What’s stopping you from experimenting with live video for your business? I’ve been asking this question on various networks.

It puzzles me that more people aren’t jumping onto the live video bandwagon. It’s never been easier to shoot and stream video. The only equipment required is your smartphone. 

You could go one step further and use a webcam on your desktop, and you could invest in a desktop tripod, but you don’t need any of those things to shoot live streaming video.

Do any of these reasons for not doing live video resonate with you?

1. I don’t have a good location or backdrop
2. I don’t look good on video
3. Tools/How-to/Laziness/Time Constraints 

I do not want to be a time-waster if I’m going to go to all the trouble of doing this. Finding something I can talk about intelligently is highest on my list for moving forward with this challenge.

4. I don’t want to be visible, and I’m not sure anyone is interested in what I’d like to say

5. Fear that the video will not look good (here’s my answer to that)

Kick those fears to the curb

1. I don’t have a good location or backdrop

The beauty of live video is that it can be spontaneous and doesn’t require a “studio look.” Sure, you don’t want a big mess in the background because that can be distracting. But, you can create a live experience anywhere you’ve got a wifi connection so the background may be somewhere outdoors or at an airport, in a hotel, anywhere you happen to be.

2. I don’t look good on video

I’ll let you in on a little secret:  Pretty much nobody (except maybe George Clooney) likes how they look on camera.  We all tend to be our own worst critics! The “don’t look good on video” fear is mostly unfounded.  We’re usually being way too self-conscious.  Live video is not a “red carpet” moment, it’s a casual, informal, “on-the-fly” moment. And, I’ll never forget the advice I got when I first was experimenting with video and hated the way I looked: no one cares what you look like, most people want to see people who look like them. It makes you more relatable.

3. Tools/How-to/Laziness/Time Constraints 

Another cool feature of live video is that it doesn’t take a lot of time!  Think of it as a quick “video selfie.”   You can use your mobile phone and do your video from anywhere, on the go and in the moment.  The “no time” excuse simply doesn’t hold up when it comes to live video.  And going live on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is literally a few taps on your phone. It can’t get any easier than that.

4. I don’t want to be visible, and I’m not sure anyone is interested in what I’d like to say

Believe me, I can relate to not wanting to be visible. I’m an introvert and being on camera is not my first choice for expressing myself. However, the reality is, LIVE video has become so important that you can’t ignore it. With hundreds of millions of people on every social network competing for attention, the content that stands out above all others is live video. I’ll be blunt. If you’re not doing some live video, your message isn’t being seen and heard by many people. Is that what you want?

5. Fear that the video will not look good

Here’s my answer to that. If your content is great, but the video is not up to snuff, all is not lost. There are numerous ways you can repurpose the content without the video so your time hasn’t been “wasted.”

How are you feeling now? I know I sound like a broken record, and I believe that you – the entrepreneur, the solo business owner – are in a unique position to take chances, experiment with new tools and tactics and embrace change. What have you got to lose?

Need a pep talk? Here’s my journey to “just say yes” which I apply whenever I feel reluctant about trying something new.

Want more? Here are The Video Godfather’s Top 10 Proven Video Marketing Tips.

If you have questions or concerns I haven’t addressed, please post them in the comments or here, on Facebook.

[ssp-video]

The post Are You Afraid of Doing Live Video? appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Have you ever published a blog post or status update, or video and then realized it was terrible? Maybe not the content, but the format or presentation of the content? What do you do? How do you handle it?

In the case of live video, on Facebook, for example, you may not know the video sucked until after the fact. Like the video below.  I’m sharing with you to share a lesson and a point. Under normal circumstances, I would never put this video on my blog.

But when I realized that I wouldn’t normally share it, I also realized you may have experienced this too and that I could share some ways to “turn a lemon into lemonade” — to paraphrase a bit.

You’ll see that the quality of the video is terrible. And, the audio is fine. There are a lot of challenges with creating live streaming video and this happens to be mine. 

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I was so excited when I learned that Facebook had enabled live streaming from desktop vs. a mobile device. Using a webcam is more stable and easier for me. The problem is that live streaming eats up a lot of resources and I’ve discovered I don’t seem to have fast enough upload speed. Or, I had too many programs running in the background, or who knows what. The video sucks.

The problem is that I don’t see that the video is terrible until after I end the live stream and the playback is ready on the Facebook page. 

From terrible video to repurposed content

As mentioned in this post, I have a system in place to repurpose my videos, if I choose to. To quickly recap, this is what automatically happens after I finish recording on Facebook:

1. The video is uploaded to an unlisted playlist on YouTube so I can review it, edit the description, or decide to delete it
2. The video is saved on my blog as a draft post (as in this case using it in this post)
3. The video is saved to folder on Dropbox
4. The audio is stripped from the video and the mp3 file is saved to a folder on Dropbox

In the case of the above, the video on YouTube will not be published. However, all is not lost. The audio is good and I have some options for using it in other ways.

• Get the audio transcribed on Rev.com 
• Use the transcript as the basis for another blog post
• Post the audio on Soundcloud
• Create a video using images and add the audio soundtrack
• Post the new video on YouTube
• Post the new video on Slideshare
• Share the new video on social networks

Sadly, none of this repurposed content solves the “crappy video” problem. More experimentation is required to discover how to get the best quality video based on my circumstances (I don’t have a lot of choices when it comes to ISPs). I may end up having to use my smartphone instead of my laptop if that’s going to give you, the viewer a better experience. We shall see.

The Takeaway

I hope you get from this that there are so many options for your content. Embracing experimentation opens up your opportunities. When you look beyond what you may perceive as a failure or less than perfect result, you may see alternatives or new ways to get your ideas, message, and content out to the world. 

My live video sucked. I could have trashed it and moved on. 

Instead, knowing the options, I adapted so I could get a new message out. 

Here’s my call to action to you: look at the sucky content you’ve created and discarded. 

Is there a new way you could use it?

Can it be repurposed to another format?

Is there a lesson learned that you can share?

Your time is precious. If you’ve spent time creating a live video and it didn’t turn out the way you planned, spend a few minutes thinking about how you can adapt it so you don’t feel like you wasted your time. Experiment with a new way to get the same message out. At the very least, get the video transcribed so you can create a blog post or series of tips from your message.

I’m curious, what do you do when you create a video that doesn’t meet your standards? Please share your tips in the comments!

The post What Do You Do When Your Live Video Sucks? appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

As live video becomes easier to produce with tools like Periscope, Blab and Facebook live, you have an opportunity to take your business to new heights. Big name social media stars are making waves and making money by adding live video to their marketing strategy.

But what about us solo biz owners, can live video make an impact on our businesses?

That’s what my guest MaAnna Stephenson and I talked about on this episode of Adventures in Visibility. You’re going to learn exactly how she does it in this interview/case study.

• MaAnna Stephenson’s background and how she got started with her online business (she’s a true Renaissance woman!)
• Why she’s so excited about live video
• The challenges that MaAnna needed to overcome
• Exactly how MaAnna makes money every time she does a live broadcast
• The platforms MaAnna uses (and why she LOVES Facebook Live)
• MaAnna’s top tips for using live video
• MaAnna’s most memorable adventure

This is a replay of the live broadcast with Denise Wakeman and MaAnna Stephenson. {click here if you prefer to watch the video on YouTube}

Recommended Reading and Action

How I Make Money with Blab

Survive and Thrive with the Demise of Blab – Interview with Denise Wakeman

How to get started with Facebook Live (affiliate)

For your convenience, the audio is available as a podcast.

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About the Guest

MaAnna Stephenson, the founder of BlogAid, is a geek who can still speak in plain English and helps non-geeks create sites that get noticed by search engines and readers, are secure, plus convert and perform well. MaAnna helps with WordPress, SEO, content and video marketing, membership sites, security, performance, and more.

Join Me for Future Adventures in Visibility

•  Watch previous Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 
• Subscribe and Review on iTunes 
  (if you enjoyed this interview, please rate and review it on iTunes!)

To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list and follow me on Blab to get notifications about upcoming shows.

Do you have a question about how to create a more visible presence on the Web? Click here to record your question and I’ll include it along with my answer in an upcoming show!  

The post How to Grow Your Visibility and Business with Live Video – Adventures in Visibility with MaAnna Stephenson appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

As an online entrepreneur, you want the attention of your audience – the people you know, and those you don’t know, yet. So the natural question is, “how do I position myself so I can connect in the best way with the most people?”

When I’m asked that question, I promptly answer, “Video!”  Live video, specifically. And, it’s never been easier to broadcast a live, online video show.

Now, you’re thinking, “I’m an entrepreneur, not an actor or talk show host. Why in the world would I want to do live video???”

Let’s start with the fact live video helps you create intimacy faster than any other medium and accelerates engagement with your audience. Not only that, it will create trust and connection with the very people you want to develop as fans who will buy your products and services. And, that is how you build your platform…

With so much competition for eyeballs and dollars, you need to do something unexpected to get attention and create a highly visible presence on the Web. You need to step up and do what other entrepreneurs in your niche don’t want to do and won’t do. You need to go beyond the blog posts and chit chatting with people of Facebook. As your marketing mentor in this moment, I’m advising you to go big and stand out by incorporating live video into your marketing mix.

Add Live Video to Your Marketing

The fastest, easiest way to add live video is to take advantage the best tool Google has developed… the Hangout on Air, also known as HOAs.

An HOA is live streaming video, broadcast publicly and simultaneously on Google+, YouTube and your website, if you choose. If you think about it, you can take advantage of the power of the biggest search engine on the Web to create content that is not only broadcast to large audience in real time, but also posted automatically to the second largest search engine, YouTube.

You get to interact in real time with your fans plus give them a later viewing option via the recording. Your content is indexed quickly by Google and can also be found on YouTube and Google+. There is no other platform that can offer you that kind of findability and visibility.

Hangouts also offer some advantages that written-word content simply cannot equal:

• The sense of immediacy
• The sense that your attention is focused solely on the viewer, for his or her benefit
• Live, face-to-face contact with your clients, customers and fans
• Versatility
• Allowing you to showcase your personality
• Increasing your authority, celebrity, recognition and acceptance

There is no substitute for seeing a live face – smiling, talking, animated and interactive. 

Broadcasting Hangouts can provide you with a wonderful toolset to help grow your online platform and cement your reputation… but don’t just fire one off here and there without a strategy.

Create a Strategy for Your HOAs

Like all marketing strategies you want to give some thought to why and how you’re going to integrate HOAs into your mix. Consider the following questions and write down your answers:

Why do you want to use Hangouts?

What goals do you want to achieve, using Hangouts?

How they can best help you grow your platform and sell more books?

When are you’re going to broadcast (how often)

Who is your audience?

What content does your audience want? (Ask them!)

What is your format (interviews, discussion, book club, Q&A)?

 Once you know what you want to deliver, then it’s time to dive in.

Getting Started Doing HOAs is Easy

The investment to get started is minimal. All you need to broadcast an HOA is a Google account, a Google+ profile, a YouTube account, a webcam and a microphone.

If you decide on hosting a regular show vs. an occasional event with your fans, then you’ll need to set your schedule and do a couple of test runs to familiarize yourself with the technology. I recommend you create a pre-show and post-show checklist so you don’t forget promotion and follow up tactics when you develop your show strategy.

Some things to include on your list are:

• Purpose of Show
• Title of Show
• Date & Time
• Guests or not
• Public or Targeted Audience
• Description of Show
• Call to Action
• Branding
• Images you can use to promote the show on other social networks
• Set up an event page on Google+
• Promote on other social networks
• Promote to your email list

If this tactic appeals to you as a way to build a more intimate bond with your fans, then I encourage and support you to jump in with both feet. HOAs tend to be casual, fun and informative. You can build rapport with your fans very quickly and they will appreciate having access to you in a way most business owners don’t allow. You have a huge opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

If you’re ready, then your first step is to find and attend some HOAs so you can get a feel for the experience (if you haven’t already). Use this link to peruse the list of scheduled HOA events, find a couple that intrigue you and RSVP. Hey, you can attend my monthly show Adventures in Visibility, to see how I do it, too!

Next, experiment and set up an HOA (but don’t broadcast yet). Find someone who wants to help you practice. (Click here for 10 Tips to Make Your HOA a Success.)

Once you’re comfortable, go for it. Schedule an HOA and invite your fans. The best way to learn is by doing! With every Hangout you broadcast, you’ll find your fans showing up time and again as well as sharing and inviting their friends. And that is how you build your platform with Hangouts on Air. Oh, and please invite me when you go live so I can support you!

I helped Melita Noel Cantu start her Hangout Show. I can help you too. Click here and let’s talk. 

Note: this article is modified from the original version which was published on Write Non-Fiction Now.

The post Use Hangouts On Air to Build Your Platform appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.