Ask Alex

“Isn’t ever yone over live streaming, or is TikTok worth it?”

I can hear the groans behind your magazine from my desk in Coventry.

“Going live on social media? That’s a bit 2018.”

Yes, that’s when Facebook Live took off. Anything less than NASA-quality WiFi, and the stream was grainy and laggy.

However, if you go online today, you can’t avoid live content:

Instagram - Sends you notifications when accounts you follow go live.

YouTube - Is the second largest search engine behind Google, pushes live content on the home page.

Twitch - Was once just a niche gaming platform but is now growing with education and business content.

TikTok - TikTok Live content is embedded into the for you page (FYP or the home page), and TikTok’s algorithm actively pushes live streams. It has the richest feature set for sales and promotions and monetisation options for creators who choose to go live. While these may not align with your medical aesthetics practice (TikTok Shop is something that brands and distributors should consider), TikTok Live is a powerhouse in community building. If your clinic is on TikTok, you must have considered using the live feature. But why are so many people using live streaming or going back to live streaming?

BENEFITS OF LIVE CONTENT

Online streams are arguably the most engaging social video format.

• Streaming is the best communitybuilding tool, with real-time, authentic audience interaction

• You get exposure to lookalike audiences on TikTok, who share similar interests to your existing followers, allowing you to grow your reach

• Followers get notifications when you go live, encouraging them to check in

• On Instagram, YouTube and Twitch, you can save your broadcast to your feed

• Collaborating with other accounts is a great way to reach new audiences with other accounts on TikTok and Instagram

• Save time by streaming and then utilising the live content as content at a later date

• You inadvertently become better on camera by going live!

HOW TO GO LIVE

From a technical perspective, you just need a smartphone, a well-lit space and a good internet connection to go live. An external microphone will improve sound quality and reduce background noise, but it isn’t essential.

Make notes around your planned talking points to allow you to fill your live between questions. Bringing anecdotes, favourite products, and case studies can help fill any ‘dead air’ while the conversation gets going. Remember, if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail!

If you don’t want to be seen to randomly be going live on the social platform of your choice, then you need to brand the streams, to elevate them. You might opt to stream:

• Interviews – arguably the simplest and least ‘scary’ way to go live!

• Event previews and behind-the-scenes content

• Webinars

• Ask Me Anythings (AMAs) and Office Hours Q+As

• Watchalongs

• Live shopping

• Live vodcasts.

Branded streams with a distinct purpose allow you to promote the broadcast beforehand too. Stories and countdowns are perfect for this, but you can even shout it out in your email marketing!

You should go live at a time you think will be convenient for your audience. No one time is perfect – and you must commit – but maybe 9am on a Monday won’t suit your patients! Lunchtimes, evenings and weekends are more popular.

Then it’s time to go! Introduce yourself and be authentic. Live content is expected to be unf iltered, somewhat ‘unplanned’ and real. Make sure you’re interacting with questions during the stream.

Then you need to analyse. What went well, and what can be improved? Don’t expect your live to blow up immediately; don’t see a small number of live viewers as a failure. You can still download and repurpose useful clips into feed posts or transcribe the conversation and turn it into an article.

ONE-OFF VS REGULAR STREAMS

Start streaming by trying a one-off broadcast with the above plan. Then review, refine, and repurpose any of the content that came up in the stream, and consider if you’d do it again.

If you start a weekly or a monthly stream, these numbers will grow over time. The benefit of regular streams at a certain time and day means that followers can expect to see you. Regular streamers lean into this and promote a certain day and time for people to tune in. As streams grow, they have the power to not only have a community engage with you, but with each other.

As a bang-for-your-buck tool in your online presence, it is worth considering live streaming as your next social tactic.

If you’ve got a burning aesthetics marketing question for Ask Alex, please get in touch @webmarketingclinic via Instagram, or email alex@webmarketingclinic.co.uk

ALEX BUGG

Alex Bugg works for Web Marketing Clinic, a familyrun digital agency, which specialises in medical aesthetics. The business builds websites and delivers marketing campaigns for doctors, nurses, dentists, distributors and brands. Contact her at: alex@webmarketingclinic.co.uk or follow her on Instagram: @webmarketingclinic