Are you looking for ways to get more video into your content?
If so, live broadcasts are a great way to do just that all while standing out to more brands because you are authentically sharing your story with your audience. Brands want that relationship!
IE 41: Overcoming the Fear of Live Broadcasts to Stand out to More Brands
Back in episode 38, I talked at length about the growth mindset you need for your business. In order to survive in online business, you have to see the glass as half-full as opposed to half-empty, and you have to find ways to approach your business with that growth mindset.
Rip Off that Band-Aid
I don’t know about your kids, but my kids have Band-Aid anxiety. They’re all for putting one on, but the trouble starts when it’s time to take it off. If you’re a mom, you know what the solution is to this problem. You just have to rip that sucker off as quickly as you can. No hesitation, no counting, no getting ready. You have to follow the Nike mantra and “just do it.”
Live video is exactly like that! You can prepare your content and you can make sure that your setup is perfect and that your makeup looks good. But finally, you have done everything you can to prepare and you just have to rip the Band-Aid off. You have to actually do the broadcast.
Now there may be some temporary pain associated with this. We’ve talked before about things like, “What if nobody watches?” Or, “What if somebody does watch?” Live video can be scary and that’s totally normal, but I want to help you overcome those fears so that you can begin to create amazing video content for your business.
Now let me say this, if you are already used to doing live video from being on Periscope or Instagram stories, you need to go back and listen to episode 40 of this podcast where I teach you exactly how to structure your Facebook lives to get the most engagement from your followers.
Who Is Your Tribe?
I was at a conference recently and some of the talk was on the value of knowing who is in your tribe. Do you know what I mean when I talk about a tribe?
There are different types of tribes. Some are more personal, where you may use it for business, but you’re looking more for emotional support than just business advice. You could be part of a group on Facebook where you have share threads, and that’s a type of tribe. But for the purpose of doing Facebook lives, you need more than just some contacts.
You Need an Accountability Partner
You need an accountability partner, preferably someone who is either in your niche or at least in the same genre. If you’re a food blogger, have an accountability partner that is either also a food blogger or at least a lifestyle blogger. When you get ready to go live, ask them to come over and listen in to what you’re doing.
If you’re a part of our membership site, you know that we have set up accountability partners for our members. But if you aren’t a member yet, we are currently running a 14-day free trial so you can see what the group is all about.
There are other ways to find partners though. Look in your Facebook groups that you already participate in. Commit to popping into each other’s Facebook lives for just 5 minutes. The reason this is so important, especially when you first start doing live broadcasts, is that if you know somebody is there listening and watching, it makes it easier for you to talk!
If you can’t find someone in your Facebook groups, ask a blogger friend that you know. You should already have this friend because you need someone who understands the craziness of the online world. You might even convince them to start doing live broadcasts!
If you don’t know another blogger well enough to ask, ask a real-life friend that may not be a blogger, but is your avatar. Your avatar is who you were 2 years ago, or your best friend. Your BFF should be happy to jump on and give you some engagement for your live broadcasts.
Use a Crutch
One of the hardest things about doing live broadcasts is sticking with it even if you don’t have any viewers. It just feels awkward and like you’re talking to yourself. Early on in my live broadcasts, I started using one of my kids as a crutch. I have used both of my kids at different times, but I prefer to use my 4-year-old. I have people who tune into my videos just to see me interact with my child.
People want to see what they consider real life. They watch to see how I parent her, what kinds of crazy antics she may pull off today, and how I deal with her doing things like yelling at the camera. People like authentic relationships and they want to feel like they know you and are a part of your life.
I even tell brands when I am pitching to them that I plan to include my 4-year-old in any video content I produce for them. If I am creating a recipe, I let them know that she will be in the kitchen with me. Brands know that people are seeking authenticity so they are usually very on-board with her participating.
Practice in a Small Group
If you are just starting to dip your toe into the live video world, what better place to try it than in some of the smaller Facebook groups you are already a part of? When I began doing live video for my blog The Melrose Family, I created a closed Facebook group specifically for the content I planned on sharing with that audience. I did the same thing for my Jenny Melrose group.
I purposely kept these groups small so that I could get a good understanding of what my audience wanted. I didn’t need my whole newsfeed talking to me; I needed a specific group of people telling me what they wanted to hear from me.
This is where I did my very first live broadcasts. I knew that this group of people wanted to know me and were trying to understand my content better. I knew that the inevitable mistakes I would make as I learned the ins and outs of live broadcasting would be okay because I was in a safe place. The groups I had were much smaller at the time, so going live inside them wasn’t nearly as nerve-wracking as it would have been to go live in front of thousands of people.
One thing to remember is that if you do your lives in a closed group and someone from the group shares it, anybody outside the group won’t be able to see it. They will have to join the group in order to see it. So if getting your content out there to a wider audience and getting more eyes on it is your goal, you need to do your live broadcasts on your Facebook page and not in a closed group.
The group is meant for practicing when you first get started. Use your Facebook page once you feel more comfortable going live. The best thing about using your Facebook page is that Facebook will give you stats on your videos. You can discover the best day to go live, the best time of day, and who your audience is. This information helps you develop consistency in your broadcasts so that your audience knows when you will be on.
Be sure to join me next week here on the podcast when I will be sharing with you some exciting news about a Live event I am hosting online. I will be telling you how to get signed up next week, so I will see you then!
If you have shared this podcast with your friends, let me say a huge thank you! My downloads have tripled since I asked you to begin sharing and it is all due to you and your generosity, so thank you so much.
Links
Mastering Your Influence Membership Site 14 Day FREE Trial
IE 40: How to Structure Your Live Broadcast to Go Viral
IE 39: How Live Broadcasting makes You Stand Out as an Influencer
IE 38: How to have a Growth Mindset as a Blogger
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