Don't Let Perfection Keep You From Capitalizing on Live Video

Hi, my name is Dana, and I am a recovering perfectionist. Perfectionism can be code for procrastination: putting off implementing new business strategies.

Let’s take, for example, going live on social media. According to a New York Magazine/Livestream study, “80% of users would rather watch live video from a brand than read their content marketing posts.”

Going live on social media is scary, but effective. In a world where there is so much text, seeing you and hearing your voice creates a level of trust between you and a potential client who is scrolling their feed.

Going live is a strategy you could try, especially if you are looking for new clients. For many agents, the fear of something going wrong causes a delay in implementing the strategy.

I'm going to tell you, it’s normal for things to go wrong during a live.

Tell all the what ifs … if they happen, you’ll handle them:

• What if my sound doesn’t work? It’s usually a connection issue. Trouble shoot it, and people understand because you are human, and these devices are known to be glitchy—it shows you are relatable.
• What if my dog barks while I am talking? I go live many times a week. It seems that UPS always comes at this time, which makes my dog bark. I tell my viewers that she feels strongly about the point I just made. Many people have dogs and pets who like to make their presence known when their human is on video—again it shows you are relatable.
• What if I can’t remember what I want to say? You make an outline. And if you need a minute to gather your thoughts, it’s okay. This goes back to the fact you are not an AI bot at Travelocity. You’re a human who sometimes needs a minute. You’ve got this.

Going live is a marketing strategy; the whole point of marketing is for people to get to know you, to get to trust you. So that way when they want to travel, they see you as their expert and feel more comfortable booking with you than a website.

Here’s how you can have a perfectly imperfect Facebook Live:

• Know your topic.
• Make an outline.
• Remember it’s a conversation. You’re the expert! Pretend it’s a friend on the other side of a video and you’re helping them pick out a resort.
• Consistency is key. One live is not going to convert into a sale; you need to go live once a week to see the big results.

Remember, you are an asset to your clients, and using the strategy of going live allows you to display that in a way that people like to consume content. Give it a try. It’s hard, but the more you do it the easier it gets.

PS- I go live one to three times a week, and I still get butterflies in my stomach when I “Go LIVE.”

About the Author

Most people know me as a travel agent and a sales coach. As a travel agent, I worked with over 800 clients and booked over $4.5M in sales over the course of a nine-year career. Now, I teach agents the processes and strategies I used to build that business through my training programs at Guts Grit Goals and in my Facebook group: Sales and Marketing Tips for Travel Agents.