Does creating video content or going live on social media platforms give you the ick? You might be afraid that you’re not good enough, your technology isn’t the best, or you simply don’t know what to talk about. Using a weekly live stream to boost your business growth was the topic of Dorien Morin’s speech at Tubefest. She gave us some really useful insights, and I thought I’d share some of them with you in this blog.
Why should you live stream?
Firstly, some of the benefits of a weekly live stream are:
- Increase your visibility
- Grow your community
- Opportunity for referrals and partnerships
- Sponsorship opportunities
If any of those are part of your marketing strategy, then giving a weekly live stream a chance, sounds like a plan to me!
Here are five top tips to use a weekly live stream to boost your business growth:
Tip 1: Make it not scary
I think it would be unusual if you didn’t feel scared putting video of yourself out there. So how can you get past that fear and do it anyway? Dorien suggested practicing going live on Facebook, but set the audience to just be yourself to begin with. Get comfy with being live on the platform.
Another tip which I’d suggest is to start small by doing quick stories on Instagram or 60 second videos which can be used as reels. Pre-record them and find your feet with video before going live.
Tip 2: What will you talk about?
Content is a tricky one, isn’t it? Do you find yourself saying ‘no one wants to listen to what I have to say.’ Or ‘what I have to say is boring.’ You’re not alone (in fact I’ve said this about my content in the past too!)
Whilst I always suggest that you look at content which is around your subject, and what your audience is talking about, Dorien clarified this further. In her talk she said look at:
- trends and trending topics
- thought leadership topics
- check the data that you have from your business
Guests on a weekly live stream are a winner too. Not only do they bring a different perspective and topic ideas, but they also bring their audience with them too.
Tip 3: Structure
How long should your live stream be? How should it unfold during that time? The key here is to consume the content that you’re creating. Think about how many live streams you watch. If you don’t watch them, make a start before you go live. See what structures others use and replicate it. You can test different styles and lengths of live streams to see what works for your audience.
Tip 4: Bring the energy
Being nervous means you’ll have a certain amount of adrenaline running around your body when you do your live streams. And therefore, you’ll seem energetic. But keep those levels up…people need to hear the different tones in your voice and reflect your energy levels back at you.
Your guests will bring an energy too. And you can ask your audience to ask questions during the weekly live stream to bring them into the discussion too.
And the final part of bringing the energy is to make sure you smile!
Tip 5: Increase your reach and repurpose
To start with you might just want to focus your a weekly live stream to boost your business growth on one platform. But you can stream across multiple channels using a tool called StreamYard. You’ll be seen by a wider audience, meaning more exposure for your business or services.
You can then repurpose your weekly live stream by using it as:
- screenshots
- blog posts
- podcasts
- clips
- in your newsletter
- YouTube shorts.
And it provides you with a never ending stream of content for social media.
To do some of these things, there are some great AI tools available to use. I’ll share some of those in a separate blog so watch this space.
Are you ready to try a weekly live stream to boost your business growth?
If you’re ready and give it a shot, then let me know and I’ll give it a watch.
If you’re not sure, maybe some planning about why you’re doing one and helping you feel more comfy with video would be a good idea. Drop me a line and we can discuss a mentoring session for it.
A thank you to Dorien
Dorien Morin is a social media strategist and content marketer. Her business is more in media. Please give her a follow on social media to learn more.
