Video & Live Streaming: Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable In A Digital World. Now More Than Ever

with  Brian Schulman - VoiceYourVibe on LinkedIn, Speaker and Business Coach

And we have Brian Schulman with us right now. It's so exciting. And we're going to be talking about videos.  Videos - how to get it online, why is it important, why should we be doing this? And I am extremely passionate about this because I do it all the time, but it is all about being in front of your customer. So Brian, tell us a little bit about what do you do and who you do it for, and then we can go into the tips and really what we should be doing.

Brian Schulman (00:34):

Sounds great. So wonderful to be here at this amazing summit. I'm so excited for you. So that's first.  Second, I am known as the godfather of LinkedIn video. One of the world's top video marketing experts.  I've been on the internet since it was green screen and chat rooms and  21 plus years of proven digital marketing and actually e-commerce experience strategizing with our 500 and Fortune 500 brands across the globe. 

Brian Schulman (01:02):

I am a Forbes featured entrepreneur, a LinkedIn top voice, founder and CEO of my company, Voice your Vibe. I serve on a number of boards, a trusted advisor and mentor to founders and companies around the world. Last year, 2019, I was named a LinkedIn Video Creator of the Year. And actually this year I've been named one of the top 50 most impactful people of LinkedIn.

Veronica Jeans (01:25):

You're doing that because of the Saturday and Wednesday thing.

Brian Schulman (01:30):

Yes. Which we're absolutely going to be talking about. So I was one of the pioneers of LinkedIn video as well as LinkedIn live. And I do international speaking when we're not in a pandemic, traveling throughout the year. And yes, my LinkedIn live shows -  I have two weekly LinkedIn live shows that have both been featured in Forbes, Thrive Global, Yahoo Finance. Actually they broke the LinkedIn live record or set a new one, I  guess, last year in July for broadcasting live for more than four hours. So yes, through workshops, as well as one-on-one mastery coaching I work with founders, C-suite execs and their teams who want to find their voice and show up and don't know how and teach them how to voice their vibe, attract their tribe and how to tell a story that people fall in love with on video. And my focus is on LinkedIn. As you can tell, I bleed blue and white. Well, we'll talk about that. 

Veronica Jeans (02:32):

Exactly. You mentioned the pandemic and it is, we cannot be anywhere, we can't go out and meet people. We can't go and sell a product. We have to do it online. And people tend to fall in love with an owner, not with the product. I mean, they like the product, but it's not like we are the only ones selling a particular product unless we are inventors.  Somebody else is always selling what we are selling in a different way. So the way we are able to stand out, is presenting ourselves and actually communicating and connecting with our customers, right?

Brian Schulman (03:18):

Yes.  It's so important and Veronica, we come from the same space.  I've been in MarTech, building and growing startups for over 20 years. And I think in these times, that's what we have to talk about is these times, because it's very different now than it was pre-pandemic and it's going to be very different post-pandemic. And I think in these times that we're living in, now more than ever, people are yearning for connection. They want to connect with people who they relate with. It's all about relatability and business is all about relationships, right? So the power of video, whether it be  live video, in the moment right - real time - is that the only thing missing is that you can't physically touch the person and you can't smell the person, although I am pretty sure somebody created smellovision during the last eight months.   The reality is that you can touch people, Veronica, you can touch them with your hearts, right?   And that is really, really powerful. It's really powerful now more than ever, because we're not living here. This is where we used to live.  We're living here with our chest cracked open and our heart speeding wide. And that's the way you need to be showing up  is being real and being vulnerable and being authentic and being genuine and having fun too.

Veronica Jeans (04:46):

So I am only in the e-commerce space. And I try, I really try to be online and talk to the customers. I don't care whether you do it live or whether you do 40 takes and eventually have one that resonates, but you have to be natural, you know? And so it doesn't matter if you do a "blab" here and a "blab" there, you know. It doesn't really matter because it makes you more personable, more human.  So with mine, I just go on, I talk and I forget about it and it's online and Cheerio

Brian Schulman (05:29):

See, and that's good. You don't, obsess over it and it's easy by the way for you to do that. Like I went through all of that  -   Oh no, this isn't right;  the light's not right;  my smile;  oh no, my glasses;  you can see my forehead is shining.  You can come up with all the excuses and it's okay to analyze those things, but I think the more that you do it and just kind of get into that motion, you get less self-conscious and more confident.  Those are two things that happen a lot. Right? You have no confidence and you're really self-conscious.

Brian Schulman (06:09):

Yes, it is. I mean, it's not easy just getting in front of a camera and you can't see that person on the other side.  You can't see anybody actually watching  you.  You are just looking at yourself.   Why am I staring at myself? This is really awkward now. I've repeated myself 10 million times.  It is not easy and I've been practicing.  The first time I went on, I did 40 takes - literally counted them  - 40 takes. And eventually I thought:  "Oh, bloody hell, I'm just going to go on and I'm going to do it".  So I've never looked back.

But how do you teach people to do it?  I did a course how to breathe and how to come on and how to have the lights and nothing is perfect.  So, how do you teach people to do it natively?

Brian Schulman (07:09):

I'm going to talk about native recording videos, meaning you just record them like your 40 takes. You just do that. So I'm going to give you some tips about that. And then we'll talk about live too, because both of them are really important. I want to mention something about LinkedIn real quick, because everyone who is on this summit, everyone that is attending, you need to be on LinkedIn.  Here's why:  The numbers have shifted. So I'm not exactly sure what they are now that we're eight months into a pandemic, but there were 675 million business professionals on LinkedIn as of February, from the founder to the founder, to the chairman of the janitor and everybody between okay. Of that 250 million are active users, meaning you have a profile, but you're more of a lurker. You're not posting any content or anything.

Brian Schulman (07:57):

You're just  there. 1% Are creating content, Veronica. That's an incredible number.  You're talking single digits, right? When you have anyone and everyone you ever want to do business with on the platform you have to be seen and heard.  So I always say LinkedIn is the most organic platform on the planet. I'd probably say TikTok is second. But now more than ever, there's no better time to be showing up and being present. Now we talk about the importance of video. But I want to give you some stats because stats help solidify things. So 80% of content consumed online is through video.  Videos, help build brand awareness. 90% Of people use video to make product and service purchasing decisions.  And social videos that you're posting generate 12X  the share ?? of text and image combined.

Brian Schulman (08:51):

So that's one thing. The other thing is, according to insights from LinkedIn video is the fastest growing content type on the platform. It's five times more likely to generate conversations with members and it's 20 times more likely to be reshared. Now LinkedIn video launched in beta 2017 and in one year - it is now three years old  - LinkedIn video posts generated more than 300 million impressions on the platform. Now those are some impressive engagement stats. But that aside, video marketing has been shown to boost revenue across social platforms.  10 Times.  Yes  Aberdeen group had done a study and  this has shown that this, that brands that use video marketing grow their revenue 49% faster than companies that don't. So I think there's no question about the fact that, you need to be involved in video. The other thing is just to remember demographically, if you think about content marketing, 

Brian Schulman (10:01):

Linkedin is the number one channel for B2B marketers to use to distribute content.  It's  94%.  Six out of 10 users actively look for industry insights.  280 Billion feed updates are viewed annually. Again, not during the pandemic because obviously everything's skewed. Professional content gets about 15 times more content impressions than like job postings with 50% .   57% Consuming content on their mobile devices and LinkedIn actually makes it more than 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs. That's huge. The last point I want to make is just that about 92% of B2B marketers include LinkedIn into their digital marketing mix and strategy.

Veronica Jeans (10:58):

This is what my take is on that. I tell my customers, LinkedIn is people that are actually earning money. They're sitting in their office  -  well now they're sitting at home  -  and they are quickly checking on LinkedIn. Boom, your thing pops up.  They are not on Facebook. They're not supposed to be social, but LinkedIn is sort of classed as more as business.  So if you're on LinkedIn you don't get into so much trouble.  They are people earning money that can spend money on your product.

Brian Schulman (11:35):

Here's the other thing that's really, really important and we'll jump into some tips in a second here. One is, I want everyone to understand the importance of your people, your employees, your people, your tribe are your biggest and most underutilized assets as voices on behalf of your brand. Now you see  -  and I get hired for this  -  you see companies go out and hire influencers to promote their brand because they have huge tribes.  Yes, you can do that, but you don't have to pay your employees to do that. They love your company. They love your brand. And they talk about it all the time. They're talking about it with your partners, your prospects, your customers, and potential employees, to join your tribe. So showing up and empowering them to be a brand ambassador voice for your company is the most important thing you can do right now.

Brian Schulman (12:36):

We'll talk about what should they talk about and all of that. And the other thing you mentioned, Veronica,  that is  really important,  is LinkedIn, Twitter, Snap, YouTube, TikTok, they all have these predispositions.  We look at them and we go, oh yeah, Facebook, it's your friends and family. Oh yeah, Linkedin, it's a business, social networking platform. Oh yeah, Youtube, it's a mud. It's a mix of everything.  I think the biggest challenge for people is when they look at something like a LinkedIn as a platform and they do what you said. They go, oh, it's a business platform.  But that doesn't mean that you show up and talk about business. Honestly, that should be 10% of what you talk about in the overall strategy.   

So you ask about some tips with regards to pre-recorded videos.

Brian Schulman (13:31):

Pre recorded also called native.  I do 99% of everything you see me do on LinkedIn through my phone. And the reason is twofold. One I'm always on the go. and two, motion creates emotion. If you are stagnant, sitting in front of your laptop - and I use my hands all the time  -  but when you're up and you're moving, you get a very different vibe. So I would recommend you do from your phone because then it allows you to move.

So let's talk about some tips specifically here.

Veronica Jeans

I want to ask  -  on LinkedIn you have to be invited to do live. I've been trying to get on. So I've been applying several times. 

Brian Schulman

I'm going to give you some tips. I'm going to give everyone some tips on how you can get a better chance of being approved for LinkedIn. So there are two things -  there is LinkedIn video and there is LinkedIn live. So LinkedIn video, everyone has access to.  LinkedIn live, you have to apply for because it is still in beta and it is a pretty rigorous process, but we will dig into that.

Veronica Jeans (14:54):

The other thing is  - you're uploading a video - it cannot be more than 10 minutes. We're going to talk about all of that right now. 

Brian Schulman (15:07):

So these are your top five quick tips to becoming one of the world's top LinkedIn video creators.  Tip number one is show up and be human. Now you'd probably sit there and think, well, yeah, why wouldn't I do that? But I'm telling you put the phone in front of your face guys and flip it into selfie mode and stare at yourself. It's not easy. I have clients all over the world in different industries and fortune companies and others, top 100 TEDx speakers who literally are going, I do this. They share stages in front of thousands and thousands of people and they're terrified to do this. Now I want you to realize that was me too, when I got started. So the thing is, there's a process I'm going to recommend in a second, that will help you show up and be human.

Brian Schulman (15:58):

Tip one is show up and be human.  Tip two is engage in support. Now that happens in showing up on any digital platform, right? Because these Tech Companies build these digital playgrounds, as I say, and we, as the kindergarteners, decide to show up and play. If we don't show up and play, they have no playground anymore. They're not going to exist. So engaging in supporting is so important because if you remember nothing, you remember the fact that, especially LinkedIn, it's all about the people.  So building community and shine, your light bright on others is the most important thing that you can do. And that happens in engaging, and supporting others. Veronica shows up on my shows all the time. She's showing up in the comments all the time and that's engagement.

Brian Schulman (16:49):

Remember that it happens both in front of the scenes, if you will, as well as behind the scenes. So that's tip two.  Tip three is create. Now creation happens in many ways, but I want to talk about creating in front of the camera. So I want you all to hear me when I say this  -  before I say this, I want to share something with you  -   I was a pound and a half miracle baby in the seventies that wasn't supposed to live. I literally fought for every breath to make it into this world. I then was diagnosed with a neurological disorder called Tourette syndrome, which are uncontrollable ticks and twitches. And just so you understand what that means. I had multiple facial expressions, multiple auditory noises. I had these intense neck twitches, wrist flicking, jumping up and down, somersaulting from room to room.

Brian Schulman (17:36):

And a lot of times they would co-mingle. The thing is, you don't know you're doing them and they're not controllable.  I got bullied a lot growing up as a kid, I dealt with a lot of adversity. I was not the human being that you see sitting in front of you today. I had to grow into myself. And the reason I'm sharing this with you is because my very first video on LinkedIn, now almost 900 in, was me sharing my life story. The bits that I just shared with you for the first time. And it was the very first time I'd ever shared that in the world of business, because I purposely didn't want people to know, because I didn't want to be judged. I didn't want to be looked at differently. I didn't want to miss an opportunity because of those things and I shared it all in my first video and took the leap and all the love, support, and encouragement that I got by sharing that story, literally,Veronica, it changed my life.

Brian Schulman (18:24):

Because it was the first time in my life that I felt fully whole as me. I wasn't holding any part of me back.  I was sharing that.  The reason I'm saying that is because every client that I've ever worked with I always share that with them and their retort back is usually:  Okay, Brian I'm not like you, I didn't almost die. I didn't go through a lot of this and I say:  Stop, I want you to understand that every single human being on this planet has a voice and a story that matters and a voice and a story that can positively impact affect and inspire another human being's lif,  By showing up on video and sharing stories, it's all about reliability. So you're bought into that and you realize, I've got to show up.   Now what  -  what do I talk about. Talk about what you are interested in.  Talk about what you're excited about. Talk about what you're passionate about. And, and now more than ever, talk about what you're scared about.   We are all growing.

Veronica Jeans (19:38):

Again,  we're not living here, Veronica. We're living our here with our chest cracked, open, speeding wide. 

Veronica Jeans (19:44):

I'm getting ideas.  I've been meaning to show up more  online because I've literally pulled back. I do a couple of lives. I try not to miss your lives. And as you said, doing that, selfie, - it is different for me.  I can't just pitch up. I am a mature woman so I do not just pitch up naked.  I mean  -  makeup, no makeup and you will be all over the place .  Sometimes I will pitch up like that and my husband will tell me:  Take the video down, you do not look good.

Brian Schulman (20:40):

But we're going to talk about that too. Cause I have plenty of friends who are women, who are clients mine. We've had that conversation. And so we'll talk about that too. 

I'll give you an example   -  working with a 30 year marketing veteran, she's in her sixties and we, we really kind of vibed and she said, look, people are trying to get me on video for years and I'm like, no, no, no, no, I can't do it.  I said, well, why not now? She said:  No, my house has turned upside down. My kids are home from college and it's like a frat house. You know, I haven't had my gray heir done, yada, yada yada.

Brian Schulman (21:26):

I said:  Okay, what else?   She says:  Well, you know, and this and that.  I said:  Okay, great. You do realize that we're all dealing with the same thing. We all have kids running around and driving us crazy. We all have our houses turned upside down. We haven't cut my hair since March. It's but that's relatable,Veronica. If you get on camera and say that, that's relatable.  It's something we're all going to be going over here and saying:  Oh my gosh, yeah. So that's why I say talk about those kinds of things, and yes, get comfortable being uncomfortable, get vulnerable. And remember  - you said something earlier  -  and this is important. You can record up to 10 minutes of a LinkedIn video. Don't ever post a 10 minute video on LinkedIn. No one will watch it.   Here is why    -  in the scheme of things, you look at 10 minutes and go, well, that's not that long, right? No!  If you're scrolling through your feed, you're always in the middle of something. 60 Seconds or less is your best friend. 

Brian Schulman (22:31):

So, I want to tell you from experience, you can say a lot in 60 seconds.  Now, here is how you get used to doing that. I'm going to give you all a challenge. And here's the challenge. The challenge is this, because most likely all of you are sitting there going:  Yeah, I'm not going to get in front of the camera and you think I can say a lot in 60 seconds. How do I do that? Well, take your phone, flip it into selfie mode and 

Brian Schulman (23:17):

 if you can't stop staring at yourself, then flip it over so that this is what you're looking at.  What I want you to do is actually paste a picture of somebody that makes you feel comfortable here. Somebody that makes you feel at ease because this dot, Veronica, is where you connect with your tribe. I'll give you an example  -  look. I'm looking at you on the screen right now. Now I'm looking at the lens. You see the difference.

Veronica Jeans (23:52):

Yes

Brian Schulman (23:54):

What I want you to do is I want you to make one video a day for 30 days.

Brian Schulman (23:59):

It is a video journal.

Veronica Jeans

On the phone?

Brian Schulman (24:06):

Do it on the phone. I don't care where you are when you do it, but I want you to make sure you do it in different places. You want to do it sitting on the couch. That's fine. If do it standing up, do it outside, do it going for a walk. Again, motion creates emotion. So here's the thing. This process is going to help you get comfortable being uncomfortable. Because a lot of times people ask me, it's like, okay, well, when do I get comfortable? And I say:  No you don't get comfortable. You get comfortable being uncomfortable. And when you do that, that's when you learn, you grow unbeknownst to you at the time. And that's when the magic happens. You will wind up looking back in reflection over these 30 days.   Wow, what a time of growth. I didn't even realize I was going through. And when you have those moments, Veronica, and they will happen to all of you.  Where you're sitting there and you're like, I can't do this or

Brian Schulman (24:54):

this is horrible, I want you to say that to yourself. I want you to think of me on your shoulder, like Geppetto  or something, going:  You're growing right now. You feel really uncomfortable. You're growing right now. Let's keep going. And you've got this. There's a couple of things important about the process, right?  I've been a public speaker for years and every time I get on stage before it happens, I always get butterflies. The same thing happens when you do the phone. Honestly, most of the angst just before you're doing it.

Brian Schulman (25:26):

Then, you have those moments in between.

Brian Schulman (25:29):

It's like getting on a roller coaster. You're in line  -   Oh gosh!.  -  I hate roller coasters. So this is really me. I'm like, there's no way I'm doing this.  I'm being pushed into it. Oh, okay. Oh I'm so nervous.  And you get to the front of the line -  Oh my God they're about to call my name.  You get on the ride  -  and you're like  -  this is going to terrify me. And then you're screaming all the time, bloody murder. And then you get off and you're like  -  I'm never doing that again  -  but you got through it, right.

Veronica Jeans(25:53):

Then you get back on again.

Brian Schulman (25:57):

Right. So, the reason why I give you that example is because I want you to understand the motion of picking up your phone. Smiling first, hitting record, waiting two seconds, then starting to talk. That process  -  you will not be nervous about any of that anymore after 30 days. And it doesn't matter how long these videos are,guys. These are for you. The reason I want you to do this is because, again, I want you to get used to the motions. So whether you're happy, mad, sad, glad, whatever you're feeling, you don't want to make the video. Like I said, tell yourself that on camera, because it will happen again. And it'll happen again. And you'll look back and remember that. I didn't think I could do this. I did do this so I can do it again.  Remember the "dot" is where you connect with your tribe.

Veronica Jeans (26:50):

You've got to keep looking at your camera

Brian Schulman (26:53)

Looking at yourself  - flip your phone over like I said.

Veronica Jeans (26:54):

I have a question.  Do you do it like this? Or like this?

Brian Schulman (27:01):

Good question.  Landscape versus horizontal. So a horizontal is up and down, right? Landscape is this way. Now, you know, best practices used to be landscape. You know, there's lots of experimenting that's been going on for the last couple of years, especially now that like LinkedIn has stories  -  just like on Instagram and Instagram stories, Facebook  -  LinkedIn just launched LinkedIn stories. It's still in beta and that's vertical. So you know, six of one and half dozen of the other.  What I would tell you to do is test.  I do like landscape because it also allows you to see your backdrop and your backdrop is also a character in your story. Look at this right now. We are horizontal. What do you see over me placed specifically there?

Brian Schulman (27:59):

You see LinkedIn gear. That's not because they're paying me for that.  That is because I love, LinkedIn because LinkedIn has changed my life. And it's because of people. So again, up to you in that respect, but a really good question. The other thing with these videos over 30 days is remember that you're actually creating content when you make these. Now I did say these are for you. It's your video journal. And again, whether you're happy, mad, sad, glad talk to yourself real. You're going to realize that this exercise is helping you to be more comfortable. Because again, you pick up the phone, smile first, before you hit record. Here's the reason why, if you're not using any editing software and you're just uploading the video, the very first, second of the frame of your video is what is seen when you post it. This is something else that's important. You always want to post your videos directly. Don't ever share a link from YouTube of your video or whatever, because LinkedIn wants to stay a free platform and they want you to stay on the platform. They don't want you to leave. That's what happens when you click on a link, it takes you off the platform.

Veronica Jeans (29:23):

Facebook as well, right? Same thing.

Brian Schulman (29:27):

Absolutely, all the platforms.  You want to, you want to upload them natively. You want to upload the actual file itself.   Pick up the phone, smile, hit record, wait two seconds and then start talking.  

Brian Schulman (29:48):

Now you're like  -  Wow. I've Just made 30 videos. That's amazing.  Well, the beauty about that too is that you're actually, at one point going to go and look at these videos and you're going to want to share some of this. I want to post some of this as content.  By the way, keep all your bloopers, your outtakes, what you would look at and call screw ups. Just like your 40 that you did, keep them. Because look, I want you to realize that we all screw up. Most people just see the final product and the shiny penny. They don't see all the hard work that went into you making it happen. I have failed way more than I've succeeded in life in business, but I talk about that because I want people to realize that because most people just see the shiny penny.

Brian Schulman (30:41):

So you'll be able to use that for content too.  So that will help you get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Let's get on to tip four.  Then there's one more.  Tip four is be consistent. That's part of why I'm having you do this challenge to one video a day for 30 days is just to get into the groove, right? I'm not telling you that you need to post a video a day. Don't do that. You'll burn out.  Create a content strategy and a calendar.  A calendar on your phone or on a wall or whatever that create a content strategy and a level of consistency that works for you. And I say for you, because Veronica, what works for you is different than works for me is different what works for everyone else that's joining us. But the importance of consistency is it is the key to success in anything.  When you show up consistently your tribe knows when you're going to show up.

Veronica Jeans (31:45):

You have to be around a lot because the time that you're not on and they've seen you and you've presented your product and then you're not on and somebody else pops up and they go:  Oh, I want to buy that product but I saw it from last.  That is when you do not shop consistently.

Brian Schulman (32:10):

That's right. So again, create a  groove that works for you.  so that's tip four, be consistent. And Veronica,  you brought something up earlier, which is a great example of consistency.  You brought up Shout out Saturday Live and What's Good, Wednesday Live.  Which are two of my live shows. They are weekly  -  every week.  We are 130 episodes into each show. And you know that, right? So see, that's the point, right?   You know  -  same bat time, same bat channel.  You know when to show up.  You know why you're showing up and you're excited about it.   

So the last tip for LinkedIn video  -  and remember, this transcends across platforms. 

Veronica Jeans (32:56)

Everything you've mentioned you can do on any of the platforms.

Brian Schulman (33:01):

That's right. Although I will say, YouTube is meant for longer content. But LinkedIn is not, not for LinkedIn video for LinkedIn live - Yes. And we'll talk about that in a sec.

So the last tip is collaborate.  That's what we're doing right now. All of us together in this incredible summit. Incredible things happen when we come together. So I want you to remember three things.

One  -  People don't buy what you do. They buy, why you do it? Simon Sinek said that. It's the heart of it that matters.  Your why -  why you work for the company you do -   Why you created this/sell the product you do -   Why you founded the company, you did  -  whatever your role is in the company.   If you're an entrepreneur or otherwise, right. Your heart said to you, I love this for some reason.

Brian Schulman (33:53):

And that's really important because there's a reason why Ms Veronica Jeans loves Molly, the giraffe in the corner and it's become part of her brand. The reason why she's branded herself the e-commerce queen, right? The reason why she loves the blouse she's wearing or why I have LinkedIn gear here.  It is because of the way it makes you feel. It's not because of how much the product or service cost.  A need is a need but at the end of the day, you make a decision because it makes you feel a certain way. And because you like those people that you're buying that product or service from. So digitally also remember that your smile is now your logo, your personality is now your business card and how you leave people feeling after that experience with you through video  -  either pre-recorded or live, is now your trademark.

Brian Schulman (34:49):

The last thing and the most important thing to remember, and Maya Angelou said it best, is that people may forget what you say, but they will never forget how you make them feel.  Now more than ever it's all about the feelings guys. It's so important that when you show up, you're sharing that emotion. And that's the beauty about video.   The only thing missing is you can't physically touch, but you can emote, you can cry, you can laugh, you can be angry, you can be sad. You can share all of those emotions that you have, and you can feel that through the lens.   It's absolutely incredible.

So those are your five tips for video across platforms, but especially on LinkedIn. The other thing that I just wanted to make sure we covered too, Veronica, is we talk about live video.

Brian Schulman (35:49):

So I mentioned LinkedIn Video was launched in beta in 2017. Linkedin Live was launched in beta in 2019. And if you think about Facebook live it's where you can go into Facebook and you can hit live and you can go live.  It doesn't work that way with LinkedIn Live.  LinkedIn Live has been piloting live video streaming with, I would call a few broadcasters. It's probably about 500 of us out of, you know, close to 700 million around the world that have approved access. So it's not available to all members and it's not available to all pages, meaning company pages. But if you want to request access to become a live video broadcast on LinkedIn, I will give Veronica the link so she can share it with all of you so you have it, so that you know how to apply.

Brian Schulman (36:40):

Now, Veronica did mention, she applied and it sounds like multiple times, and it's a process. So I want you to remember this. This is important.  If your application gets denied, which usually it will multiple times, don't be discouraged. That's one.

Two is  -   here's some tips that will help you get approved.

TIP ONE is to go live on other platforms b Show LinkedIn that you already create live video content, right? So I suggest live streaming on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram for example to name a few.  Make sure that you have them set to public so that they are accessible by anyone. We'll talk about why that's important in a second tip.

TIP TWO is create native videos on LinkedIn. Like we've been talking about pre-recorded videos.  60 Seconds or less. It shows LinkedIn that you know how to create videos. It also shows them your personality. What kind of vibe you have. Cause they want to know that too. 

Here's the cool thing. Tip number one helps you accomplish tip number two. Tip one was go live on other platforms.  Well tip two - use your live broadcast and slice that content up in a 60 second bites.  There are great tools out there to be able to do that really easily.

Brian Schulman (38:08):

I use a tool called Long Stories Split.  Let's say you went live on Facebook for like 20 minutes. You can actually pull that video into this application on your phone. I use it on my phone. This is a game changer.  So I can take a video, for example, and I can plug it in here. So this is just an example. This is a minute and 41 second video. Now here's the really cool thing about this is they optimize it for like platforms. So it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, others. But again, it'll show you how many seconds at the bottom.

Brian Schulman (39:01):

So if I say make it 60 seconds, you now see it's giving me clips.  So it's a really easy way to take a longer video and just slice it up into a bite. So you're able to create content. You're able to repurpose the content you've already created. So you don't have to create from scratch. So no one was go live on other platforms. Tip two was create pre-recorded videos on LinkedIn. And you know, that you can take from the one on the other when you do post these little clips, right, I want you to say episode 21 of my E-commerce Queen series with Molly tip three.   We were live on Facebook. Unfortunately we don't have access yet. We applied three times, but we're going to keep going and hopefully we'll be applied soon. I want you to do a little tongue in cheek because I want LinkedIn to know you've applied multiple times because the reality is they have so many applications, they cannot get to them all.

Brian Schulman (40:16):

TIP THREE is engaged on other live streams. When you engage with other people's live streams  -   Veronica is a great example, she does that  -  it grows your tribe. Veronica has met so many people, not only from being on the show, but being in the comments.  And you'll also better understand the feature and how different broadcasters use it. And it also shows that you're invested, believe me, LinkedIn pays attention to who shows up in the comments. I'm not telling you, you have to stay for the whole show. That's a long time.  Just pop in, Hello.  I am socially distancing  -  whatever. Hit the reaction button a few times and then you can leave.

Veronica Jeans (40:58):

I think that's good as well if you want to get in front of other people that can promote you.  Be in the comments, go on their lives and say, hi, that's how I met a lot of people. Jessica buy into Mari Smith's  group. And I met so many people then I met so many people again. And that's how I ended up in social media marketing world.

Brian Schulman (41:29):

I was there too. What you just said is another point   -  ask to be a guest on LinkedIn live host shows.  Like I said, there are probably about 500 of us around the world. When you show up on other people's live shows  -  Veronica Jeans is a resident, guests on my shows, both of them and LinkedIn sees that. But other people also see that. And you never know what's going to happen. I have guests on my shows like  Wendy Glavin, who's been invited as a guest on other people's shows. 

Veronica Jeans (42:04):

Well, thanks to you, I'm now on live TV and I'm being invited into writer's circle and there's something else. And the co-founder wants to talk to me. So this is it - show up.

Brian Schulman (42:22):

You never know who's paying attention just because you don't see someone say something or engage, you never know who's watching. That's why you want to show up. That's why it's so important.  By the way, also showing up on other people's live shows  -   if they're a good host, they're going to pop your comments up on the screen. And they're going to say hi to you.

Brian Schulman (42:47):

That's visibility too. Don't discount the small touches.  Those touch points are really important. The other thing is that it also tells LinkedIn when you show up as a guest on a show, the type of vibe you have and how you flow in conversations, right?

The last tip here is don't be discouraged.  Take the steps. One, two, three that we talked about and then reapply.  The reason why I asked you when you go on other platforms to go live, to leave it open as public, is because when you apply and reapply, put those links under those questions that they can get to them and see you on your live shows.  Make it easy for them. Make it easy for them to go -  Yes!

Veronica Jeans (43:30):

I've tried, but also let it slide since I'm on your show anyways.

Brian Schulman (43:40):

Well, it's good because, Veronica, what I want you to do is I want you to save those links to my shows and put them in there and go  -   Yes - Done Shout Out Saturday.  Yes - Done What's Good Wednesday. Because again, it just shows them, oh, Veronica is showing up.  Yeah, she is invested.

Veronica Jeans (43:59):

That's with  every business, I mean, I don't care what business you're in. I am talking to a business - they started off with E-commerce.  They're going to sell some of the products in E-commerce, but they are a security company.  They don't have a video. Their biggest competition has the CEO, the CFO just talking about the business and what they're doing. I think this is so important.  That is why they are standing out.  The other guys - my guys look like, well, it's a brochure. But, and do you know what their bounce rate is? 97%  People are not staying because they are not interest.

Brian Schulman (44:52):

But here's the other thing too. And I've seen a lot of companies do this, which I would emplore you to do too, which is when you have new employees, customers, partners join you, there's a happiness factor involved.  Again I came from 20 plus years in MarTech. So one of those things that works really well is for them to sing your praise, there is always an opportunity to capitalize on having them sing your praise, right.  Right  towards the end of a process they're just about to buy or  you're getting the paperwork done or whatever it is, they're really happy. Or once they sign to give them some schwag and you say:   "Hey, you know what, I'd love to do a quick video with you. Just talking about the experience and  how much you love us."  And we love each other. Share the love.  It's all about love Fest. So post those videos on your website. Employees at your company have them share stories about why they love working for you and post that on Social Media

And you talk about the C suite, Veronica. This is really about your service box and company. That's great,

Brian Schulman (46:10):

But more than ever, showing up as an executive being human  -  example:  you are an executive, you have a family, you have kids, maybe they are little or big, whatever.  My son is right there in the kitchen.  He is cooking lunch or something.

And that's relatable. So if you just show up and talk about, Hey, I'm the CEO of this company, but that's not why I'm here. I'm here to talk about real life and what we're going through. And that's so relatable and humanizes those executives at the company that otherwise look at it as being untouchable. You don't want to look at it as being untouchable. What it also does is it makes others want to do business with you.

Veronica Jeans (47:15):

I've always said that I can I literally sell snow to Eskimos.  I meet you -  I can sell you something, because I'm good at it. I've always been good at it,.  I've been a schmoozer my whole life. Even when I was a kid, I could schmooze my way through things.  Now we don't have that touch anymore and we can't do that through video. You have to be able to sell yourself. What I was also going to say is that personal touch is so important. Before the internet, 10 years ago, I was networking queen in Houston. Everybody thought I knew everybody else because I was at the breakfasts, lunches, dinners.  The chicken lunches and whatever there was, I was into groups and shaking hands. It was because you connect with somebody because something connects there. Something connects because we can tell each other stories. And now people have forgotten to do this, they have to tell these stories online. And this is exactly what you've been saying the whole time, right?

Brian Schulman (48:39):

Look, I've been in sales, my entire career, either carrying a bag or building ......... Veronica I was the conference king. Like I was everywhere. Like literally it was like a reunion. You know, some of them are going over 20 years and that human to human connection, we all talk about, Hey, what's going on? How are you doing? Tell me how your kids, your family, Oh, this experience. It's all about the stories, because that's what we relate to. So realize that, again, nobody wants to be sold to, but everyone loves a good story. If you realize that showing up and sharing stories on videos is that we just saw each other in person sharing stories. That's how we met. And now we connect and then we talk and next we have a conversation or what do you do again? Oh, great. Show me that product. Yes. Oh, wow. I need that. Boom. Now you're doing business. It all started with this story. Remember before the job, the role that's titled the company, we are humans with a heartbeat sharing stories. 

Veronica Jeans (49:44):

Honestly I have no idea how long we're talking, but this is awesome. I'm so glad.

Brian Schulman (49:53):

So I want to leave you with a couple things because I think we've covered the things that are really important. I wanted you to come across with action items. I didn't want to just talk to you about stuff. So you now know the importance of video and how you can show up.  By the way, when we talked about what you're interested in, passionate about the one other thing I want to mention with that, and this goes across to recorded and live is we all have different vibes. Now, Veronica loves giraffes. Veronica loves boats. Veronica loves traveling. She loves people, she loves wine.  There are lot of things she loves. But she loves jewelry and other things as well.  These are all vibes. Forget business. Okay guys, these are all vibes of Veronica.

Brian Schulman (50:41):

They're all things that she has a passion for right now. And she loves e-commerce right. But, but these are all lanes of content that you can run down. And what happens is I want you to realize that and I'm going to give you a hardcore example. I was in e-commerce and digital marketing in the tech space, specifically working with companies and we were selling products and services to brands. And, and one of the things that I did was I was always showing up on LinkedIn and I would show up and I would share industry knowledge and I'd share stories just in general and other stuff too. And when big data was all the rage, I was sharing a lot of information about big data that I would find from great, reputable third parties, my tribe, which consisted of executives across the world at brands and tech companies were literally coming to me going - 

Brian Schulman (51:32):

So Brian, this big data thing, you're the expert. Tell us about that. I wasn't doing anything other than sharing, but here's the important thing, Veronica,  what you show up and say, whether it's your voice or another is what is perceived and believed. So I want you to understand the importance of the fact that when you show up, you are the brand. A lot of people look at personal branding. They're like  -   Oh, I got to do this and that.  No, Show up. You're the brand. What people see of you and how they react to you and what they think and feel about you. That's your brand, it's the same thing about your product and service, right? Again, why do I have this? Because the people have changed my life. It makes me feel a certain way. It makes my heart burst. 

Brian Schulman (52:16):

So a couple of quick things.

One  - I want to give you guys all a free LinkedIn jumpstart course. It's 15 free lessons filled with nuggets to get you newbies to LinkedIn started. And I say newbie, cause you're probably not looking at LinkedIn the way that we've talked about the last however long. So I'll make sure Veronica has that.

Two -  if you have questions about LinkedIn Video, as an example, or LinkedIn Live for your business and Veronica has these things,  I'm providing strategy conversations. So you have the ability to do  that and have those.

Three  -  and Veronica knows this because she's a resident guest on my show or on my shows,  is I am inviting each and every one of you that is attended this summit to be a guest on either of my two weekly LinkedIn Lve shows, Shout out Saturday and What's good Wednesday.  All you have to do is literally show up on my channel on LinkedIn. We provide the link to the green room. My producer tenant brings you on. And guys, this is all about fun, and Veronica will tell you, it is all about fun. 

Veronica Jeans

Have your music ready

 Brian Schulman (53:27):

Have your music ready for Wednesdays because Wednesdays you pick the song or the jazz, as they say and we share the good that's happening in your world or the good that is happening in the world. Now more than ever, it's so important. And we do, what's called  - Veronica say it for me  -  

Veronica Jeans (53:45):

Social disdancing.

Brian Schulman (53:47):

I love when she says. It just dancing.  Something I created called Social disdancing which I created during the pandemic. It's all about bringing people together, having fun, you know, using some of that energy that we have pent up, but also feeling happy, walking away better. Shout out Saturdays is about sharing gratitude for those that have made a positive impact in our lives. So you can come on the shows, you know, we'd love to have you. The other thing I'll leave you with is this, since we're talking about live, is that my producer, Tim Stone and I have actually launched a course called how to make your live show more memorable now, more than ever. So if you have done a live show before, but you want to make it more memorable and have a bigger impact in the world and you want to elevate the visibility of your show  -  and by the way, every single one of you  your company's like you should have a show  -   we can talk to you about strategy and deployment and process and the really important parts too.  Not only just structure, but  in these times we're living in, people are yearning for connection. We talked about that in the beginning. And they want to connect with people who they can relate with. And remember, it's all about relatability and showing up. So it's a three-week course. It's again hosted by Tim and myself. It's designed for folks that have already done a show, but they want to level up and they want to make it more memorable and have a bigger impact. So it starts November 16th.  I'm going to give it to Veronica. So you all have it as well. If you want to have a conversation about it we're accepting folks into the program now and  truly look forward to having it. It's going to be out of this world.

Veronica Jeans (55:40):

Very important. So we're going to finish the show and then you're going to be available to answer some questions afterwards. Thank you so much for popping in and chatting with us. I am so happy that we got you and we'll see you in the questions right after this.

Brian Schulman (56:03):

Sounds great. Yes. Thank you so much all.  Great to be with you.

Brian Schulman
VoiceYourVibe, Speaker, Business Coach

Known as the Godfather of LinkedIn Video and one of the world’s top video marketing experts, Brian has been on the Internet since it was green screen and chat rooms, and has 21 years of proven Digital Marketing experience strategizing with IR500 and Fortune500 brands across the globe. 

A Forbes Featured Entrepreneur and LinkedIn Top Voice, Brian is the Founder & CEO of Voice Your Vibe. He serves on a number of Boards and is a trusted Advisor and mentor to founders and companies across the world. 

Named a 2019 LinkedIn Video Creator of the Year and 2020 Top 50 Most Impactful People of LinkedIn, Brian is one of the pioneering Top LinkedIn Video and LinkedInLIVE Creators in the world, and is a sought after international speaker who does speaking engagements through the year. 

His LinkedinLIVE shows have been featured in Forbes, Thrive Global and Yahoo Finance, and in July 2019 he broke the #LinkedInLIVE record, broadcasting live for more than 4 hours.

Through workshops and 1-on-1 mastery coaching, Brian teaches Founders and C-Suite Executives who want to find their voice, show up, and don't know how - how to voice their vibe, attract their tribe, and tell a story that people will fall in love with on LinkedIn through video.

SOCIAL HANDLES:

• "Brian Schulman"  "Voice Your Vibe" on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in.brianschulman  /  www.linkedin.com/company/voiceyourvibe)
  
• @voiceyourvibe on Twitter & Instagram (and everywhere else)
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• #VoiceYourVibe️ for all

Join me as a guest on one of my two weekly LIVE shows! 

ShoutOutSaturdayLIVE on LinkedIn each Saturday 

9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET

WhatsGoodWednesdayLIVE on LinkedIn each Wednesday 

11am PT / 1pm CT / 2pm ET