As one of the biggest social media platforms, LinkedIn has more than 830 million users in over 200 countries around the world making it a legit place to run a business. No wonder, there’re more than 58 million companies registered on the platform as of 2021.
Many companies use LinkedIn to expose their business and strengthen their relationship with audiences. One of the ways to achieve those is by doing live events. The latest report reveals that live videos gain seven times more reactions and 24 times more comments compared to other video formats on LinkedIn.
Therefore, live virtual events are beneficial to increasing brand awareness and reinforcing engagement with audiences. However, conducting a live event on LinkedIn requires solid preparations to make it run smoothly and professionally. If you’re planning to host one, check out at the three essential steps to a successful live event on LinkedIn.
#1. Choose the Best Time
The first step is to know the best time to conduct a live event on LinkedIn. Make sure you host yours at the right time or otherwise you’ll be disappointed because no one attends it. There are certain times that are most favored by users to watch live events on social media. The time may be different across social media platforms.
However, the best time to host live events on LinkedIn are:
- 7 am – 9 am before people go to work
Hosting a live event in the morning has major benefits. People are more likely to be enthusiastic and productive at the start of the day.
- 5 pm – 7 pm after work hours
Some people may be busy in the morning. Therefore, hosting a live event after work hours can also be a good solution. Make sure not to start it too late because people need to take a rest after a long hour of work.
There are also the worst times that you want to avoid when hosting LinkedIn live events. Monday and Friday are the days of the week that you may avoid. On Monday, people are less motivated and they’re more likely to be busier catching piled-up emails over the weekend.
Whilst on Friday, people are busy completing their tasks to get ready for the days off. Therefore, the most ideal time to host LinkedIn live events is Tuesday and Thursday.
You can also check the business page on your LinkedIn analytics to find out the best time to go live. Don’t forget to consider the breakout sessions while presenting.
#2. Prepare Technical Support
Before anything else, you have to submit an application on your LinkedIn page to see whether you meet the criteria or not. If you’re eligible to host a live event, you’ll be able to create an event, auto-apply for using third-party broadcast tools, and turn on creator mode on your profile to access creator tools.
Those three actions are essential to hosting a LinkedIn live event. If it happens that you don’t meet their criteria, you can improve your profile and try again after 30 days. Here are several technical preparations for a successful LinkedIn live event.
Use more than one device
It’s better to use two devices when doing LinkedIn Live events. One is for live streaming, and the other one is for monitoring comments. This way, you may also need someone’s assistance to optimize your presence.
You can ask for help from a friend or colleague to assist you to respond to comments during your live streaming. It’s way more efficient and helps you look professional.
Choose a streaming tool
As stated before, you’ll need a third party to hold you live, which is a streaming tool There are several options of streaming tools that support your live events on LinkedIn. Among those options, the most recommended are Socialize and Switcher Studio.
After you pick a streaming tool, go ahead and connect your LinkedIn account. You can also set a schedule for your live streaming to promote it in advance to your followers and other users.
Make sure internet connection is fast and stable
Having your live streaming choked up because bad internet connection can be one of the worst things to happen. It’ll degrade your professionality as a host. Therefore, check your internet connection in advance by using the speed test tool. You need at least 3 Mbps of an upload speed to make your stream run smoothly and clearly.
Prepare the setup
You also need to consider several technical aspects to support your live events to run smoothly. The basic things you need to check are lighting, camera, and audio quality. Let’s take a look below:
Lighting
Lighting is very important when conducting a live event. In order to make the audience see you clearly, you may do the live events in a place where it gets a good amount of natural light. Natural light is the best option to support your presentation.
However, you can’t always get natural light, sometimes the day is gloomy or the live event is conducted during the nighttime. Therefore, you still need extra lighting, like a ring light just in case you’ll need it,
Camera
Camera quality should be your utmost concern. A good camera will help you to look more professional and credible. To conduct a live event, you need at least a camera with 1280×720 resolution (720p) or 1920×1080 (1080p). If you’re conducting the live stream using a laptop, it’s recommended to use an additional camera, such as a webcam.
Another thing is that you should be aware of the camera position. Choose a good background that is suitable for your event. You can go with a solid-color background for a formal occasion. If you think it’s too dry and boring, you can use your working space as your background. Additionally, you can utilize a background remover tool to create a clean and professional backdrop, which will help you maintain focus on your presentation while eliminating any distractions in your environment. Lastly, make sure you have enough light by checking the camera.
Audio
Another vital aspect you should make sure of is the audio. Consider using a portable microphone or earphone to make your audio excellent. Always check the audio in advance to avoid unnecessary errors that can make you look unprofessional.
#3. Best Ways to use LinkedIn Live Events
On the other hand, attracting people to attend your LinkedIn live events needs an extra strategy. Besides promoting your event using presentation videos, you also need a solid purpose for why you host it. Meanwhile, people love learning new things or improving their skills. Therefore, you can use those opportunities to host one.
Teach a new skill
One of the best ways to use LinkedIn live events is to teach new skills. Sometimes, paid classes are too expensive to handle, so a lot of people seek another route to learn something. You can use this opportunity to teach your expertise to others.
However, if you think going live alone is too burdensome, then you can invite guests to your live events. You can practice together, give feedback, and have a discussion during live events to make it livelier.
Workshops and masterclasses
You can also do workshops and masterclasses that aim to improve certain skills. Therefore, inviting experts can also be beneficial to make your events even more trustworthy. This can also be your strategy to attract people.
It will be best if you provide real exercises to help your audience improve their skills. Also, make sure you complete the workshop with QnA and discussion sessions. This way, you will have more interaction with your audiences.
Wrap Up
As a platform that’s popular among job seekers, LinkedIn provides a convenient way for them to look for employment and seek new information. Not only a great platform for job seekers, but LinkedIn is useful for marketers to grow their business.
One of the ways to grow a business is to get exposed as much as possible, including by conducting live events. Those steps stated above are very important to host a successful live event on LinkedIn as a company or individual expert.
Make sure to optimize your preparation to avoid petty mistakes that can degrade your credibility and professionality.
About the Author:
Natasha Rei is the Digital Marketing Manager of Explainerd, a motion graphic company. She ensures strategic goals are met by directing online and social media campaigns.
LinkedIn: Natasha Rei