Before you post a photo where you’re keynoting on stage...
Before you post another photo where you’re keynoting on stage...
...realize that you could be hurting your chances at booking virtual work.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and talk about this “new normal” shit that everyone else has beaten into bloody submission and we’re relatively early on into this pandemic.
Quite frankly, seeing the words “pivot,” “adapt” and “new normal” inspire me to want to throw my computer out the window because I can’t seem to escape them in any other way.
So, I promise to not speak those words in the rest of this post, :)
Having said all that, this pandemic era does raise some interesting challenges for all of us who work and serve the speaker, author and expert-based business owner communities.
This is why many presenters have found themselves scrambling to figure out how to apply their intellectual property into a virtual presentation solution.
And not only do they need to reshape their talks, but they also need to reshape the way they market themselves, too.
Do candid, action photos of you passionately delivering your keynote on a beautifully lit, well-dressed stage in front of a packed house of audience members hanging on your every word position you as the authority in your space that you are?
#yeahabsolutely it does.
But those photos have no business being in your marketing and promotional materials while we live and work through this time.
Meeting planners are no longer booking speakers to be on stages in front of large audiences; they’re booking speakers to deliver invaluable content through laptop screens, tablets and phones.
As a result, the stage-based photos aren’t positioning you in the right way in front of the gatekeepers and decision makers.
In fact, continuing to leverage those types of photos could harm your reputation because it shows that you, quite simply, don’t get it and are unwilling to adjust with the times.
Presenting virtually comes with a learning curve, so if you’re unwilling to adjust your marketing in a way that is congruent with the medium in which you’ll deliver your content, how willing will you be to adjust anything else in the way you facilitate?
Rather than raise any potential red flags in a meeting planners’ mind, there is another alternative.
Offer visuals that resemble what their virtual presentation would look like to the viewer on the other side of the screen.
In addition to offering a speaker reel cut solely from online presentations, I’m also talking about virtual event photos, too.
Image assets like these properly position you as storytellers and educators that can transition your presentation style and delivery for the screen.
I never thought in a million years I would be motivated to photograph a speaker presentation on a laptop screen, but hey, we’re living in a crazy ass time, there’s no doubt about it.
None of us can predict when speakers and presenters will be delivering their magic in front of packed rooms again, so it’s essential we find opportunity in light of immense challenges.
So, for the time being, let’s pivot and work together on adapting to our new normal, okay?
Haha - I’m just busting chops, :)
But in all seriousness, I am here to help.
I created this virtual event photo offer because I still want to be useful and relevant to those I serve. They need to reposition the way they’re seen by decision makers and I can do something about that.
All I need is your Zoom link, and I’ll take care of the rest, :)
For more information on my virtual presentation photo offers, you can check that out here.