How to Generate Leads and Build Brand Authority with Live Conversations?

As a business owner or marketer, you're always on the lookout for new ways to generate leads and build brand authority. From social media marketing to email campaigns, there are countless strategies at your disposal. However, one approach that's gaining ground in recent years is the use of live conversations.

When we talk about live conversations, we're referring to engagements with your audience in real time. These can be anything from webinars that allow attendees to ask questions live, to Facebook Live events where you share insights and expertise with your followers.

Generating Leads and Building Brand Authority

Before diving into the specifics of how live conversations can help you achieve these goals, let's take a moment to understand why generating leads and building brand authority are so crucial for business success. At its core, lead generation is about identifying people who are interested in what you have to offer - whether that's information, products or services - and getting them onto your email list or other channels where you can nurture those relationships over time.

Without a steady stream of leads coming in, it's difficult (if not impossible) for any business to grow. Similarly, building brand authority is all about establishing yourself as an expert in your industry.

Choosing the Right Platform for Live Conversations

Live conversations are a great way to connect with your audience and build relationships that can lead to more sales. But when it comes to choosing the right platform, there are a few things to consider. Each platform has its own set of pros and cons that you need to weigh before making a decision.

Pros and Cons of Different Platforms

If you're new to live conversations, Facebook Live is a good place to start. It has the largest user base and plenty of tools for interacting with your audience, such as live polls and Q&A sessions. Plus, your video can be saved for later viewing on your page.

However, the downside is that organic reach on Facebook is limited, so you may need to spend money on ads or boost posts if you want more people to see it. Instagram Live is another popular option, especially if your brand has an active presence there.

Considerations When Selecting a Platform

When selecting a platform for live conversations, it's important to consider who your target audience is and what type of content you'll be presenting. If most of your customers are younger, then Instagram or TikTok might be better options than Facebook or Twitter. If you're planning on showing how-to videos or demonstrating products in real-time, then Facebook or Instagram may be better suited than Twitter Spaces which does not have video capability.

Preparing for Live Conversations

Setting goals and objectives

Before embarking on a live conversation, it's important to establish what you hope to achieve. Are you looking to generate leads, build brand authority, or both?

Perhaps your goal is simply to entertain and educate your audience. Whatever your objectives are, make sure they're clear from the outset so that you can tailor your conversation accordingly.

Creating an outline or script for the conversation

While spontaneous conversations can be exciting, it's important to have a rough outline or script in place. This will keep you on track and ensure that you cover all of the key points you want to address. You don't need to stick rigidly to the script, of course - after all, live conversations are supposed to be organic - but having a roadmap will give you peace of mind.

Promoting the event to attract attendees

No matter how engaging and informative your live conversation is, it won't have an impact if nobody watches it. That's why promotion is key. Make sure that you advertise the event well in advance and across multiple channels (e.g., social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook).

Provide potential attendees with compelling reasons why they should tune in: perhaps there'll be exclusive insights into industry trends or a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how your business operates.

Conducting Engaging Live Conversations

Tips for keeping the conversation lively and interactive

Live conversations can be an incredible tool to build your brand authority and generate leads, but in order to make the most out of your efforts, you need to ensure that the discussion is engaging. There are several tips that you can follow to keep the conversation lively and interactive.

Asking open-ended questions

One effective way to keep your audience engaged during live conversations is by asking open-ended questions. Open-ended questions allow for more thoughtful responses from attendees instead of simple yes or no answers.

Encouraging audience participation

Audience participation is crucial for a successful live conversation. Encouraging attendees to participate can help generate new perspectives and ideas while also helping them feel included in the discussion.

One way to do this is by using features like polls or Q&A sessions during the event.

Sharing personal stories or experiences

Sharing personal stories or experiences related to the topic at hand can also be an effective way of keeping a live conversation engaging. By sharing something personal, it shows vulnerability which helps participants connect with you on a deeper level which can lead them into building trust with you over time.

Leveraging Recorded Conversations to Build Brand Authority

Repurposing Recorded Conversations into Other Forms of Content (e.g. Blog Posts, Social Media Posts)

After conducting a successful live conversation, you can repurpose it into different forms of content to reach a wider audience and establish your brand's authority in your industry. One effective way is to transcribe the conversation and turn it into blog posts. You can break down the transcription into shorter pieces and publish them as separate blog posts, each focusing on a particular aspect or theme discussed during the conversation.

Using Snippets from Conversations in Marketing Materials

Snippets from recorded conversations are great for including in marketing materials such as email campaigns, newsletters, or sales pages. Using quotes from these conversations adds credibility and authenticity to your messaging since they come directly from the experts - you!

Following Up with Attendees to Generate Leads

The success of any lead generation and brand authority-building strategy depends on following up with attendees after the live conversation. Even if the conversation went well and the audience was engaged, it's unlikely that they will remember everything discussed or take immediate action without further prompting.

Collecting Contact Information During Live Conversations

To follow up with attendees, you need their contact information. The easiest way to collect contact information during a live conversation is to ask for it directly. You can ask your audience to leave their email addresses or phone numbers in the comments section of the live video stream, or offer a free resource (e.g., an e-book or webinar) in exchange for providing their contact information.

Sending Follow-Up Emails or Messages to Attendees

Once you have collected attendees' contact information, it's crucial to follow up with them soon after the live conversation ends. You can send follow-up emails thanking them for attending and summarizing key points discussed during the event.

Conclusion

In this article, we have learned about the importance of generating leads and building brand authority and how conversations live can be an effective strategy for achieving both goals. We discussed how to choose the right platform for your live conversations, how to prepare for engaging conversations, and how to leverage recorded conversations to build brand authority. We also provided tips on following up with attendees to generate leads.