Live Video Can Feel Scary But Live Video For Social Media Is Vital!
What to do if you’re scared of live video…
When I started my content calendar for 2017, one of my goals is to go live more often, but I had yet to do so until this morning. I know video is important because I’ve watched for the past few years how video content now consumes the social channel news feeds. I can see the increased engagement with content that has multi-dimensions. And, yet, I still haven’t jumped with both feet in.
I know my reasons, and I’ll be completely transparent with them. I also polled a few of my friends to ask them and those will be included toward the bottom of this list too.
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Photo from Historical Images on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Historicalmages/
I’m not always “video-ready” every day. If you know me, you know I can be pretty low maintenance and after being in business for so long, I keep fluid office hours. This means that I might spend the whole morning in my workout clothes because I’m going to the gym at 10:00am or never put make up on all day. Even though video is all about authenticity, there is still a level of professionalism I personally like to have.
- I don’t have all the fancy “gear.” I don’t have special portable microphones, lights, or other gadgets right now and I’m okay with that. However, I know that if I had some of these, I might feel more comfortable going live at different events where the lighting is poor or there’s a lot of surrounding noise. Part of this is confusion because there are so many choices for these, and part of this is a desire for simplicity. I already feel like I carry so many gadgets around, to carry around extra gadgets feels cumbersome.
- I’m really trying to not be conceited. Don’t get me wrong, people have their reasons for going live. But, in a “me, me, me” society, going live all the time is a temptation to make it the Valerie Show. And, I don’t want that. This is also why I choose to do live video or video segments that are focused on value, not what I ate for breakfast (though I’m sure you’d be enthralled by that too…)
- Living in the moment. One of my goals in life is to live in the moment. It’s hard to do when you have this rectangular object that goes with you everywhere you go and can be useful in so many different scenarios. I love my cell phone, don’t get me wrong, but when I’m out do dinner, or at an event with other people, I want to be WITH them. I’ve always tried to limit the amount of live-posting I do for social media to be a respectable amount. And, so, I’ve naturally grown to not think about live streaming my life. In general, I think that’s a pretty good effort to pursue.
- Technically difficult. Okay, live video isn’t as technically difficult as you might think. What I love about doing the candid, live video is that you don’t have to be perfect. People don’t expect that; they expect the authentic. That said, there are a few different apps and steps you need to take to do live streaming on the various social channels and it can feel daunting. There’s definitely a little bit of set up before you go try to go live for some of the social channels still, so plan ahead and get set up before you ever think you’ll need to go live.
A Few Other Reasons People Gave…
- I don’t like the sound of my own voice. Most people hate how they sound on camera, and I’m in that camp. It always is a shock to hear myself talking too.
- Good Backgrounds. You may not have the right background set up for doing regular videos from your office, or perhaps you’re out and about and don’t have a good setting to go live.
- Nerves. Let’s face it…everyone gets nervous doing any sort of video. The more you practice, the better it gets. Just put on some deodorant and start streaming!
Fortunately, with video being such a hot topic these days, social networks are making it easier and easier to do live video. Facebook just released a new feature this week that allows you to do live streaming from a desktop, which is great for professionals who want to share a simple educational tip. This isn’t a prediction…it’s a fact: live streaming will continue to get easier, simpler, and more engaging as time goes on. If you haven’t jumped into live video yet for your social media strategy, now is a great time to get started!
Here’s one of the videos from today’s live segment if you want to comment on why you have hesitated on doing live video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUabMVmorlk