Short format videos are an important tool to publicise your organisation’s products. Of course there are dozens and dozens of other kinds of marketing methods from editorial writing to blogging, from public relations to RSS. Although, nothing says “cool, connection, and creative” like a professional video.
Each month more and more organisations of all sizes are generating online videos about their products. They are not only just putting them on their company websites, but they are putting them on their own blogs. To gain worldwide twenty four seven coverage, video commercials are being posted to loads of video-sharing websites like that of YouTube & Google Video. And why not ? it?s economical, easy-to-do, & can have a massive difference, in a number of cases, on the traffic it sends to your companies site. Increase your companies online ROI with professional video production from Vidify.
There are various other reasons why short format videos are a valuable way to promote your organisation.
Web videos enjoy a wide distribution channel: Videos by their own nature are straightforward to “package” which makes them appropriate to go into a choice of different distribution channels. You can put them on your companies website or blog, then again you can save them onto your desktop computer & show them time & again at a company show. You can upload them to various World Wide Web video-sharing websites. You can copy them onto DVDs & give them away or sell them. You can even forward them via email.
Professional videos are an efficient way to communicate. As our sophistication with technology evolves, so do the methods in which firms like to cooperate with others. Most people are visually oriented meaning that is how they best understand & interact with their world. This makes videos on the Web the idyllic business strategy to speak with today’s customers.
These are just a handful of the countless reasons why videos on the Internet might be a successful way to market your firm’s products & services. Discover more about this topic to see how you may utilise your valuable time, funds, and energy to communicate with your target audience in an inventive and remarkable way.
For some who might never have heard of Zane Grey’s “Riders of the
Purple Sage,” it was made into a 1996 movie for television with Ed
Harris and Amy Madigan. As a child I was a punster who loved
Westerns. As you can see, my character hasn’t changed. The movie
retains the story’s enigmatic quality without sacrificing the grittiness you
expect of the Western novel.
Zane Grey died in 1939, three years after Larry McMurtry was born.
Having penned over 80 novels, Grey’s are considered some of the best
Westerns ever written. My neurotic aunt who read only Westerns had
bookcases full of her favorites, Louis L’Amour and Larry McMurtry. A
practicing psychiatrist until her early nineties, she said Westerns helped
her relax and forget her self-absorbed neurotic patients.
So who cares? Westerns are out. Forensics are in. Er, close your eyes
and try not to laugh. Envision Law and Order’s Dennis Farina in chaps
and a badge, a courtroom with Sam Waterston in Luccese Western
boots, facing down Spencer Tracy in a dusty pair of Laredo Basics.
Move CSI Miami to Dodge, and put David Caruso’s red hair under a big
white Stetson. The old cliché, there’s nothing new under the sun, is
nonetheless valid.
While the purple sage has ridden into the sunset, the digital age is this
generation’s zeitgeist in new clothes. Forgive me if sometimes I can’t
resist using one word instead of the three or four it takes to say the same
thing. The experts tell writers we must write to please our readers or we
won’t have any readers. To be honest, I always want to write to please
me. I tell myself, ‘If readers don’t know what the word means, let
them look it up the way I do.’ Not.
There’s is a happy medium between dumbing down to the lowest
common denominator and, when the ego gets in the way, deliberately
trying to impress the elitists. In my experience, not all PhDs can
spell, and many graduates of urban public schools become great
writers. F. Scott Fitzgerald flunked out of Princeton. Ernest Hemingway
had other things to do. Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor of
radio and print is especially insightful and earthy when
talking about writers.
“Writers are vacuum cleaners who suck up other people’s lives and
weave them into stories like a sparrow builds a nest from scraps.”
Wish I had said that. An insatiable storyteller of fiction and non-fiction,
I think the writer’s happy medium is simplicityin one’s own style, in
one’s own languageplain American English. There’s so much more to
say, but why be prolix. Yikes! Good scrap hunting, and happy nest
building.
“Simplicity-Courage-Humor-Soul”®
A writer/editor, I work with one client at a time, beginner or pro, for a cost
effective solution to your writing and editing needs. Visit me at
http://www.susanscharfman.com
A handful of tips to help position yourself within the speaking arena and get those speaking engagements!
Find your Niche
One of the biggest mistakes a speaker can make is having a “general” topic. You want to narrow your expert niche as much as possible. Research the industry so you know “what’s hot” and “what’s not”. Take that research and develop a niche around it, be sure it is something you have experience with and will be able to present it as a professional expert speaker in that field. Don’t waste your time, energy and money on developing a “niche” that just isn’t going to get any recognition because it isn’t something that planners or organizations will be looking for! I do put emphasis on this tip! Once you have discovered your niche, you must continue to practice your speaking skills and update your material and presentations to keep-up with the trends and changing issues of today’s society.
Develop a Stunning Media Kit
Make sure that your media kit is up to date, precise and professionally put together. Nothing else turns away a meeting planner or organization more than an unattractive and unorganized media kit. They won’t even bother with it nor have the time of day to look over the remaining contents if they don’t like what they see at first glance. It may very likely end up in someone’s trash can and as harsh as that may sound, it is the truth. Planners and organizations get hundreds if not thousands of proposals and media kits every year. You have to “wow” them immediately to grab their attention, before they set it down and go to the next one! If you would like information or need assistance with your media kit, please contact us.
Develop a Professional Demo Video
You want to make sure you leave a lasting image on the minds of the “hiring” company. They may not use you immediately and it may be months down the road, but if you put together a professional and entertaining video clip that portrays you as an expert in your field, then they will remember you! Your demo video should always show you speaking within the first minute of the video. You also want to capture the audience and the energy they’re generating such as clapping, laughing, listening carefully and possibly jotting down notes. Your first anecdote or presentation needs to be the most powerful! We have more in depth reports on how to make a professional demo video. Click here for more info.
Have an Online Presence
Develop a professional website to match your media kit - with information on your experience, topics you cover, promotional material available and testimonials from previous clients. A 5-6 page website is not terribly expensive and worth its weight in gold. It can save you a lot of time and money in the long run and it’s a great communication tool. Ask us for web design tips if you need assistance in planning an effective website.
If you can’t afford your own web site, join speakers organizations and add your name to their online listings - many of them are free, others require a membership fee. The more exposure you get, the better your chances of being found by people seeking speakers.
Work with Meeting Planners
Very important: be willing to work with them. Don’t be so stubborn that you talked yourself right out of one of the most important speaking engagements of your career. Most planners are eager to work with the speaker, but you also have to be willing to “give a little to get a lot”. Remember you want to be a magnet to planners and the “hiring” company, not an itch under their skin. So be pleasant, be negotiable and give them the best performance possible and in return they will continue to book you and recommend you!
Introduce Yourself as a Contingency Speaker
This is one way to get your “foot” in the door. One of the biggest fears of a meeting planner is a “no-show” or cancellation of the scheduled speaker. You can send out a letter via e-mail or regular mail to event planners, program managers, etc. Your initial contact with the event planner should be on eliminating one of their largest fears. If you have a properly written letter and have done your research, you will more than likely make an immediate friend. This is where the business relationship begins and in most cases, the event planner or “hiring” authority will book you in because you have approached them this way. Click here to view a sample introduction letter you might wish to use and adapt as needed to promote your public speaking services.
Network … Walk the Talk
Standing out from the crowd is a major challenge for today’s professional speaker. Marketing yourself and your company, should be one of your major priorities, which requires to be done on a regular basis. Unless you have ample time on your hands and the expertise it takes to market yourself effectively, one of the best suggestions we can make is hire a professional marketing specialist or consultant/public relations company. Find someone that will work side by side with you in developing a marketing campaign that will benefit you and your speaking career. Click here for more marketing tools and tips on self-promotion.
Interact with Potential Clients
It is very important to mingle and network! Get yourself noticed. Hand out business cards every where you go. Talk to everyone you meet. Go to seminars and meetings that are the same as your expertise. Watch and pay attention. Who are the attendees, what is their reaction to the speaker on the platform? Most importantly, be very personable and agreeable with every meeting planner you meet. You want to leave the impression that you are easy going and willing to make adjustments at the last minute. Meeting planners don’t like to work with difficult and irritating speakers, it doesn’t matter how well known you are in the speaking industry. They look for someone with humor, an abundance of energy, flexibility, and great content!
Write a Book
I know it’s not as easy as it sounds, but if you are an expert in your field and you have information you want to share, I would suggest writing a book or some informational products. This is an excellent marketing tool and an addition to your income. We know you have the speaking ability and you know what you want to say, but some speakers just don’t have the ability or the time to put it in book form. You do have the option of outsourcing that task. There are many companies or virtual assistants who specialize in that field and can assist you with your project. Refer to our resources page.
Best wishes as you travel down the road to a successful public speaking career!
Wendi McNeill is owner of Charli Jane Speaker Management Services. She provides professional and affordable virtual business support to authors, consultants, public speakers, coaches, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and meeting planners, assisting them with representation, mentoring, marketing, and administration. Subscribe to Call for Speaker Proposals and sign up for her monthly ezine at http://www.CharliJane.com you can also email Wendi at wendi@CharliJane.com
