Livestreaming. Did you just get a little anxious? Did your face turn red and your heart rate surge? This is common when I talk to small business owners about going live on their social platforms. Your first attempt may suck (mine did!), but going live have so many benefits that outweigh sharing prerecorded videos that it’s something I strongly encourage you try. Pressing LIVE on your social feed is scary, but it doesn’t have to be. Why Livestream? Livestreaming can be extremely beneficial to your social media accounts and give you a closer connection you desire with your audience. In a recent Forbes article, it was reported that people watch Facebook live videos 3 times longer than prerecorded videos, AND Facebook users receive 200% more notifications about live videos than about any other type of content. How about that for getting your message out? But the best part? Livestreaming is you. 100% real and unpolished (for the most part). You are coming across authentically, and people will appreciate and forgive you for any miscues that occur. Molly’s LIVEstream Quick Tips Determine your livestream date and topic. This will help you commit to trying live and give you something to talk about. Choose a topic that you know well so it’s easy for you to describe and discuss, and create some talking points on a sheet of paper or your Notes app to help you along the way. Design an opening and closing. Introduce who you are and what the audience should expect from today’s video, and in closing ask the audience to DO something with this information: call you to order, implement this strategy, go to your website to schedule an appointment, or share this video with their friends. Set up your video in a quiet, well-lit location. In polls, live video viewers rated video quality the most important aspect of a livestream, so make sure your audience can see what you are describing and double-check that you have a strong internet connection. Also, make sure there are minimal visual distractions in the background. For sound purposes, sometimes using a microphone or earbuds is your best option, but again, reduce distracting sounds in the background as much as possible. eCamm Live: this downloadable software allows me to share my screen in a way that doesn’t have the “mirror” effect like the native screen share within Facebook LIVE. Tripod: nothing is worse than a shaky camera. Invest in a tripod and camera mount for a minimal cost. Lighting: if you are planning to incorporate regular livestreams or video production, it may be time to get yourself a lighting kit to improve the quality of your final product. Large kits are perfect for larger shots, but you can also get smaller desktop versions if you plan to do mostly screen sharing videos. Get equipment for future broadcasts: I like setting up a recording space for my lives with a few extra components to make the video better for my audience.
