STRATEGY: Live and Direct

It’s all about staging and preparation. Natalee Fitch from Central Texas Gun and Pawn has her act wired.

PHOTO BY LILIANNA STORY PHOTOGRAPHY

LIVE & DIRECT Ready to create epic LIVE video selling events on your social media channels? Follow these tips:

Make the first few seconds count: Start your video with a greeting or a question that will hook viewers to keep watching and lets them know what’s coming in the video event such as “Do you, or someone you know, need to level-up your fine jewelry game? I’ve got you covered! Today we’re going to be showing you some of our most popular and trending items.”

Use the header to hook: Don’t just type “Going Live” but instead, make it interesting and exciting for someone to click and turn the volume up (not just watch it on silent)

There›s a role for anyone—even the camera-shy: Having another person who can work in tandem with you and work off-camera can be very helpful. This partner can type answers to questions in real-time, drop links in the comments section. They will keep the conversation flowing and add to the quality of the live shopping event. If no one is available or you›re not comfortable having your face on the camera, consider getting a tripod to hold the camera and show your hands only while you build confidence.

Well begun is half done: Take your time beforehand to establish technology for a smooth and visually pleasing delivery. Carefully display your merchandise as well as the surrounding area. Take note of your personal appearance as well and make sure that you look and sound knowledgeable about the items you’re sharing, and plan how the conversation will flow. Invest in technology that will enhance the experience. There are countless apps for improving your video delivery, and

It’s as easy as ABC: When it comes to selling via live video, follow the ABCs: Always Be Connecting. Connect yourself to the viewers by saying their name, ask and answer questions, and otherwise personalize the experience for them. Then, connect them to the item and let them see that you are knowledgeable and trustworthy.

Make it a celebration: Make your live video event meaningful and memorable. Build interest by announcing it beforehand and encourage followers to help spread the word and celebrate them when they do.

Be aware of your body language: When you hear that 3..2….1.. countdown put on your biggest smile and remind yourself to smile throughout the event regularly. Even the friendliest people can forget to smile while speaking on camera, so be sure that you practice it and remind yourself to engage and present yourself in a warm and welcoming manner.

Share the love: Once you’ve established a rhythm to the conversation, ask viewers to hit that ‘like’ button or tag a friend who would love the item you’re showing. Ask people what they’d like to see in future live video events and thank them for their input. Check the comments after the conclusion of the video because people who view it later will want to weigh in on the conversation.

Make it easy for people to buy: Create a Facebook shop (it’s free), and then you’ll have the ability to link your products in your posts. Other apps like CommentSold help customers claim their items in real time, simplify the process of collecting payments, and match the correct item to each customer.

Repurpose the content: If you’re going to the trouble of hosting a live video event, be sure that you’re maximizing the video content on other channels. You can use a streaming app like Streamyard to broadcast it to more than one channel or to download the live as an HD video and upload it to your blog, website, email list, youtube, etc.

Build exclusivity: By its very nature, interacting with Facebook Live broadcasts is a pretty exclusive experience. Only those who are watching live can interact in real-time. You can make this feel even more exclusive by holding a giveaway, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at your business, unboxing a shipment of new arrivals, or giving a limited time offer during the broadcast. You should also consider creating a Private Group that they can join where you can keep the interest going between video events. Exclusivity is irresistible to viewers.

Stay at the front of their minds: Once your live video shopping events take off, you can use Facebook ads manager to create audiences and deliver ads to people who have watched them. From your ads manager, click ‘create an audience.’ Next, click ‘custom audience’ and then ‘engagement’. Choose ‘video’ as your type of engagement. Once you’ve picked your content type, you can then pick your videos by clicking on the browse button.

Audiences prefer authenticity over perfection: It’s easy to get nervous at the thought of something unexpected happening on a live broadcast. But these things demonstrate that you’re only human, just like the audience. If the unexpected happens, point out the humor in it and move on. The benefits of broadcasting live will more than outweigh the butterflies.