The last few wacky years since what I call the “panini/pananarama” has caused many of us to pivot and try new approaches in our businesses. One approach that has been a secret weapon in my business and is the fastest way to grow an engaged audience that converts is LIVE VIDEO!!
I was invited as a guest on my friend, Colin Boyd’s Expert Edge Podcast to talk all about the practical and tactical strategies around using live video that will help you connect with your audience, generate leads, and grow your business!
I want to make sure you have access to this amazing conversation because I truly believe mastering live video is going to be one of your biggest assets and is exactly what your business needs to thrive more than ever before!
Grab your earbuds and tune in!! Listen to the episode now!
Here’s a sneak peek of what we talked about:
- [3:46] The catalyst that created my seven-figure annual business!
- [8:04] How I overcame the fear of getting on live video!
- [12:10] Why live video is important now more than ever!
- [17:12] The single greatest predictor of success no matter your level of business!
- [24:08] The most important thing you need to do when it comes to live video!
- [25:31] How live video can help lower your ad costs!
- [32:27] What live video strategies are working at the moment!
- [37:04] Why I go back and look at the analytics!
- [38:29] How to set yourself up for launch success!
- [44:52] The smart and strategic things you can do for your business!
The Catalyst That Created My Seven-Figure Annual Business
About seven years ago, I was working full-time in the production world as a celebrity makeup artist, wardrobe stylist, and set designer. At the time I was working with clients who were transitioning from offline businesses to online businesses and I got to go along the journey with them.
Backstage during a live event, I got pushed in front of my first live video by a client I was working with. I had so much to share, but I was hiding and playing small. That’s why it’s so important to surround yourself with exceptional people!
That moment was the catalyst that created my seven-figure annual business which is why I’m so obsessed with helping other digital entrepreneurs discover and uncover their untapped potential!!
How I Overcame the Fear of Getting on Live Video
In the beginning, I had legitimate fears about live video because it was a brand new platform. Oftentimes we allow our fears to keep us from taking action. The longer you think about doing something, the more we’re manifesting how scary and fearful it is.
The beauty of live video is:
- There is no expectation for perfection.
- It’s a beautiful opportunity to refine your skills.
- You get to define what your personal brand is all about.
What makes live video so powerful is that instead of assuming what your ideal clients need, you get to have conversations with them. This way you can test your messaging far before you launch so that you know what your audience actually wants and needs!
Why Live Video is Important Now More Than Ever
The last few years have been the most unpredictable of anybody’s lifetime. What we have learned, especially in the social media and online marketing space, is that instead of panicking in the middle of the pandemic we needed to pivot!
Immediately many brick and mortar businesses went online and I’ve shown many businesses owners how to salvage their businesses by using live video to:
- Offer their services in a different way,
- Look at the opportunities in front of them, and
- Still serve with their businesses.
Whether you’re a day in or ten years in, in this day and age, in order to be able to promote your products and services you need to consider how you’re going to grow your audience. That’s why live video is so important for digital entrepreneurs now more than ever!
The Single Greatest Predictor of Success No Matter Your Level of Business
The most important strategy for anyone no matter your level of business that is also the single greatest predictor of your launch success is what you’re doing between your launches. Regardless of the launch vehicle, the one common factor in launches is that there is a live video component to it.
We’re no longer doing live video for the sake of doing live video.
There is a strategic reason why I’m doing a weekly live video show on Facebook versus Instagram. There is no right or wrong, but as business owners, you need to know the strategy behind why you’re doing the things that you’re doing in your business.
For me, Facebook Live is not about showing up for the sake of showing up. It’s about creating an audience, humanizing my brand, and talking to people to figure out exactly what they need. Rather than assume I’m having conversations where I’m learning about their problems, challenges, and what keeps them up at night in real-time through live video.
The Most Important Thing You Need to Do When It Comes to Live Video
A lot of people say that Facebook Business Pages are so hard to get any engagement. Anything that you put energy, consistency, and strategies towards is going to improve. Of course, if you don’t give it a shot, it’s not going to grow!
People are often looking at the lack of live attendees or lack of interaction. Guess what?! Everyone starts with zero!
The most important thing you need to do is to shut down your ego:
- Show gratitude for the one person that shows up live.
- Give yourself permission to go through that painful ugly initial period when you have zero attendees and nobody interacting.
- If you don’t, then where you are is where you’re going to stay.
How Live Video Can Help Lower Your Ad Costs
Live video gives you the opportunity to lower the cost of your future ads because you’re building custom audiences from your video views!
This is one of the byproducts of doing live video specifically live video on your Facebook Business Page.
Whether they watch live or on the replay, as long as they watch 3 seconds of your video, they become a retargetable audience for Facebook ads.
Really setting an intentional pre-launch about 8-12 weeks out where you’re doing 1-2 Facebook Lives per week allows you to really hone in on the main pillars of your brand messaging. This is how you launch with a plan and a purpose, so you don’t launch to crickets!
What Live Video Strategies are Working at the Moment
I truly believe that at the core of what we’re doing as entrepreneurs is to embrace what we don’t know and make it our job to learn the answers to the question that we have about our audiences.
Instead of not taking that first action step because you don’t know the answer yet, one strategy to get your ego out of the way is to tap into that childlike curiosity.
I call this the “learning phase” and this is what I’m doing early on before the launch to learn more about my audience and how what’s happening in the world is affecting them. This way I can tweak my messaging for the next launch.
This also gives me the opportunity to learn what topics and pillars of my brand my audience responds to. Even though I’ve touched upon many of these topics from every possible angle, they never feel repetitive. We’re always refining our messaging and that’s what we get to do with live video.
Why I Go Back and Look at the Analytics
I look at the analytics because oftentimes we focus on the “ego led” analytics, such as who showed up live. I don’t do live video for the same purpose that I did live video four years ago.
I get far fewer live viewers most of the time compared to when I was doing live video four years ago. Most people who teach video are not willing to say that because it’s a blow to their ego and they’re measuring their success by the number of viewers.
My launches and revenue have gotten bigger and bigger even though my live video audiences have gotten smaller and smaller. Because of that, most average entrepreneurs stop. When you look at the analytics it’s clear that live video is STILL the fastest way to grow an engaged audience that CONVERTS!!
How to Set Yourself Up for Launch Success
One of the strategies that I recommend once you’ve honed in on our messaging is to promote your live videos with paid ads. I’m talking $5 to $10 per day on the front end before you go into a launch.
The further we’re out from your launch, the lower our budget is. The closer we get to the launch and the more intentional our live video topics become to what our free experience is going to be about, the more money we are putting toward those engagement and video view ads.
The objective for the ads that we’re running between our launches is to build more audiences that we can retarget later when we are building the actual invitation for the launch experience. This is how you set yourself up for launch success!
The Smart and Strategic Things You Can Do For Your Business
I get asked all the time about the lighting, fancy equipment, and set design. Those are the things that feed the ego, but that doesn’t make the business! What it comes down to is that people will invest so much money into the equipment instead of the knowledge, programs, and marketing that actually move the needle.
The smart and strategic things that you can do for your business is to:
- Take 5 minutes to plan out your content!
- Hone in on your messaging and get your launches out there!
- Have more budget to put towards your ads!
This is what actually builds your business so that you’re successful the way that I know you can be year over year. Think like a business owner that’s going to be in business not just a year from now, but six years from now!
With Grit & Grace, xo!
Tiffany aka Coach Glitter
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