Being a mental health service provider, I assume you want to build deep connections with your clients or in this case, your social networking communities. A great way to do this is by going live on your social media accounts. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter all have live streaming capabilities! The idea of going live can be a little intimidating, but with the right preparation you can make use of this exciting feature. Since humans started broadcasting, live performances have always been a point of interest for viewers. “The online live streaming industry has grown 99% between April 2019 and April 2020… Professionals anticipate that 82% of internet use will be for streaming video by 2022 and that 79% of mobile users will be for streaming video by 2022 (Krings, 2022).” In other words, live streaming will only grow from here and mental health professionals could benefit from joining the wave.
In addition to the growing interest in live streaming, there are several other benefits associated with live streaming on social media. The real-time commenting feature allows viewers to give instant feedback during your streams. For example, if you choose to have a Q&A live stream session about the mental health services you provide, you can then use the feedback from your audience to refine and update the content you release on your socials to answer those popular questions. Another great part about the conversational nature of live streaming is the intimate connection you create by engaging with your social media followers.”‘Getting real’ is exactly what viewers love: this is a chance for them to see you (or your brand) on a personal level. You’re in their feeds right next to their sister’s cat vids: you’re basically BFFs now, right (McLachlan, 2020)?” As a therapist or life coach, this is exactly what you want to communicate to your audience. Being a personable and inviting voice on their newsfeed could help foster trust and engagement with your audience. Speaking of newsfeeds, live streams are prioritized on most of the major social media platforms. As a result, live videos get six times more interactions than pre-recorded ones. During those interactions, another great perk is the low production expectation. Staying authentic and not spending a ton of time and money on a fancy setup will lead to more positive interactions and associations with your brand.
How do you get started?
You should be live streaming wherever your clients hang out the most. It might be a good idea to send out a survey to inquire about their online behaviors. Stay tuned for another article about creating surveys and how to best use the data collected. To save time, you can check out demographic information on each of the major social media networks and choose the one that best fits your client base. You will also need an engaging topic and some pre-live stream marketing. Posting about the upcoming live stream on your accounts is a great way to get your followers excited about it. Partnering with other mental service providers to join your live stream is another effective way to reach more people
Each platform has a different user interface but here are some instructions to help you get started on Facebook:
Facebook Live Streaming for a Business Page:
- Tap post.
- Tap go live.
- (Optional) Write a short description of your video. This is a great place to use mental health buzz words and hashtags
- (Optional) Tap the three dots in the top right corner to pick the audience for your video.
- Hit the blue start live video button to go live!
Facebook Live Streaming for personal page:
- On your newsfeed, tap live.
- (Optional) Choose the audience in the To: field at the top, and add a description. This is where you would toggle “Send Notifications” to alert followers when you go live, too.
- Hit the blue Start Live Video button to begin your stream, or Bring a Friend to broadcast with someone else.
To learn more about live streaming on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube check out this article from Hootesuite.
References:
Krings, E. (2022, January 24). The Top 115 Live Streaming Statistics and Trends for 2022. Dacast. https://www.dacast.com/blog/66-must-know-live-streaming-statistics/
McLachlan, S. (2020, July 20). The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Live Streaming in 2020. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-live-streaming/