Speaker Proposal Guidelines for SES Latino 2007

Thanks for your interest in speaking. This page provides background on how to make a speaking pitch to Nacho Hernandez, the conference chair of the SES Latino 2007 event. I am responsible for creating the program and selecting speakers for that show.

TO PITCH SPEAKING FOR OTHER SES SHOWS, SEE GUIDELINES POSTED ON THE WEB SITES OF THOSE OTHER SHOWS.

SES Latino '07 is the 2nd annual event for Incisive Media based on the success we had on our previous show (see event coverage and photo gallery). As you know, U.S. Hispanics and Latin America rank among the top worldwide Internet users and they are the fastest growing region in the world. Although the vast majority of Internet users can be found in the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, there are over 25 active countries on the Internet you may target.

As organizer of this event, I seek for those speakers that can bring an innovative approach to help others learn the right tactics for these markets on "success story" case studies and best practices. Presentations must have fresh information and speakers must demonstrate to be industry leaders in the U.S. and/or in Latin America for the field of Search Engine Marketing and/or Search Engine Optimization. I will not accept any pitches for other Internet interactive areas, which are not covered on SES events.

If after reading this, you feel to be eligable, please continue reading with the link below.

Timeline & Deadlines

• February 10, 2007: Speaking openings will be posted on this SES Blog. Please DO NOT pitch to speak on ANY session until you have completely read the guidelines and ONLY for speaking openings posted here. Between the time from when the agenda was posted and when speaking openings are posted, short-list candidates for some sessions and returning regular speakers have already contacted me and some may get confirmed spots. Contacting about speaking before this date WILL NOT get you short-listed for a spot, so please do not worry.
• May 18, 2007: IF time allows, messages will be sent to those who asked to speak but who weren't selected, in case there are any remaining openings they may wish to consider. But if you haven't heard back by May 18, 2007, assume you were NOT selected. We do try to contact everyone, but given the volume of requests, this isn't always possible.

Pitching To Speak

If you are interested in a session, first see if there is an opening for it. Do not pitch to speak on sessions unless they are listed on this page. Even if the agenda is up and it looks like there are no speakers selected, that's not the case. Instead, a number of speakers will be returning and short-list candidates will also have already been invited. As these confirmations come in, speakers will be posted to the agenda.

Please send a separate email for each session you'd like to be on. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU WANT TO SPEAK ON TWO DIFFERENT SESSIONS, SEND A SEPARATE EMAIL FOR EACH SESSION. Also, please don't pitch more than four session ideas in total and prioritize the sessions somehow in the emails ("This would be my top choice;" "This would be my second choice," and so on).

The email should contain 2 or 7 paragraphs or so about what you would cover. A long essay isn't required, just a succinct flavor of some specific things you might cover. We're especially interested in real-life, case study stories that you can tell or tips you can backup from actual experiences. IF YOUR PRESENTATION DOES NOT COVER U.S. HISPANIC and/or LATIN AMERICA YOU WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED TO SPEAK. IF YOU SOMEHOW MANAGE TO GET AWAY WITH IT AND WE FIND OUT, YOU WILL NEVER BE INVITED TO SPEAK AT SES LATINO AGAIN.

Also give a little background about yourself, your company and the type of clients you have or serve. A ton of information or anything super formal is NOT required. Also, please don't send attachments. Put everything in the email message itself. Send them to me with the official SES Latino 2007 - Call for Speakers form.

Speaking spots are typically 7-15 minutes each on panels of 2-3 people. It VERY UNLIKELY that you'll get a 1/2 hour or hour spot, so don't build a speaking pitch around this.

If accepted, you'll receive a pass to the SES event. Travel and accommodation are not covered.

Session Openings

Did you jump right to the openings? Be sure to go back and read the tips above, because they'll really help you improve the odds of being selected. Also be sure to read the Speaking Tips below, to help you understand more how things go, if you are selected.

Fundamentals Track

• Successful Site Architecture: Looking for speakers to successfully help attendees understand how to architect their websites for search engines and how specific page elements and design technologies may impact their ability to gain good organic listings. Covers topics such as directory and file structure, server-side includes (SSIs), 404 error trapping, java-script, robots.txt use, frames, secure area usage, and much more. Towards the end of the session, volunteers from the audience will have their sites examined to see how changes could be made to their site architecture and design to increase search engine traffic, as time allows.
• Search Term Research & Targeting: Looking for speakers to successfully help attendees understand which search terms to target. Where do they find keyword suggestions in Spanish or Portuguese? This session covers ways to undertake search term research that is crucial to succeeding with their search engine marketing efforts, whether that be via free or paid listings.
• Buying Search Engine Advertising: Latino Edition: Speakers will help attendees understand which major search engines offers a paid placement program. Even with the same search engine company, it may have a different method of selling paid search in Latin America. This session is especially geared toward beginners, with details on programs from major providers and advice from advertisers.
• Competitive Research: Search engines can tell advertisers a lot about their competition, if they know what to look for. Teach attendees how their competitors may be already targeting U.S. Hispanics and/or Latin American users? Teach them how to use search engines to profile their competition, helping them understand what links to gain, ad prices to pay, content to offer and customers to seek.
• Link Building: Effective linking is crucial, but linking strategies that work in the U.S. may not work in Latin America. This session will explore issues such as whether attendees should buy, sell, barter or trade links. How far is too far in optimizing their internal link structure, and if they operate a network of sites, can natural interlinking be perceived as link spam.
• Web Analytics & Measuring Success Overview: Speakers will help attendees be successful with search engines by using website analytics tools. Show them how they can check their "rank" at search engines for particular keywords, analyze log files to see the actual terms people used to reach their web site or make the ultimate jump and "close the loop" by measuring sales conversions and return-on-investment (ROI). This panel explores ways to measure success and what statistics they should really care about. I'm primarily focused on getting good case studies on this panel.

Landscape & Tactics Track

• Tapping Into US Hispanics & Latin American Via Search: Looking for speakers to help attendees understand the value of US Hispanics and Latin American users through search. Provide the latest statistics that illustrate the potential here and why they should be paying attention. You need solid fundamental research to be on this panel.
• Search Landscape: US Hispanics & Latin America: Speakers will illustrate how searchers in both U.S. and Latin America interact with search engines? Do they have a preference in language when they search, as well as the search ads if written in Spanish or English? What about Portuguese speakers from Brazil? To fully engage these audiences in the learning process, particular attention should be given to gaining and maintaining trust. Greater acceptance will occur by search marketers if they are involved in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of these marketing efforts. This session explores the latest research and provides tips and tactics for search marketers to consider. Research only for this panel is not enough, you must provide solid strategies to tie in to those fundamental analytical decisions. I'm looking for panelists in these primary countries: US Hispanic, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Other Latin America. The panel will be diversified to these regions.
• SEM Campaign & Project Management: Search marketing is more than managing bids on ads. A campaign may involve both organic and paid listings, perhaps with many different products, goals and participants. In addition, attendees may require involving other players into their team to include translation, Spanish or Portuguese content development, and cultural analysts. Could they outsource and maintain quality to their standards? This session gives tips and techniques on managing the process and getting the most success out of their campaigns.
• The Challenges Of Search Marketing To US Hispanics & Latin Americans: This session examines some of the challenges attendees need to face as well as solutions to consider. It sets up issues and solutions explored more in the Tactics session of Day 2.
• Translate Or Create: Strategies For Those With English-Language Sites: Speakers for this session must present how to target Hispanics and Latin American but have no content in those native languages (Spanish and Portuguese). Do they just translate everything and hope for the best? Does it make more sense for them to create a new site from scratch? Can they do a mixture? Speakers must provide strategies and case studies of what they have done.
• Multi-Country and Multi-Lingual Website Optimization: Looking for speakers to help attendees in planning or re-designing a website that covers U.S. Hispanic, Latin America and/or other countries throughout the world which requires different strategies than just doing SEO for a single-country. What domain issues do they need to be aware of? Should they have a domain for each country they are targeting? Should they have a standalone subdomain of their .com site, like spanish.their-site.com or portuguese.their-site.com.br? The fact is that if their users search for a word with an accent mark and without it, they will get similar but different results. Should they optimize for right grammar or high traffic volume? What translation issues can they encounter? What about cultural issues, slang and jargons? You must provide expertise and advice on how to proceed in an efficient, effective manner.
• Targeting Spanish/Portuguese Search Ads By Demographics & Behavior: This is an exciting new session. Attendees who are attracting Latinos require an indepth knowledge about specific demographic behavior and culture. Search profiling makes it possible to target searchers with ads long after they've done a particular search. There are 3 primary languages with U.S. Hispanics and Latin Americans, 25 countries of origin, immigrants in some cases, with different values, customs, behaviors, and attitutes. This session will guide them to how to make their Search Ads more effective.

To be absolutely clear: PLEASE ONLY PITCH FOR ACTUAL OPENINGS AS LISTED ABOVE (when available). PLEASE DO NOT LOOK AT THE AGENDA AND THEN ASSUME BECAUSE YOU DON'T SEE SPEAKERS LISTED THAT I HAVE OPENINGS ON THOSE SESSIONS AS WELL. THAT IS NOT THE CASE. If I have further openings appear, these will be added to the list above, and I will also mention this in a new blog post. If I fill a session, then it will be removed from the list.

Speaking Tips

Below is information given to Search Engine Strategies speakers, which should help you understand more about speaking at our show:

Sales Pitches: Audience members react badly if they think they are being sold something. If you are too "salesy," they definitely let us know in the feedback, and that can impact whether you'll be invited to speak at a future event. Said one attendee:

"The conference has been outstanding except where a panelist is interested only in selling their products instead of teaching us. I paid to come. I shouldn't have to pay for a sales presentation."

Obviously, we do want your company to get some promotional value out of your participation, but to avoid sounding too sales-oriented, keep any PR-style points to one slide and run through those briefly.

A funny way of this being handled was when a speaker told the audience that his PR department gave him a list of things to say about his service. He put these on one slide, then said "but here's what you really want to know" and went on with the core of his presentation. The audience laughed and didn't mind the mini-commercial. Sometimes the audience might break into applause when some says they'll simply skip the sales pitch.

In particular, if you must do PR points, then use a SINGLE slide to set-up why you are qualified to speak, such as outlining the types of clients you work with, the sort of audience you received and so on.

In some circumstances, you may be asked to speak on a topic that involves your own products. To avoid problems, if you must mention your own products, focus on a "real life" example of how it may have been used by someone, rather than a more sales-oriented explanation of features. Also keep pricing information to a minimum. You might include such information on a slide but only mention it briefly, telling the audience that the additional information is there for their future reference.

Dress Code: Wearing casual business attire is recommended. Formal business attire is perfectly fine. If in doubt, overdress. You won't feel out of place, as many speakers will also be in formal attire. How you look has an impact on how well the audience receives your presentation. Given that this conference will take place in Miami, Florida, my guess is that business casual or even with just an additional sports coat or ladies blazer plus trousers will be fine.

Planted Questions: Don't get someone in the audience to ask you a particular question. If you want to ensure a particular topic is raised, talk with the moderator. They can then note that you and/or the other panelists wanted to comment on that topic. If it is discovered that a speaker has planted a question, it will greatly decrease the chance of returning to speak at the conference.

Being Positive & Negative: Many of our sessions involve helping attendees understand which products and services might be helpful to them. If you liked a particular product or service, great! Feel free to let the attendees know. However, if you have a financial connection with that product, it should be disclosed to the audience, if this isn't immediately obvious (such as when speaking about your own product).

If you dislike a particular product, service or company, you're welcome to say that, as well. However, use good judgment on when to be critical. If you are asked about a particular product, and you've used the product or know the opinions of many people, then it is fair to be critical of it. However, if you've never used that product, then be honest with the attendees and say you are uncertain. Instead, share with them your opinion of that particular class of product.

Be Forthcoming: You've agreed to speak and share your experiences with the audience. Don't hold back on the sharing. They'll respect the wisdom you impart, and your reputation will rise for having done this. Hold back, and they'll reactive negatively, as one attendee said:

"Some presenters seem really reluctant to give information. I understand people trying to protect their work, but then they shouldn't agree to present if they don't want to give details."

Show, Don't Tell: The more "real life" examples you have in your presentation, the more the audience will love you. That's always a big thing they want more of. Rather than telling them what to do, try to show them more. For example, you might tell an audience that cost-per-click advertising is effective. However, what they will remember more is if you show them this by explaining how two or three different companies ran a particular campaign and received a particular return on investment.

Fight, fight, fight against the bullet point summary of tips! Focus on screenshots and stories. SHOW things, illustrate them, don't just tell. It will make a world of difference.

Provide Solutions: The audience is looking for actionable tips, as much as you can provide them. Please try to guide them with specific actions as much as possible, to avoid them feeling like this attendee:

"Many of the sessions did not offer viable solutions. Serious issues were simply addressed as 'good' or 'bad' and subjectively many people were told that they were 'screwed' as far as search engine success."

Facts Vs Opinion: Search engine marketing is not an exact science. It's common for there to be a variety of opinions about what works and how things work. Because of this, please remember to say things such as "in my opinion" or "based on my experience" when stating as fact things that might be disputed by others or where you are not 100 percent certain is absolutely the case, in all occasions.

Your opinions and experiences are valuable. That's why you are being asked to speak and share them with the attendees. However, helping the attendees understand that others may have their own opinions and experiences will ease the confusion they sometimes experience, when hearing conflicting views. They better realize that they ultimately need to weight up the various opinions they've heard and make their own decisions.

Other Speaking Events

We prefer that speakers at Search Engine Strategies not speak at another event with a search engine marketing emphasis within two weeks before or after the SES show.

We understand that good speakers will be in demand by other events, and we don't wish to limit your own opportunities for exposure. However, we also want to ensure that speakers at SES are not tired from committing to multiple events in a short time frame. We also want to protect the show itself, and all the work that goes into it, from other events that may wish to ride upon its coattails.

Should you find yourself in a situation where you are, or would like, to speak at another event within the timeframe outlined above, please contact IncisiveMedia for further guidance.

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