By Clàudia Martínez, on 2 December 2021
Using live videos on social networks is gaining rapid popularity as a marketing tactic. Take a look at these figures:
Over 80% of users prefer watching a live video from a brand instead of reading blogs or social media posts.
39% of executives call a vendor after watching a video, and over 50% of executives prefer to watch a video rather than read text.
73% of B2B companies that use live video say their ROI is positive.
Live video is a very powerful tool you can use to improve your brand's results. In order to get the most out of your videos, it is important to speak effectively. If you've never "gone live" on a social network before, don't worry! These tips will help you learn how to communicate effectively and feel comfortable in front of the camera.
12 Tips to Speak Effectively in Your Live Videos
1. Know Your Audience
Which is harder: talking to many strangers at once or to people you know well? Unsurprisingly, most people would answer the former.
In order to speak effectively and confidently, you have to know who you're speaking to. The first step is to research your audience and think about how you are going to impact them with your video.
2. The Message Is the Most Important Thing
The most important question to ask before you go live is what do you want to communicate? The key to your video is not how you look or your tone of voice, but the message you're going to convey to your audience.
3. Take Notes from Industry Experts
Today there are influencers in almost every field, making it easy to get inspiration. Analyze the most popular streamers in your industry and see how they communicate with their audience during their live videos. It's not about imitating them, but about analyzing what works and how you can incorporate those tactics into your videos.
4. Practice Makes Perfect
The best trick to learning how to speak effectively is to practice. As you get used to broadcasting live videos, you will become more fluent, and eventually, the process will come naturally to you.
To improve your confidence, we recommend doing a "test" broadcast (alone or in front of a few people around you) and recording it to see what details to improve before you go live in front of a larger audience.
5. Relax Before You Start
A very useful trick for effective speaking is to create a relaxation ritual that calms you down and helps you focus before you start your video. It can be a few minutes of meditation, stretching, making yourself a cup of tea or coffee, or anything that cheers you up and boosts your confidence.
6. Warm Up Your Voice
A tip from the best professionals is to look for exercises to warm up your voice and practice them for a few minutes before starting your live video. These will help you project your voice and pronunciation clearly, so your stream will sound better.
7. Start With Energy
Breaking the ice can be difficult at first, but with a bit of preparation beforehand, it will come more naturally. Think about how you are going to start the broadcast and rehearse it prior to starting your live video. For example, an effective trick is to ask the audience a question to get them engaged from the start.
8. Convey Your Enthusiasm
To communicate effectively, you need to be able to speak with passion. For inspiration, think about the "why" of what you are doing and what you think you can bring to your audience. Focus on showing your audience that you care deeply about the topic you are presenting.
9. Storytelling
Storytelling is one of the most effective video marketing tips. Telling a personal story is one of the best ways to get your audience to relate to you and your brand. You can start your broadcast by telling a story that explains why what you are going to talk about in the video is important and how you think it can help your audience.
10. Includes Calls to Action
If you incorporate live video into your marketing strategy, chances are it is because you want your audience to take a specific action.
If you want to inspire your audience to take an action (e.g. subscribe to your channel, vote in a poll or download a piece of content), you need to make sure what you want them to do is clear.
11. Forget About Perfection
Nobody is perfect. One of the scariest things about speaking in public is the fear of making mistakes. But in reality, we all make mistakes, and that's okay! Your audience understands that we are all human. More importantly, if you acknowledge your mistakes with humor, this shows your human side and fosters connection with your viewers.
12. Just Go For It!
Have you ever spent a long time worrying about something and when the moment finally came, you realized it was no big deal? Well, the same applies to live video. Be prepared, do your homework, and then trust that everything will be fine and hit the "Go Live" button. You will see how your efforts have made it worth it!
