I've made £3m from LinkedIn Lives, here are 8 lessons.
I've had more than 125,000 people on my LinkedIn events and made more than £3m from them.
I’ve been hosting LinkedIn live events now for 6 years.
They’ve been the critical part of my success on LinkedIn.
Doing that weekly live has made me £3m+
If you average that out, every live has made me £12k.
When I started doing them, I was making around £20k a month in new business from LinkedIn, today, that’s almost £70k a month.
There is no doubt, they’ve propelled my business.
I’ve had more than 125,000 people on my LinkedIn events since March 2020. Whilst I can track the sign ups to sales, what I can’t track is the full impact, the referrals, the recommendations, the brand building.
So, for me, this 1 hour slot each week has been a pivotable part of my growth.
If someone was starting out now, here is the advice I’d give them…
#1 - Two-Timers Is Where The Money Is
Of the clients that came to me from LinkedIn, almost 75% of them had signed up for two events.
With LinkedIn events a central part of my strategy, that makes sense, but it also informs how I follow up.
Up until discovering this, I treated everyone the same, now, I try to give the repeat visitors some special attention.
This means getting into a regular monthly cycle.
Do one event every month.
I’ve seen a few people do one, maybe too, or even do them randomly. I do them like clockwork. That’s how you lean, improve and build a rhythm.
#2 - Friday Is The Best Day
When I started out I hosted my events on Tuesdays at 7pm.
But through a random situation, I had to move one of my events to Friday. My show up rate that day was higher.
So, I tested this a few times and guess what? My show up rate is the best it’s ever been on Fridays at 3pm.
If you are going to do them, find a time you can stick to, for me it was Tuesdays at 7pm, then I found Fridays at 3pm works better. Test the times and find what works for you.
#3 - Informal Gets the Best Conversation
When I shoot from the hip more people buy.
When I stack it with slides, people zone out. One of the big learnings is how powerful the lives are for building trust.
Today, with so much hype it is hard to trust, but showing up live, dealing with questions in an unscripted way, really gives people confidence you know what you are doing.
Avoid it being either a QVC sales pitch or death by PowerPoint. Show some personality, relax, enjoy it and don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
My first live, I had three Gins’ beforehand.
#4 - The Replay Is More Powerful Than The Live
I get more people watching post-live than live.
One of the great things about LinkedIn events is how they hang around the platform. If I get 80 people live, it will treble in the week following.
I’ve often had clients feel disappointed at a15% show up rate live. I tell them to wait a few days and check back, that climbs up to very good numbers.
So, don’t stress about the live count.
I make a point to circulate the replay, edit it into clips and rinse it for everything I can.
#5 - Follow Up Matters (Fast)
I was talking with someone who does lives and they said they had got very few clients from them. I didn’t understand this, as her content was good.
Then, I asked about her process.
First - she wasn’t inviting people.
Second - she wasn’t following up. She was waiting for prospects to reach out.
I explained my process and why I proactively follow up.
She gave it a whirl on her next live - boom. She got 3 clients.
Follow up is essential, even if you just offer a conversation. Follow up and don’t wait too long, within a few days the momentum is lost.
#6 - Align Your Live And Your Offer
Teaching good stuff doesn’t automatically lead to clients. You need to share content in the live which leads people to the next step.
Forget the countdown clock, just give some value that is directly connected to what you are selling.
For the first 11 lives, I just fired out value. It built trust, I got appreciation, but it didn’t actually move me any closer to closing some business.
When I started to think about the challenges that people come to me to solve, and themed my LinkedIn events around them, it was easier to convert.
#7 - The Title Is More Important Than The Content
If the title is a problem your target audience has or an outcome they want, you’ll get a ton of sign ups.
If the title is abstract, conceptual or not related to their pains and desires. You’ll get people showing up who are not your ideal customer.
Good luck trying to convert them.
Keep your title aligned to what your audience wants and needs. Make it obvious.
#8 - No Shows Are Profitable
I’ve had so many people book calls with me even though they didn’t come. The reality is carving out 30-mins even to sit on a webinar these days is impossible.
Some people have every intention of coming and then on the day, they forget or another priority comes up.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t interested, it just means they didn’t make it. Even a no show is valuable as it is someone signalling they resonate with your topic.
Don’t write off the no shows.
Why do I do Lives?
At heart, I love sharing my ideas in a format which connects me with people. Often post’s it’s hard to do that….and do it well. Short form video and posts often dilute ideas and the medium itself is suited to short soundbites.
Lives… you have the audience for longer. You get more time to share your ideas and flesh them out.
But… importantly…. they are also a filter.
They filter my ideas and my personality. If someone enjoys the lives, get’s value from the lives and connects with me, it’s a more meaningful encounter.
I love them and I’ll keep doing them. They have been instrumental in my business and my clients growth.
But one word of caution, you have to treat them as a marketing activity - they need a strategy - don’t be gung-ho. Plan it, your bank balance will thank you for it.
Want to know how to get 2-3 clients per month doing a simple LinkedIn Live?
Join me for next weeks edition.
I’ve been toying with the idea of lives for a while - great post - looking forward to the next edition