How to Use Livestreaming to Grow Your Online Business
So many new online teachers get hung up on the idea that they can’t possibly start marketing in earnest until they have hundreds of videos or a handful of in-depth courses.
This desire to have thoughtfully crafted offerings—and lots of them—comes from a good place; our clients don’t want to jump the gun and start charging until they’ve got a solid content base. But your content base doesn’t have to include hundreds of videos or be comprised entirely of pre-made courses, memberships, or workshops!
Many online teachers and coaches overlook livestreaming as a fantastic way to build up their libraries quickly, effectively, and profitably.
Livestreaming as a Quick Path to Cash
If you leverage livestreaming wisely, you don’t have to have a single piece of pre-made content ready prior to taking your business online.
No, really!
So long as you have a basic website or Marvelous site up and running, you can start listing and selling livestream sessions immediately.
You’ll want to tie them back to service packages to keep new clients connected to your business, but so long as you have those packages sketched out and priced, you can plow ahead. (In many cases, packages will be based on services you’re already offering in person. Now, you’ll be marketing those same services to clients across the globe!)
When you dive into livestreaming, you automatically expand your reach and offer non-local clients several ways to interact with you online.
There are multiple ways to leverage livestreaming, but these three are the most common and effective:
One-on-One Private Sessions. Create instant intimacy by offering private lessons or coaching sessions. Clients who might shy away from online group participation or feel that broadcasts are too impersonal will love getting individual access to your teachings.
One-on-one sessions can also carry a higher price point than group offerings. In this situation, half the screen will be you, and the other half will be your client. If you're looking to take your skills and know-how to the next level, individual coaching may be just the thing.
Group Sessions. For a more collaborative format, create a livestream for a group of students where they can see and talk to both you and each other. This works well for yoga teacher training, intimate book clubs, or small group coaching sessions; group work where you want to encourage participants to share ideas and knowledge.
Broadcasts. In this scenario, you can teach to an unlimited number of students. They can all see you (of course!) but you cannot see them. This is much like Facebook Live or even traditional television broadcasting.
Although broadcasts feel much less intimate than individual private or group sessions, they allow you to reach the maximum number of students. They also appeal to introverts, shy folks, and learners who prefer to listen and absorb at their own pace without interaction.
For all of the above situations, Marvelous teachers have the option to record a session in its entirety, and if you do, the recording can become part of your media library.
You can add this video to any of your products or download it for other purposes. The more successful livestreaming sessions you host, the larger your content library becomes!
Livestreaming as a Time- and Money-saver
Another advantage of live-streaming is that you don’t have to spend time recording, editing, and uploading a video prior to making a sale.
While it’s important to livestream in a well-lit, tastefully furnished, brand-appropriate setting, you won’t have to stage each shot separately, worry about multiple takes, or fuss with voice-overs or stitching video files together.
It all happens in real-time, which can be a little nerve-wracking since you’ve only got one shot at getting it right … but most of you are seasoned teachers, coaches, and trainers, so you’ll feel confident and comfortable the moment that you go live.
Not only is your post-production streamlined, your tech needs are simplified.
You need far less equipment for a successful livestreaming event that you’d need to create high-quality pre-recorded video content.
Whenever you use Skype, FaceTime, or go live on Facebook, you just use your webcam, right? Well, it's exactly the same for livestreaming. As long as you have a built-in camera, you're good to go live!
That said, if you want to up your game, you could purchase a stand-alone webcam which will (in some cases, dramatically) improve the clarity of your livestream videos. We love the Logitech C920 for its crisp picture and affordable price. Or, use your phone as a webcam.
For audio, if you are sitting in front of your computer and teaching, you can use your built-in audio (earbuds are a great option), or upgrade to a USB mic. Members of our Marvelous team use and recommend Rode Podmic, Shure SM7B, and Blue Yeti but there are lots of affordable, good-quality USB mics on the market.
Do a little research and read some reviews before biting the bullet and upgrading your livestreaming equipment.
If you are not sitting in front of your desk and plan on moving around the room while teaching, your built-in audio should still work, or you can position your USB mic as close to you as possible, however, you will likely need to speak a lot louder and may get room echo.
Wireless USB mic options may be tempting, but many models have chronic problems with interference, so we don't recommend most of them at this time.
The exception is the RodeLink FM Wireless Filmmaker System, which costs a pricey $400, but works wonders for your audio quality. There’s also a newer, less-expensive option to look into—the Rode Wireless Go.
Bluetooth earbuds, such as Apple Airpods, are certainly an option, but audio clarity will not be on par with a podcasting microphone.
Livestreaming as a Library-builder
Naturally, you won’t want to give the whole world access to each of your recorded private sessions, and a few broadcasts might not go as planned. But so long as you record all of your live-streamed classes and events, you’ll be able to start building a varied, engaging, and dynamic library of online content immediately.
Supported by complementary service packages and augmented by video-based offerings, this platform can become a solid base on which you build your online wellness business!
(This post contains affiliate links, meaning we receive a small percentage of what you pay for the products, programs, or services. Your cost is no higher. We would never link to any product or program that we wouldn’t fully back or purchase ourselves.)
