How to Use LIVE Video to Sell
Y’all know I think LIVE video is ah-may-zing!
It’s great for really engaging with your audience, and for establishing that personal connection.
But as a business owner, your LIVE videos also need to drive sales…otherwise, what’s the point?
I recently sat down with Luria Petrucci to talk about how to grow your business using live video; and specifically, how to use live video to sell, on one of my episodes of?my?Marketing That Grows Your Business Show.?You can catch the full episode?here.
Luria is a live video strategist who has been in the online space for over 14 years. She’s the founder of?Live Streaming Pros, a company that focuses on helping you create professional videos that are “YOUniquely You”!?
She’s created over 5,000 videos with a combined view count of over 1 BILLION (!), and has appeared on major media outlets including CNN, NBC, Fox, BBC and many others.
That’s why I was so excited to sit down and talk with her about stuff that I KNOW is on your mind. Stuff like:
This post will answer all these questions and more.?
I hope you get as much value and insight from this post as I did from talking with Luria!
How to Get Over Your Fear of Going LIVE
Let’s start with one of the most common concerns people have about doing live videos:
You’re not alone!
In fact, I was that person once upon a time. But one thing I kept hearing was that?the more you do it, the most comfortable you get. And in my experience, this is spot on!
Luria actually puts on a free challenge twice a year to help people with exactly this problem. Participants go live every day for 30 days. She tells them exactly what to say and do, and then they go live in a private, safe environment.
According to Luria, it’s not just about her students learning on-camera techniques, or even about showing up consistently: “How you really truly overcome that fear of live video is by understanding how to be uniquely you on camera.”
When you do this, you gain so much confidence…which comes simply from being comfortable in your own skin.?
Another technique that many people find helpful (Luria included), is to envision an alternative version of yourself…someone who’s fearless, and who can really put themselves out there.?
For me, my fear of live video was from being so wrapped up in perfection. I wanted everything to be perfect and scripted, so I would always know exactly what to say next.
But, I quickly learned that it wasn’t (or shouldn’t be) about me:?that it’s all about the people I’m here to serve.?
It’s about embracing why you’re here, and what you bring to the table for the person on the other side of the screen.?
And when you get to that realization and focus on serving, magical things start to happen!
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about creating professional-looking live videos though.
According to Luria, the key is to create professional live videos that also show your true personality.??
You want to have a set that describes who you are, that looks good, and you want to use a good camera and have good lighting. These things will give you instant credibility.?
But this isn’t enough. You also want your personality to shine through. You need to be present, and to break through any fakeness to get to true vulnerability.?
And when you can combine all these things, this is really when the magic really happens!?
What if You Feel Like You Have Nothing Interesting to Share?
This is another worry I hear all the time!
Many people think their life is boring, and that they don’t have anything interesting to share. They think others won’t care about what they have to say…and this leads them to shut down and avoid sharing anything uniquely “them”.
The problem is, you never really know what people will care about until you step out on a limb and share!
According to Luria, the key is?connection…not perfection.?Share things that you know others will connect to, like kids, dogs, and other relatable topics.
These are things you KNOW people in your audience will have dealt with; and because they feel connected to it (and to you), this is what will get them to engage and interact.?
A phrase Luria loves that sums this up perfectly is, “Turn your mess into a message.” So many people are afraid to share something bad they’re going through or went through. They want to stay on a surface level rather than going super deep.?
But, it’s by going deep that people are really able to connect with you and be inspired.
How to Make Money from Going LIVE
For me,?live video is the fastest path to building the “know, like, trust” factor.?
People can quickly get a sense of who you are, and whether or not they like you.??And the more they come back, the more they trust you…and ultimately, that’s how you sell to them.
But practically speaking, how does this work? Should you have some sort of sales goal for each live video? How do you get people to buy from you? How do you move them to a place where you can nurture them more?
Luria has multiple purposes or intentions for each of her live videos. And she goes live four times each week, so she has plenty of opportunity to play around with different strategies!
One approach she uses regularly is community-based – using her live videos to?connect?with her audience. According to Luria, when you focus on connection, you’re able to move strangers into buyers, very, very quickly; especially when you have a lower-priced offer…like a $97 product.
(If you want to promote a higher-ticket item – like a $2000 offer – you may need more time.)?
Another approach Luria uses is to focus on?giving value.
The four types of value Luria recommends using are:
When creating videos, you can either focus on one value for each video…or, for even better results, you can combine two, three, or even all of them!
How to Make Money from an Educational Video
Most of us already do educational live videos for our audiences. We teach them how to do something, or talk about how to overcome a specific problem.
But, how do you actually use live videos to sell?
Or instead of trying to sell, should you just try moving people to your email list?
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Luria explained that when she does an educational video, she usually has one of two goals: either to move viewers onto her email list, or to promote an offer.?
She differentiates here between “lives for leads” or “lives for launches”.?
If she’s in-between product launches, she’ll focus only on moving viewers onto her list.?
One way Luria does this is by giving away a free PDF related to the topic of her broadcast. For instance, on a recent live video she talked about how to change up your background to make it look more professional, but also to really showcase your personality.
In the video, she described a bunch of different ideas, and then mentioned: “By the way, if you’re having trouble perceiving how you’re going to build this out, I’d invite you to check out the PDF I have.”
However, if she’s launching something or wants to promote an offer (“lives for launches”), this will be a little more promotional (more on the ideal structure of a live video that sells, below).?
Over the past while, Luria has been trying something a little bit different. Instead of focusing only on building her list between launches, she’s been making simple offers at around the $97 price point.?
According to Luria, this doesn’t even have to be super promotional – because your offer is closely related to what you’re talking about, or to questions your viewers have.?
In this way, it doesn’t need to FEEL like a pitch: “It doesn’t have to feel like selling because that’s where a lot of people get hung up. If you’re offering some value education around a particular topic, you can easily transition that conversation into an offer; because on live video, [that’s] very natural.”
Another way to monetize an educational video is to?promote affiliate offers.?
For instance, if you’re doing a live video on how to do lighting for videos, you could include affiliate links to lights on Amazon.
Another way to monetize these types of videos is to?promote your own products. For instance, Luria has a workshop where she walks people step-by-step through setting up their own studio. This makes for an easy sell, as it’s exactly the content her audience wants and needs.?
To tap into this need, she talks about how overwhelming it can be to set up your studio, and the fact that there are so many different types of lights of out here. She talks about those frustrations, and because people are there to solve their problems, it’s not a difficult sell.
I know it can feel “yucky” at times to use live video to sell!
But Luria has a great perspective on this: “Encourage yourself to get over your fears about [your] offer, because that’s why they’re there: not only for information, but if [your offer] is right for them, they’ll take that a step further. There are tons of people who have no qualms about paying you for something that will help them fix that problem.”
The?Structure of a LIVE Video that SELLS!
I promised I would share more about how to actually structure a live video that sells. This same structure works for getting leads, too.
Here’s what Luria suggests.
The key to selling using this structure is to?integrate calls to action into your bullet points. For instance, if you’re going to use three main points, you’ll want to include a call to action into one or two of them.?
You don’t want to leave your call to action until the very end, because people are always popping in and out!
Which leads me to one of the trickiest parts of creating live videos that actually sell: simply getting people to watch the entire video.
One strategy Luria uses is to?hint at something coming up later?(for instance, a giveaway or a secret). This should be something that’s tied to the call to action you want people to hear.?
So, throughout your livestream, tease things that are coming up later on…just be sure not to do it too often!
Another strategy Luria recommends to keep people watching is simply to?keep them engaged. The more you can engage in conversation with people, the more likely they are to stick around.?
The trick here is to try to pay attention to how many people are staying throughout the entire broadcast…because analytics often aren’t that helpful here. Notice who joined you right at the beginning, and whether they made it through to the end.
If you notice you’re losing people, then you know you need to adjust your engagement approach!
Using “Buzz” to Sell on your LIVE Videos
Another secret weapon Luria uses to get people to buy is to build a buzz around an upcoming product or offer.
For instance, if she wanted to offer a new workshop, she would mention it in her live videos. This wouldn’t have to be promotional. Rather, it could be as simple as, “Hey guys, what if we all got together to continue this conversation in person? Is that something I should think about?”.
In this way, she would be getting people’s investment and participation in the idea. And even if she knew for sure she wanted to offer it, having people make a monetary investment would confirm that it’s a viable idea.
In this way, she’s also inviting her viewers behind the scenes of creating that retreat. This way, by the time she’s ready to sell, there’s already an emotional investment…and that’s extremely powerful.?
How do You Monetize Your Live Once it’s Over?
I’m all about repurposing content! There are so many ways you can take a piece of content and maximize its effects.
Luria recommends thinking about your repurposing strategy?before?you go live. For instance, you might decide that one of your bullet points would be perfect as a short video clip for Facebook.
You can then consider running some ads to it. And because you’ve included a call to action in your bullet point, you can continue to capitalize on it.
When planning how you’re going to use content from your live video, think about how to optimize it for where you’re going to share it. This might mean not watching comments or engaging in that portion of the broadcast, if possible.
This is something, that according to Luria, you really have to practice over time.?
And I would definitely second this!
I struggle with getting sidetracked on my live videos…talking with people, answering questions, etc.
But, if you know you want to repurpose your content, you have to be aware of this and you really do need to focus…or else you’re going to be editing your content to death!
I’m Overwhelmed by All This Info! Where do I Start?!
If you’re just starting out with livestreaming, all this information may feel a little overwhelming.?
I get it!
But according to Luria, the single most important thing is to simply?focus on starting.?
You don’t need to be super intentional, or even figure out what you want out of your livestreams. Instead, just try stuff out: “Experimentation is not only okay, it’s absolutely necessary in the world of content creation of any kind…especially live videos.”?
She goes on to say, “You start small, and then you add, and add, and add.[don’t] put too much pressure on yourself.”
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement!?
Remember that nothing is going to be perfect right out of the gate. Be prepared to be a royal screwup at first, because honestly that could very well be the case! <grin>
As you practice, you’ll grow and learn. Focus on the basics, and you’ll just keep getting better and better!
Are you struggling to make money from your live videos? What did you learn in this post that you want to try out in the future?