You can’t have a conversation with a friend, open a magazine, or turn on the TV or radio without hearing about the next best thing online. Sadly, it does not take much to announce yourself as a social media public speaker.

This is where it becomes challenging for event planners to select and choose an appropriate professional. An experienced public speaker is one thing — but I would argue in today’s changing landscape you also need a professional who has street smarts and actual ‘real world’ experience in the world of social media and Internet marketing.

But how does an event planner actually choose?

Well it is not as hard as you might think. The irony here is a social media public speaker (if they walk the walk and talk the talk) can very easily be evaluated. You simply need to Google them. If this business speaker is worth their salt, then you should easily find them actively engaged on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and their own website and blog.

There should be educational and informational articles about the subject matter, there should be video and audio of them, pictures even. And best of all… there should be proof they’ve spoken successfully on this subject before.

What you don’t want is a polished professional speaker who is all flash and no substance.

The hot topics of social media and Internet marketing (along with your audience) demand your seminar speaker has ‘got the goods’ and really can provide feedback, information, and direction on this exciting and evolving topic.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a presentation or business seminar — and while I’ve been impressed with “look” of the speaker — I’ve lamented the lack of substance delivered. That’s just not acceptable in today’s demanding markets.

Remember, diamonds are expensive because they’re rare and finding a social media or Internet marketing public speaker who has a mixture of quality current material to deliver, combined with a natural talent and easy nature at the front of a room is not easy… but it is possible.

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JAMES BURCHILL is a professional internet marketing and social media public speaker for hire. He currently divides his time between consulting with select clients, training and public speaking. His keynote presentations and seminars are both engaging and educational and audiences rave about James’ materials and presentation style. Read about James for more information on this unique seminar speaker.

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1. More Free Social Media Training
2. Social Media in Small Business – Making the Most of It
3. What Is Social Networking and What Makes a Social Media Guru?