Live streaming may seem intimidating; but, it is an amazing way to build your audience and show them the real you behind the brand. With live shopping you can increase sales while curating content and interacting with your followers. It is a win-win situation.
Plus, with the ease of a platform like Maestro, you can directly link viewers to your Shopify page without them even having to leave the stream.
Live commerce is quickly growing in popularity and it is not the QVC of the 20th century: a TV platform where sassy hosts sold anything from kitchen appliances to jewelry to people relaxing on their couch.
While live shopping has its roots in this early late 20th century marketing strategy it puts the power directly into your hands as the business owner. You become the host sharing the product you created.
In the 21st century, a new millenium where branding is everything and content is king, make the most of your content creation by monetizing it through linking to products directly in a live stream.
Equipment Required
In today’s world you don’t need a fancy film set in order to monetize your livestream storefront. A simple phone camera can do the trick, especially when you’re just getting started.
Then as you grow and see the return on investment from the live shopping experience you can invest in higher quality equipment.
To get started you will need.
- A tripod to keep your phone or camera steady.
- Good lighting – a ring light is a great option and some even have an attached tripod. If you aren’t ready to invest, sit in front of a window on a sunny day and make sure there isn’t any backlight.
- A good mic – in a pinch your phone mic could work, however adding a simple clip on lavalier mic will improve the sound quality of your steam.
You could also optionally use a greenscreen and add background effects but you don’t necessarily need to do this in order to have a successful live shopping event.
Make a Plan
What do you want to achieve through your live shopping event? What is it you are trying to sell?
For example: if you are a skincare brand, a live video where you explain how to use the different elements of an evening skincare routine could directly link to sell those items to viewers. If you run an online thrift store do a livestream of your latest haul, try stuff on for the camera, and directly link viewers to the new items.
Maybe you are a visual artist and have a new series of paintings coming out. Have an online gallery showing where you reveal your new work for the first time and link to sale of the original paintings.
With a livestream shopping event the possibilities to monetize are endless. It gives you the power to connect with your followers and bring them directly into your online storefront.
It goes beyond physical items. That same visual artist could sell the originals, prints, and even branch out into NFTs. One item can be monetized multiple ways through a live shopping event.
Choose Your Platform
In order to host a live shopping event you will need the support of streaming technology that supports live commerce. Youtube and Facebook Live are livestream options which offer this support. However, they may not offer you the most control in terms of your branding.
Plus, these tech giants will take some of the profit from your live shopping event for themselves. You may want to turn to a livestream hosting platform. There are many out there but be sure to seek out one that has both livestream and live commerce capabilities.
Maestro is an amazing option which offers complete control to the content creator. Creators can curate interactive overlays and sidebars to allow viewers to shop without leaving the stream. Plus, Maestro is connected to Shopify so there is no need to build a new storefront just for the live shopping event.
Maestro also offers complete access to analytics. Having access to the data and analytics allows you, as the storefront and content creator, to really know what moments had the best interaction. Then you can find ways to incorporate more of those moments into your next stream and grow your return on investment.
The best part for content creators is that Maestro lets you keep all the profits you make during the live shopping event.
Lights, Camera, Action
You have your equipment, you have your plan, you’ve practiced what you are going to say. Now is the time to go live. Take a deep breath. Hit the button and make the magic happen. Watch as the sales roll in and you grow your following with live shopping.
