I had the incredible opportunity to network, learn and strategize for a few days in Orlando with some of the brightest in the digital marketing world. It was my first time attending Social Boom!, a conference dedicated to bringing some of the world’s top social media and digital marketers in one room to learn, strategize and explore how to grow businesses to the next level in social communication. The conference was spearheaded by Kim Garst and her incredible team at Boom Social.
The panels, presentations, and content were incredibly informative, the biggest take aways I have from the event revolve around the value of video, specifically “live video.”
Personally, I’ve been avoiding live video for quite some time because I always had this impression that video had to have high production when in reality, especially in this always churning media cycle, your viewers prefer a video that’s real, authentic and you.
Takeaway Number 1: Be YOU
Your customers see right through your videos when you’re not being true to who you are and the message you’re conveying.
PROTIP: As a business owner you have to be dedicated to your company’s message and who you are as a leader in your industry to tackle Facebook Live and other live video platforms yourself. People don’t want to hear from a businesses social media manager unless the topic you’re covering is about social media marketing.
Takeaway Number 2: The First 10 Seconds
Focus on what’s relevant for your audience in the first 10 seconds. Avoid making the mistake that I see over and over, those who go live focus so much on how many people they have tuning into their live broadcast rather than offering up value right away. So, instead of saying “let’s wait for a few more to hop on” which ultimately tells your audience who is there that they’re not important enough for you to share your message with quite yet. They showed up! Give them the goods upfront. Because as Kim said in her presentation, “if you’re going to make the income, you have to make the impact.”
PROTIP: When using Facebook Live, the video will stay in your newsfeed of your page or profile after the broadcast is over so you can keep reaping the rewards.
Takeaway Number 3: Get Your Energy UP!
It’s vital that in being you, you want to make sure you understand when you’re most energized during the day. If you’re anything like me, you know that the 3:30 p.m. slump is not an ideal time to offer value. I love to hop on in the morning or late at night around 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. By having your energy up it makes the process more fun and it also helps those watching feel more connected with you, that’s the power of video.
Takeaway Number 4: Edu-ma-tainment
If you’re ready to take ownership of doing live video on your Facebook page, but you aren’t sure what to talk about or share with your audience. Start with edu-ma-tainment.
Edu-ma-tainment is the hybrid of education and entertainment and should serve as the foundation of your live broadcasts. The key is to always remember that the nuggets of knowledge you’re sharing aren’t about you. Let me type that again; it’s not about you, it’s about them — your audience, client base and prospective customer base — and how to bring value to your audience.
Here are three types of videos you could kick off tomorrow:
- Interview style — where you get someone from your industry or an industry of your ideal customer and interview them live on camera. Interview style could also be a way to answer your communities FAQ live.
- Personality — Think: behind the scenes at the office.
- Promotional — This would be an excellent way to showcase your products or services that you are running a special on for a limited time to create a sense of urgency and scarcity for your audience to buy.
Takeaway Number 5: Go in for the right hook
When live streaming video you already know, you want to give value through educating or entertaining, what many forget to share their offer. If your objective is to educate your audience on your latest service offering or have them download your latest checklist, you need to be sure to share that with your audience during the live stream. To make it as easy as possible for your audience to take action be sure you add the proper link to the comments or in the description. Don’t be shy!
Ready to stay above the competition? With only 27% of entrepreneurs and CEO’s utilizing video, you have the potential to reach your audience in a way they prefer to communicate and consume content.
Schedule your social media audit today so that we can catapult your business with an integrated social media andmarketing plan.
Final Takeaway: If you, your team and company show up on live video, people will find you. So what are you waiting for? Let’s gooo!
