Jamilah Corbitt — April 7, 2017 
As an entrepreneur or professional living in the digital age, communicating your value is imperative if you desire to differentiate yourself from the competition and position yourself as a credible authority to potential customers and business partners. The way you communicate your value could mean the difference between landing a major contract, or moving up the corporate ladder.
I first started my live video journey on Periscope in 2015, and have since migrated to Facebook. I allow people into my everyday life and journey as an entrepreneur by sharing life and business lessons.
In over a year and a half I’ve experienced an exponential growth in my personal brand, coupled with a 5-figure increase in bottom line revenue dollars for my company — all from hopping on and engaging with an audience who was drawn to my energy and content.
Janine Cummings, a social media influencer and livestream personality grew her audience to over 21K in a year on Periscope, and has landed a Gold VIP status on the app.
The emergence and growing popularity of live video has given us the unique opportunity to showcase our personality and expertise in realtime to a worldwide audience. When used correctly, it will grow your personal brand and industry authority.
Where to begin?
If you’re concerned about topics and content, then start with sharing your journey and expertise. The beauty of live video is that you don’t have to worry about being perfect on camera or “getting it right.” I’ve had many comical on-air blunders that enhanced the audience experience.
“I didn’t have any clue what I was doing when I first started,” says Janine. “I began broadcasting things that were of interest to me. I did everything from Metro News to prayer and motivation.”
Be Authentic
Make sure your live stream personality matches who you are in real life. Be yourself. People appreciate authenticity. When I first started live streaming, I was fearful that my insecurities would be exposed and the world would judge me for them. Once I threw my insecurities out the window and unapologetically shared myself and thoughts with the world, my content began to resonate with more people.
Janine admits being extremely insecure in the beginning. “I became more comfortable with myself after doing Woman Crush Peri Wednesday and Man Crush Peri Monday. The idea of coming up with something that was wildly popular on Instagram — and putting my own spin on it — gave me a new level of confidence and excited me on what I could do on Periscope.”
Some believe they should build an invisible wall to shield the audience from their shortcomings. However, there’s great power in acknowledging and showing your humanity. We’re connected through our struggles and shared experiences. Your personality and genuine spirit should permeate through your broadcasts. When this happens, the people aligned with your message will spread it like wildfire.
“No matter what, I’ve never tried to copy or subscribed to anyone’s way of doing things,” Janine adds.
Add Value
Value doesn’t always come in the form of informative content. You can add value to someone’s life by acknowledging their existence with a simple “hello,” or with your positive energy. If you’re giving “meat and potatoes,” you can add value by addressing your audiences’ pain points, discussing trends in your industry, and having Q&A.
When you add value people will grow to appreciate your presence and will look forward to your live streams and share you with their network.
“I always show up and focus on being in a place of service,” says Janine.
Be Consistent
If you’re not consistent, you’ll most certainly be forgotten! Social media users have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to consuming content.
Staying consistent is key. Trust me, I understand the struggle.
I host a show on Facebook Live every Monday at 10pm EST called Boom Pop @ 10 o’clock. As of this post, I’ve completed 32 episodes — which means I’ve shown up for 32-straight Mondays. Being consistent has caused a jump in viewership and organic reach with each passing week. Thousands of people tune in and comment on my live videos.
The point is, develop a live stream cadence and stick to it.
In one year, Janine has grown her Women of Worth Community on Facebook to over 4,000 women around the globe. Much of her success is attributed to her consistency, authenticity, and the value she brings to her audience. As a social media strategist, she coaches women on how use live streaming to implement live video into their social media marketing strategy to grow their influence.
If you’re authentic, adding value, and are consistent with your efforts, you’ll incrementally grow your industry clout, which will ultimately skyrocket your profit.
What are your experiences with live streaming? I would love to connect with you on a future broadcast.
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