Live Selling 101: Boost Your Online Sales With the Power of Livestreaming

Social media is a powerful marketing tool that can influence shopping habits. Businesses of any size invest significantly in social media platforms to build brand awareness and boost sales. Over the past few years, live selling has boomed as a very effective online marketing tactic, especially in the Philippines!

Live selling, live commerce, live video shopping, or livestream shopping refers to an online shopping session in which a seller holds a livestream to showcase and sell their products. At the same time, customers watching the stream can make purchases in real time. Live selling, which can be done on top of other ecommerce tactics, makes selling more creative, attracts customers with its instant and casual style, and reaches a broader audience thanks to the ubiquitous power of social media.

Live selling transforms a customer’s online shopping experience from simply scrolling through websites to watching engaging livestreams and making a purchase by simply typing “mine” in the comments. It is also an excellent opportunity for businesses to gain credibility as they vividly demonstrate their products in depth. 

Believe it or not, many SMEs succeed with live selling with just a smartphone and proper lighting, making live selling a simple yet an incredibly powerful way to reach their customers, or “miners,” and ultimately pursue business growth. 

Here’s how to get started with live selling!

Find the Platform that Works Best for Your Business

Using the right live selling platform is key to success. Start with a certain demographic you want to reach and identify which platform they tend to visit the most. You can start with the social media platform where you already have a strong presence and fan base.

Build the Hype

Make sure to promote your live selling events ahead of time to create some hype and excite your audience. Announce a schedule to let them know when to tune in and promote hero products or exclusive offers that they should look forward to in your upcoming livestream.

Get Prepared 

Organize all the products you wish to showcase during your livestream and test them out before going live. You can also create a seamless live shopping experience for your customers by using a live selling software. Also, ensure that your software or purchasing links work properly before going online.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Live selling doesn’t require sophisticated tools or an extravagant studio for one to get started. You can start with just the basics, like a smartphone, a laptop with a webcam, and an auxiliary microphone for better sound. Of course, you can also use a professional camera for better visuals and pair it with a laptop to monitor your livestream.

Lighting can also make or break your livestream. Live selling is about showing your products clearly, as color accuracy for some products like clothes or makeup is very important. So, try to use a consistent light source such as a ring light instead of relying on natural lighting which changes throughout the day. 

Once you have your live selling set-up ready, it’s showtime! Be responsive and have fun interacting with your audience. Live selling is meant to be a mixture of entertainment and shopping so be creative with how you present your products while engaging with your audience. Remember to always keep your viewers engaged by looking directly at the camera and talking with them as if they were shopping with you face to face—this is the level of connection you should aim for with live selling!

Tips and Tricks

• Always rehearse to check and troubleshoot any glitches before going live. This is also a great way to gain confidence when interacting with potential buyers.
• Give clear instructions on how your customers can make a purchase throughout the stream, as new users might be joining in at any moment. 
• Make live selling more exciting for customers by offering limited-time deals on high-demand products.
• Create an outline, not a script. Keep it real and fun.
• Assess what worked well and what could be better to improve your next live selling session.

Livestreaming is an excellent way to personalize your marketing strategy and creatively reach your customers. For ecommerce businesses, live selling gives you the ability to build a strong connection with your audience along with the potential to boost your sales. Success doesn’t happen overnight, but with a great yet cost-efficient tool like live selling, you can always experiment and innovate to achieve your business goals.

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