Bureau executives will argue about the pros and cons of going digital, but all agree
that technology is changing the nature of the speaking business. As a speaker,
you have two core job functions: marketing yourself and delivering programs.
Speakers’ bureaus are calling for you to alter your thinking in both arenas.
Online Video
A bureau’s No. 1 marketing
tool is online video. You can
do everything right, but if you
don’t have a superb, marketable
collection of online video for
each of your programs, you will
fail miserably in your attempts to
get booked through a bureau.
In the initial selection process,
meeting planners are skipping
over the lengthy bios and program
descriptions and heading straight
to speakers’ videos, whether
they’re on Vimeo, You Tube, a
speaker’s Web site or the bureau’s
site. You have about 60 seconds
to;make;a;good;first;impression
before they will consider watching
and reading more.
Online video may not be the
only determining factor in getting
hired, but it’s the only way to get a
foot in the door.
“Tailor-made video clips delivered through the Internet make
a great addition to live speaking engagements,” according to
Barrett Cordero, executive agent
at BigSpeak Inc. and Leadership
Excellence University. “Whether
it’s a pre-event promotion, or a
follow-up on You Tube, customized
videos sustain learning and help
my clients get a better ROI from
the event.”
Hard Copy Media
Online video and audio downloads may be intrinsic to
capturing attention, but don’t
overlook the continued need for
hard copy media. Bureaus lose
patience with speakers who want
to do everything electronically.
According to Diane Goodman,
president of Goodman Speakers
Bureau, “Your job is to actively
provide me with whatever tools
that I need to work with my
clients. I’m not going to have
someone;in;my;office;rip;video
content off a speaker’s Web site
and burn it onto a DVD. Send me
what I want.”
