Are you looking for a red-hot, effective way to attract and engage new clients? If you said “no,” then you can stop reading and move on to another article. If you said “yes,” then live video marketing is something I’d recommend you look at pronto.
Why Live Video?
People love watching video content. Eighty percent of your audience would much rather watch your live video than read your blog posts. Did you know that 54 percent of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support? If that’s not enough to convince you, here are some additional benefits of using live video marketing.
- Live video humanizes your business and helps you connect with your audience. Outside of face-to-face meetings, nothing beats video.
- Live video can help you sell more.
- It will help you build your audience and brand awareness.
- It is the most powerful way to share your content right now.
- Live video drives more engagement, views, and traffic. Our live video posts on Facebook see at least a 10x increase in reach and engagement than any of our other posts.
- Differentiate your business from the competition.
- Video content can be repurposed into other forms of content easily (short-form video, audio, and written). This allows you to get a ton of mileage out of one piece of content.
The bottom line is this: the benefits of using live video to market your business are plentiful.
Live Video Marketing Platforms
The most popular live video platforms, and the best place to start, are Facebook Live, Instagram Live, LinkedIn Live, and YouTube Live. I’d recommend broadcasting on the channel where your audience spends the most amount of time. LinkedIn Live is the only one you may have an issue with. LinkedIn is currently accepting applications for people who want to participate. I have applied three different times for LinkedIn Live, and I’m still waiting to hear from them.
There are also services you can use to broadcast to multiple live stream channels at the same time. I really like StreamYard (https://streamyard.com) for this. It’s very easy to use, especially for those that are technically challenged, while allowing you to put together a professional-looking live stream.
Also by Tim Fitzpatrick: Recipe for Online Success
What Can You Talk About?
This is a common question and roadblock for people when it comes to producing content. I promise you, once you get going, there is no shortage of topics to discuss. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices going.
Behind the Scenes: This is a great way to showcase what you do. Walkthroughs on jobs in progress and finished jobs can help prospective clients better understand what you do and highlight your expertise.
Q&A Sessions: People always have questions. Use live video to answer common questions. For ideas, check out some of the popular online home theater forums like AVSForums (https://www.avsforum.com) and see what kinds of questions people are asking.
Product Reviews: There’s always new gear coming out. Review the latest and greatest from the manufacturers you work with.
How-To’s: How do I properly calibrate my new TV? How can I optimize my home theater? What types of outdoor speakers should I consider? Again, there is no shortage of How-To videos you can use to add value to your audience and help establish your expertise.
Interviews: Interview clients to discuss what they love about their system and how it has changed their life. Interview vendors (distributors and/or manufacturers) about trends in the business or new products on the horizon.
Next Steps
If I’ve convinced you that live video marketing is something you want to use for your business, getting started is not that difficult. If you have a fear of doing video, which is very common, I promise you will get over the fear if you face it. The more you do it, the better and more comfortable you will get.
This will help, too: stop caring what other people think.
Here are the next three steps you can take to get started:
- Pick the live streaming channel you are going to start with.
- Figure out how often you are going to shoot live video. Be consistent with whatever you do.
- Shoot your first live video. Each one you do gets progressively easier.
If you want to check out some of the live video marketing I’ve been doing, visit https://www.facebook.com/rialtomarketing/videos. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions. I’d be happy to help you with your live video marketing journey.
