It’s incredibly important for speakers to have a 1-3 minute video on their website where they are interacting directly with the audience. It’s a brief showcase of how you keep your composure and you and the audience react to one another. I know this has been preached many times, but like the shoemaker’s shoes, sometimes we know we need something, but we still don’t do it.
There may be many reasons (or perhaps excuses) why we don’t have this video on our website. We didn’t look our best, the audio quality was poor, we don’t have a video recording, we don’t know how to edit it down to the 1-3 minutes we need, we don’t know how to put it on our website, we are too busy doing something else. It doesn’t matter. The point is that somewhere someone is looking for you and they can’t see you. Or they’re looking at your website and they’re not quite sold yet.
You need that video to push them over the top. To make them click your contact page, to make them pick up the phone to book you, to get them to email you. It’s the clincher. It’s how you get paid to speak.
If you do not have a video, event planners will pick someone with a video portfolio before they pick you. They expect a video, front-and-center, not buried, not difficult to locate. They need to see your style and your connection with your audience. If there’s one thing you can do to make a big difference, this is it. So if you are a speaker looking for paid engagements, it’s important that you have a video.
Perfection is our enemy. If you have a flawless speaking engagement, then no one will have turned on their camera. Or the camera person’s hand will be shaking. Don’t wait for the perfect video! Use any event. Procrastination won’t help you. Editing will. You can’t wait for the perfect engagement when your hair is flawless and your camera person is steady and the camera has taken off ten pounds. It will never get done. It’s easier to replace what you have with something better when serendipity comes your way and you happen to get it on film. For now, get good up rather than waiting a year or more for great. Go over your footage, jot down file names and time stamps, and you’ll be on your way to getting some useful clips to the editor.
In the age of the mobile device, people are watching more video than ever. You need to showcase your talent in a way that you can be seen and heard. That’s what you’re selling, and your customers need a sample before they pull out their calendar to book you.
And take a look at your competition. Find people who speak on the same topics you do, or other speakers working the same circuits you do, and watch their videos. What do you like and what do you hate about their videos? By watching videos by speakers, you’ll learn what you prefer to see, and where you think they could improve so you don’t make the same mistakes.
Make a commitment to getting it done. Schedule yourself into your calendar: find and select footage, edit footage, upload footage. If you have video footage and don’t know how to edit it, you can hire someone to edit your video footage for you. Try Upwork or Fiverr, a virtual assistant service, or if you’re a do-it-yourselfer watch some videos about editing videos or take an online course on Udemy.com on editing video.
Perfection is procrastination’s twin. Set aside perfection and procrastination and get started today on your website video so that you can book more engagements!
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