12 Business Leaders Share Their Best Tips for ‘Going Live’
Whether it’s on Instagram, Facebook or other social media platforms, live video content provides fun and welcome variation to your social media strategy. It allows for more connection between your brand and your customers, and may even introduce a new audience to your company.
But there is an art to doing live videos well, and it’s important to understand the basics before you start streaming. To help, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council members share their best practices for a successful social media live stream — from ensuring added value to advertising in advance — and how to adapt these practices to your own strategies.
Collaborate With Other Creators
After doing over 1,000 live streams on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, I discovered one strategy that consistently helped me achieve more influence, impact and income. The strategy is to do live streams in collaboration with one to three others. By going live with others, you make it easier to perform your best and get into a flow state. It’s also a fun and easy way to network while reaching a new audience. – Josh King Madrid, NFT Magazine — NFTMagazine.com
Choose the Right Channel
There are many choices to make when going live on social media. Choose the proper avenue or channel that supports your audience, and be prepared for the live feed. Be prepared for technology issues, and understand proper engagement while live and after the video ends. Go live with goals, be consistent, have the proper personnel and equipment at hand. Relax and engage with your audience. Listen to their feedback. – Wayne Bell, Really Big Coloring Books® Inc. | ColoringBook.com
Try Not to Overthink It
The biggest key is to not overthink it and do not watch yourself on screen. Just gather your thoughts, go live and converse authentically. Talk to your viewers as if they’re right in front of you. Be transparent, be real and engage fully. Your viewers will feel connected and love you for it. – Steven Le Vine, grapevine pr + consulting
Keep the Pace
Keeping things fast is critical. Live video is inherently quicker than recorded. Keeping the pace and interaction in the video quick creates excitement, creates more authority, shows confidence and demonstrates that what you are showing matters. Viewers meander away from slow videos; when things are lively, we’re naturally more attracted and curious. Pacing creates the vibe for the whole thing. – Scott Cowperthwaite, AfterFiveMedia
Enjoy the Conversation
Breathe. Be in the moment and enjoy the conversation — Enthusiasm is contagious! Create some talking points to help keep you on track, and talk around them instead of using a script so it doesn’t sound wooden. Don’t worry if you don’t cover it all. Overthinking equals stiffness. – Sara Payan, The Apothecarium
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Adjust Your Tone Depending on Your Audience
It all depends on your target audience. If it’s B2B professionals, be seated in your office with a brand banner or shirt clearly visible. Be clear and concise in your messaging. Include these three W’s: Who am I and why am I messaging you? What do I want you to know? What action do I want you to take? – Scott Thomas, Genetec Inc.
Keep It Casual
Viewers want to feel like they are getting a glimpse into your real life, not like they are attending a formal lecture. Conversational and impromptu discussions or normal, everyday distractions (pets, kids, etc.) actually make for accessible and relatable live streams. – Amanda Reiman, Personal Plants
Just Do It
I bet that even if you study all the how-to videos and learn from others, you’ll still make errors. But after the third video, you’ll figure out your style and it will show. You just have to do it. – Adam Rumanek, Aux Mode Inc.
Create Personal Accounts First for Practice
Personally, I would advise you to get on live videos for fun first before committing yourself to doing so for business. Use your private profiles for TikTok or Instagram Stories and start from there. Once you’re comfortable and have mastered all of the features, that’s when you can use videos for your business accounts. – Jenny Ta, GalaxE by HODL Assets, Inc.
Make Your Content Entertaining
The best practice is to be entertaining. Even if we are educating and sharing information, adding the element of entertainment so it becomes “edutainment” is by far the most effective strategy. Nowadays, people’s attention spans are so short, and there are so many distractions and fun things they can spend their time watching. Hence, we have to make our live videos fun, engaging and something people will want to keep watching. – Royston G King, Royston G King Group & Companies
Provide Added Value
The most important practice for live video is intangible, but it is what will make you stand out: Provide added value. Use the platform to showcase your personality and never-before-seen content. Have a specific angle in mind that not only promotes your service or product, but also, most importantly, shows why people should care. This is great for attracting return buyers and potential customers. – Jacob Mathison, Mathison Projects Inc.
Advertise Ahead of Time
If you’re nervous about going live, be sure to post ahead of time so your followers can plan to tune in. You can also create event reminders on many social media platforms, so your audience will receive a reminder when you do go live. These actions will allow you to build a virtual guest list of viewers and ensure your live stream is successful. – King Holder, PROCUSSION