Young Entrepreneur Council — March 9, 2020 Live video has become an incredibly popular feature on nearly every major social media platform, and it can be a great opportunity to connect with your audience. To find out what works, members of Young Entrepreneur Council answered the following question:
Tapping into live video can be rewarding. What is one way small businesses can get started?
1. Introduce Your Team
Introduce your team members on live so your viewers can see who puts in all the hard work behind the company. Doing so humanizes your brand and makes you easier to approach, which boosts engagement and encourages conversation. – Stephanie Well, Formidable Forms
2. Host an AMA
Ask me anything videos are common on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit. It’s no surprise that consumers love interacting brands that have a face. The added bonus of an AMA format gives them the freedom and flexibility to talk to you like a guy you met on the street. The result of this interaction could be greater brand loyalty and increased conversions. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC
3. Interview a Guest
An engaging and interesting way to start creating live videos is to do interviews. A small business can reach out to an expert and carry out a live video interview. It’s a great way to create informative content. It can also be converted into a written article. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
4. Hold a Live Contest
If you’re running a contest, you can announce the winners on live video to stir up excitement. Viewers will see that someone won a freebie and it’ll encourage them to stay tuned for your upcoming contests and live videos. The more you create content that interests your viewers, the easier it’ll be to grab their attention so they attend your live chat. – Jared Atchison, WPForms
5. Challenge Yourself
What works for one company, may not work as well for another. Instead of recommending one specific video format, I’d encourage you to create a seven-day challenge for yourself to do one live video per day and test different approaches. This way you create accountability, can let your audience know what to expect and get to test out various approaches to see if the medium works for you. – Karl Kangur, Above House
6. Start With Friends and Family
When we first started video marketing and livestreaming, we started with our friends and family to get comfortable talking on camera. After a few internal sessions, then we started opening up videos to our general audiences. This is a good way to learn how to speak clearly and confidently. – Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC
7. Stream Your Product Launches
We found success doing live video streams on Facebook to our community who want inside info on our product launches. We do live presentations to explain the product and get our biggest fans excited. We answer questions live at a mass scale, and it helps cut back on customer service questions. It also allows us to open up and have fun with our community and encourages engagement. – Matt Wilson, Under30Experiences
8. Create How-To Videos
Make how-to videos and post them online. You don’t need a fancy camera that costs thousands of dollars. All you need is a smartphone, a tripod and an LED light to get started. Learn lighting and editing basics (use software like iMovie). Develop a script in the mindset that your audience has never performed the task before. Then upload your video to YouTube and promote on your social channels! – Jeff Pitta, Medicare Plan Finder
9. Collaborate With a Microinfluencer
By partnering with a microinfluencer during live videos, there’s a higher chance you will be noticed and grab more attention. Once you have established a good following, sell your products live by applying or using the products online. Answer questions and engage with your followers. It is best that viewers understand every product’s purpose and how to use it. – Daisy Jing, Banish
10. Talk About What’s New in Your Industry
Anyone can report on the news and discuss it live. This is just one very easy way to get the attention of your audience and cover something they are interested in. Find the top five stories of the week and cover them! – John Lincoln, Ignite Visibility
11. Go Behind the Scenes of Your Business
Using live video to give glimpses of the behind the scenes action helps entrepreneurs establish an authentic connection with their audiences. The brand gets humanized as the followers get to see the faces of the people behind it and know the kind of work that goes into running a business. You can communicate the values you stand for and bring an element of transparency which is crucial in a startup. – Rahul Varshneya, CurveBreak
12. Answer Your Customers’ Questions
Live videos can be a great opportunity for Q&A with your potential customers or clients. Share a post beforehand asking your audience to post their questions. Then take questions from that post to start the video, and give directions to listeners that they can place additional questions in the comments of the video. Answer the questions as you go, and show that you are available and willing to help. – Diego Orjuela, Cables & Sensors
13. Stop Being Afraid and Just Publish It!
Video makes people feel exposed, vulnerable and afraid, but once you publish one video, you have the confidence to publish a second (or 100th). Look at any successful channel on YouTube and watch their first upload. Pretty bad right? Your videos don’t need to be any better — you just need to get started! Grab the iPhone, start recording and share your knowledge. Your prospects are interested! – Jeff Keenan, LeadsRx
14. Have Fun
If you are not having fun in your videos, neither are your viewers. Whether it is an interview or a look behind the scenes at what you do and how you do it, have fun with it. Your positive, exciting attitude will help engage your audience and keep them coming back for more. – Rana Gujral, Behavioral Signals
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