Name: Using live video to engage your audience and grow your business
Start: 2016-07-20T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2016-07-20T00:00:00-05:00

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July 20, 2016 @ 12:00 am

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Heather Heuman

One third of all online activity is spent watching video: Do you want your business to be a part of that?

Of course you do! And Heather Heuman (@HeatherHeuman) of Sweet Tea Social came to Social Media Breakfast Madison Wednesday to show us how to utilize one of the newest and most engaging methods of doing just that: using LIVE video, specifically utilizing the tools Periscope and Facebook Live.

First of all, it’s important to note that live video isn’t just live video. When you broadcast using Periscope or Facebook Live, you can keep your videos on social media indefinitely so viewers still can watch them at their leisure.

But for people who just can’t wait or love the allure of a live event – or who really want to interact with you and your business with real time conversations – these two tools give you that added dimension for connecting with your existing audience and reaching new audiences.

After all, Heather noted, that is what social media is all about: Connecting with your audience, growing your online community and expanding your business.

“We all feel more comfortable buying products and services from people we have a connection with,” Heather said. “I really feel live video gives consumers and customers the opportunity to have more of a voice, and you can use live media to convey what you have in your business and earn that loyalty with your customers.”

But let’s say you sponsor an event that people have to pay to attend. Why would you broadcast it live for free? Because, Heather said, statistics show that when people engage with you in real time there is a better chance they will come to a future event.

Live events can be anything from a 5-minute social conversation to broadcasting of a conference session. The important thing, Heather repeated, is that you add value.

She began with these basic tips for creating video:

Be yourself
Give amazing value
Deliver the most important content of the video first
Have a compelling title
Use bullet points
Grow your email list by having a call to action telling people about your opt-in
Ask questions
Repurpose the content

How do you repurpose video content? Let’s say you that in your video you cover 10 key points. You can convert each of those points to an individual blog post and make social media-friendly graphics for each as well.

Periscope

Heather noted that Periscope is owned by Twitter, and the two are made for each other (although – unlike Facebook Live – you do need to download the separate Periscope app). You can use Periscope to stream live within Twitter so your followers don’t even have to leave Twitter to watch your broadcast (Periscope videos no longer disappear after 24 hours as they once did). Twitter will even Tweet out to your followers that you have started a new live broadcast using Periscope. Your audience can comment and ask questions during the broadcast, and can tap the screen to send fluttering heart icons across the screen to show their approval.

Heather suggested that you don’t end your engagement with your audience when the broadcast is over but rather follow up with comments and messages to those who participated. You can even ask them to share the broadcast with their friends and followers.

If you have a serial broadcast, she noted, it is best to broadcast at regular intervals – such as 5 p.m. every Sunday – so your audience knows when to tune in.

Addressing everyone’s fear, Heather said, don’t worry if nobody shows up for your broadcast. If you’re ready to broadcast and you have zero viewers, just keep going, she said. People are likely to show up and even if they don’t participate live, others are likely to watch it later. Plus, in the unlikely event the broadcast does turn out to be a complete dud, well, you can always just delete it. No damage done.

(Note: For additional information, here a link to a tutorial I found on using Periscope: http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/periscope-tutorial/)

Facebook Live

One of the nice things about Facebook Live, Heather noted, is that you have a built-in “warm audience” of Facebook friends and followers.

It is easy to broadcast live, just go to the status of your personal or business Facebook account and click on the icon of a person with a halo. Point your camera and start recording.

There are a lot of options for the types of events you can broadcast live, from short and simple messages to behind the scenes insights to longer events. To get started, broadcast something simple such as everyone singing happy birthday at birthday party, she suggested.

Aim to do Facebook Live for 10 minutes, she said. The maximum is 90 minutes, but “even if you just have two minutes of video, that is absolutely great,” she said.

One of the big advantages of Facebook Live is that because Facebook wants to encourage people to use it, it will give your live broadcast greater exposure than it would a typical post, Heather said. In other words, your broadcast will show up on on more news feeds than usual.

“You should take advantage of that added exposure,” she said.

Heather said Facebook Live will tell you how many viewers you have but you won’t know who they are unless they comment. “I might have 10 to 50 viewers,” she said. “Sometimes you might have just one live viewer.”

The key, she said, is to make it simple: “Have a point, say who you are, have a smile on your face and at the end have a call to action.”

When you are done, your Facebook Live video will stay on your Facebook page as a video unless you delete it.

If you want to, you can save your video to your camera roll for future purposing (but you don’t have to).

Heather recommended using Facebook Live analytics to see which videos get most traction, and then create more videos with similar content.

Again, she said, the main attraction of quality online video is to offer viewers value.

Always ask yourself, Heather said, “How can I solve the pain points of the people I am trying to attract?”

Written by Bill Hurley, (@billhurleymedia / billhurleymedia.com / beachmaniac.com) Editor, writer, social media strategist, website developer, digital publisher. BillHurleyMail@gmail.com, Bill@smbmad.org.

Using live video to engage your audience and grow your business

July 20, 2016 @ 12:00 am

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SMBMAD Podcasts:

1. Interview with July’s presenter, Heather Heuman

2. Audio of Heather’s presentation

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Author: SMB Madison

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