segments of great content and those segments don’t all have to come from one location. As a matter of fact, multiple presentations give a more polished look to the video. They provide credibility, by showing you speaking to different groups at different times. So hire a professional crew and press record whenever possible.
• Use Production Companies and Videographers who Know the Speaking Business — This is very important. There are a great number of really good videographers who will say they are capable of shooting your live speech. Beware. Shooting a live speaker event needs special attention and most camera operators don’t capture the experience properly without a “director” calling the shots for them. Camera placement, speaker framing, audience shots, audio configurations, etc. — all are important decisions that must be made by an experienced source. “Live” means you only have one take. There are no second chances in a live production. Most videographers don’t work in a “live” situation and are not aware of the many potential problems … until it’s too late. Also, ask the camera operator if they edit as well as shoot. If they don’t, don’t use them. Only someone who shoots and edits can fully understand how to shoot an event without the guidance of a director. A quick note about rates for professional videographers: the national average for a “one-man band” videographer (one DVCam, Beta SP or DV video camera, wireless audio setup, and a small three-light lighting kit) runs about $1000–$1200. A two-operator, two-camera package would run about $1650–$2000. Some video crews offer full-day rates and half-day rates. If you book a crew at a half-day rate for five hours and you roll over into six, you are automatically billed the full-day rate. Full days typically start at first crew call of the assignment and end when the assignment is wrapped, even if small breaks or lunch were taken in between.
Your producer or editor must understand the industry in order to capture the most important features of a great speaker video. Choose your production company wisely. This is not the time to try out cousin Celia’s husband who dabbles in video editing.
• A Two-Camera Shoot is Better than One, but Three is Best — A two-camera shoot is always better than a single camera. Having two different angles to cut between is a huge plus when it comes to editing the video. You can set this up in one of two ways. The most obvious approach is to hire two people to shoot two cameras. Camera 1 follows the speaker framed “feet or waist up” and never loses site of the speaker. Camera 2 moves around the room shooting the speaker from different angles and capturing a variety of crowd shots or B-Roll.
• Dress Out the Stage for a Bigger Look: Think Big — This is a real problem most speakers come up against at one time or another. The staging for most events is the standard hotel ballroom or meeting room with a small stage positioned against a wall. Many times the stage is blocking a doorway with an exit sign appearing right behind the speaker. Sometimes there is not a stage, but just a small area at the front where the speaker is to stand. At other times, a podium is positioned right in the middle of the presentation area. These scenarios are all very common. The best situation is to have as large a stage as possible with “Pipe and Drape” used for the background. This is something that all hotels can provide. You’ve seen this — the black or blue curtains that stand behind the stage. This offers a professional look and can be enhanced with a variety of props, special lighting, plants, scrims, video screens, etc., to make your event appear larger and more professional. Talk with the meeting planner a few weeks ahead of time and see if they can provide any of this for you. If they don’t want to pay the associated fees, see if they will split the expense or, as a last resort, pay for it yourself. Typical cost for pipe and drape with plants shouldn’t run more than $400–$500. Definitely worth the expense for your video shoot.
• Open Strong … Finish Great — In the world of entertainment production, “beginnings and endings” are the most important part of any production. At the beginning of a television show, you are competing with many other options … 200 other channels, the Internet, family commitments, hobbies, personal agendas, reading, or whatever. Again, the first two minutes have to “hook” the viewer or the viewer will change the channel. The same is true in a live event. You have two minutes to capture the attention of the audience or they will tune you out. If you come on stage and talk about how good it is to be there or how difficult your flight was or something unrelated to your message, then you’re missing your best opportunity to gain audience buy-in. That theory translates to your video too: the first two minutes need to Rock!
Master Robin Creasman, President of Robin Creasman Productions, is an award-winning television producer and director and has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment, music and speaking industry.
The next phase in the Wealthy Speaker Process is to roll-out to your market. If you’ve gotten ready, taken aim, then you’re ready to fire.