How to Grow Your Following in Just One Month With Live Video
3 Tips for Better Live Videos
They’re everywhere. TikTok. YouTube. Facebook.
Live video is clearly the hottest thing since Facebook, and marketers in every niche are taking advantage by hosting their own events.
Some of them are good. They’re well attended, fun to watch, and you feel like you benefitted from attending. But some of them feel like they’re an afterthought, put together at the last minute, and don’t really bring out the best in the host.
If you’re thinking of hosting a live video event, you don’t want to fall into that latter group! Here’s how to avoid it.
Promote, Promote, Promote
On many platforms, a live video event is just a few clicks away. You can literally plan and host a video in just a few minutes, and an impromptu event can be fun.
But with a little planning, you’ll have a much better turnout. And that planning must include promotion.
Let your private groups know about upcoming events. Email your list. Post a blog. Even consider running paid ads for your upcoming video event if there’s the potential to grow your list or increase your sales.
In short, don’t just throw a party without extending invitations to your friends!
Interact with Your Audience
One of the biggest draws of a live video event is the opportunity to interact with the host. Your viewers want to get to know you better. They want to chat with the other participants. They may have questions to ask.
Don’t make the mistake of ignoring them. To do so is to say, “You’re not important to me.”
Instead, take the time to chat up the audience, acknowledge their presence, and answer their questions. Even if it takes you out of the flow and you lose your place momentarily, it’s worth it to make viewers feel respected and as if they’re a part of the event rather than just a passive viewer.
Remember to check the comments later, too. If your video is available for viewing after the live event is over, encourage the conversation in the comments.
Repeat What Works
You have a lot of options when it comes to live video. TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and others all have their place, and I encourage you to try them all. But in the end, you’ll want to concentrate on what’s working.
If your audience loves Facebook but can’t figure out TikTok, it makes no sense to broadcast there. The same goes for length, topic choices, and day and time of broadcast. You’ll want to test all the variables, track your results, and do more of what’s working.
Here’s what you don’t need to worry about when it comes to live video:
Perfection.
No one expects you to look like a cover model or to speak like a news anchor. In fact, if you do look that perfect, it might actually negatively impact your results, simply because your audience loves to feel connected to you. They know they aren’t perfect, and if you can show off your imperfections, it will help create a stronger connection.
How to Get Over Your Live Video Nervousness
It’s a rare person who loves public speaking or appearing on video. If that’s you, you can stop reading right now.
But if you’re among the (much larger) crowd who suffers sweaty palms, racing heart, and uncontrolled butterflies—and you’re letting these get in the way of your video marketing dreams—then read on.
Here’s the thing: We all get nervous. Even those who love public speaking and appear so natural on video are often shaking on the inside. They’ve just found a way to deal with their fear and make it work for them.
Practice Makes Perfect
The first time you do anything, you’re likely to be nervous—especially if it’s a public performance. The only way to lessen the fear is to do it. And do it again. And again. And again.
That means not only should you practice your webinar or speech ahead of time, but you should also take to the stage—whether virtual or real—as often as you possibly can. Don’t pass up any opportunity to appear on video, on podcasts, in a webinar, or on the stage.
And if you need a place to practice in a judgment-free zone, consider joining a group such as Toastmasters, where you can work to reduce your nervousness in front of a live audience.
No Pressure
Sometimes, the worst judgment comes from our own heads. Don’t let that voice lie to you, though. There really is no need to pressure yourself to perform or to be perfect, and there’s certainly no need to berate yourself for all those small mistakes you make.
Instead, acknowledge that no one is perfect, that you’re doing your best, and that you’re improving with each and every event—because you almost certainly are! Be nice to yourself, and recognize that there really is no need for perfection.
Just Be Yourself
Here’s the biggest hurdle we can face: trying to be someone we are not. We see professional news anchors, actors, and others who appear poised and polished on every video clip, and we think that’s how we have to appear.
That’s simply not true. Your audience wants to get to know you better, not the person you think you should be. So be your fun-loving, mistake-making, self-forgiving self. It will resonate so much better with your audience that everything else will be easier as a result.
Video: Does It Matter? Yes!
Have you been ignoring the video, hoping it will just go away? Or worse, thinking you can accomplish the same goals without it?
I’m here to tell you, video is going nowhere. YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and thousands of hours of videos are uploaded each and every day.
Video clips on social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter enjoy far more engagement than do plain text or even image-based updates. And when it comes to training programs, most people prefer video to text—or at least a combination of the two.
And now with streaming video, this marketing channel has become even more important.
- Live video lets viewers get to know you better
- Your personality and brand shine through in ways written words or pre-recorded video simply cannot manage
- A built-in sense of urgency makes it easy to connect with your action takers
- Repurposing video for other channels is easy and super productive
- Facebook and other social networks appear to give more weight to video, showing it in more newsfeeds than other post formats
In addition to all of that, video is easy to produce—especially the new streaming services. Simply prop up your smartphone, log into your preferred app, and voila! You’re live.
And because it’s a live, streaming video, your viewers likely have less expectation of perfection. For example, with a scripted webinar, they expect a certain polish. But with streaming video, you can get away with a much more lighthearted, go-with-the-flow style. It’s perfect for Q&A sessions, special announcements, group coaching, or anything else where you simply want to connect with your audience, and there’s no agenda.
Don’t Abandon Your Other Marketing Channels
We see this happen a lot—a hot new marketing tool or strategy comes along, and all of a sudden everyone is on board—much to the detriment of his or her tried-and-true methods.
Remember, you have loyal fans on many platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, your blog, even Google+. And these fans won’t always be quick to move to a new site just to stay in touch. You owe it to them to maintain your presence on other social sites as well.
So while Facebook Live (and other streaming video services) definitely matters when it comes to your overall marketing efforts, it’s not the end-all, be-all tool that will outshine all others.
Get More Mileage From Live Video With These Quick Tips
Live video is undoubtedly the hottest marketing tool to come along in a while.
Apps such as TikTok, Zoom, and Facebook Live make it dead easy for anyone with a smartphone to grab their 15 minutes of fame. And if you’re consistent, personable, and have just a bit of luck, you might just find yourself with thousands of new fans and followers, all thanks to these short video events.
But if you know anything at all about marketing, then you know the last thing you want to do is create a piece of content that has a limited lifespan. After all, once that 15- or 30-minute event is over, it’s gone, right?
Wrong.
Depending on the platform you’re using, there are plenty of ways you can leverage that video to continue to attract an audience for months or even years to come.
Upload to YouTube
The “big daddy” of video marketing, YouTube enjoys its status as the 2nd most searched website only—behind Google.com by only a slim margin.
Well-optimized videos can attract thousands or even millions of views, and help drive traffic to your website, your blog, your product pages, or even the landing page of your choice. Don’t miss the opportunity to profit again and again from the effort you put into creating video. Be sure to upload it to YouTube and:
- Create a keyword-rich title
- Craft a compelling description
- Add a call to action
That’s it! Add this to your workflow for each of your live videos, and you’ll quickly build up a library of YouTube videos that drive traffic to your offers every day.
Post to Your Blog
Sometimes you want to take the conversation out of Facebook or Google and interact on your website. Adding recordings of your live videos allows you to:
- Carry on a conversation with your audience through the comments section
- Add more commentary and updated information
- Attract Google with pertinent keywords and backlinks
- Encourage opt-ins by offering viewers downloadable checklists, worksheets, or even transcripts that go with the video
Share With Your Partners & Colleagues
Just as video works well for your sales efforts, so too does it work for your affiliates and JV partners.
Consider offering replays of your better videos for affiliates to use in their own blog posts, on social media, and anywhere else they’re promoting your offers.
It will help their audience get to know you better, and give them a sense of your personality and style before they invest in your products or services.
No piece of content—whether written, pre-recorded, or live—should ever suffer the fate of being used only one time. Put all your content to work in multiple locations, and watch your influence—and your profits—soar.
4 Ways to Get More Eyes on Your Live Videos
Live streaming video is the hottest thing for marketing your coaching or service biz, but if you can’t get eyes on your video, it won’t work as well as it could. And let’s face it; traffic is the toughest nut to crack, no matter which technique you’re using.
Here’s how to easily draw a crowd to your next live video event.
Promote Ahead of Time
This is key. You have to build a buzz about your live video. While you can (and sometimes should) go live in an impromptu manner, this should be the exception, not the rule.
A far better choice is to let your fans and followers know ahead of time that you’ll be hosting a live video, and how (and why) they should join you.
Use the tools already at your disposal—your blog, your email list, your Facebook and LinkedIn groups, and your Twitter following—to make sure everyone knows when you’ll be on, and why they should be watching. And be sure to remind them as the day gets closer!
Offer a Giveaway
Here’s one sure way to get fans to show up—offer something free.
Checklists and worksheets are ideal if you’re teaching a strategy or technique. Readers can follow along, and refer back to it later as they work through your strategy. By delivering your gift via email autoresponder, you can take the opportunity to grow your mailing list as well.
Another great giveaway—especially if you’re launching a large course—is to offer a scholarship. Ask your applicants to write a blog post, record a video, or in some other way share why they want to take your course and how they’ll benefit from it, and then announce the winner via streaming video.
Make a Big Reveal
Jeff Walker pretty much invented the launch sequence we’ve all come to know (and have seen everywhere), but if you don’t have that kind of budget—or time—then you can easily do something similar with a well-planned live video event.
You’ll definitely want to promote this one ahead of time. Send out a few “teaser” emails promising big news; post about it on your other social accounts; create a Facebook event and schedule paid ads to invite interested people.
Then use the live video to answer questions and announce your launch, perhaps with a special introductory or fast-action price.
Cover a Controversial Topic
Look, we all have opinions, and not all of them are popular. That’s part of what sets you apart from your competitors, in fact. If you have strongly held opinions about your industry, or how a specific topic is being taught, video is a great place to make your point.
By taking to the airwaves with a live video and a controversial topic, you’ll instantly draw a crowd—half of which will agree with you, and half of which will not. Imagine how lively the conversation will be! Just be sure to keep it respectful, and to not get your feelings hurt when someone disagrees with you (because they definitely will).
Live video is definitely a marketing tool that belongs in every small business owner’s toolbox.
But using it without a plan to attract more eyes will be an exercise in frustration. Use these four strategies to get more people interested in your videos, and they’ll work far better for you and your business.
Need help getting your live videos in front of your ideal audience? We’ll get you front and center and turn your advertising dollars into profit so you can scale your business and get your message out to the world.
Contact us today.
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Results-driven, dynamic Director of Sales & Marketing turned Certified Master Marketer, Tammy uses all of her digital marketing smarts for good…she has managed millions of dollars in top-line revenue and hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising spend while consistently generating a 2:1 return inside the Facebook & Google Ad platforms. Follow Tammy on Facebook & Instagram.
