Best Practices for Hosting a Live Sale

Excited to host a live sale and want to knock it out of the park? We've got some tips and best practices to set you up for success!

Live shopping is an exciting and fun experience for both the shoppers and host(s). It's a high-energy time where hosts can chat with viewers in real-time, answer questions, crack jokes, and showcase products in a way website pictures never can.

We want each live sale you do to be an absolute success, which is why we've put together these best practices and tips to both answer questions you might have about hosting a live sale and help you navigate the experience. 

Did we miss something? Let us know! You can always email us at support@videeo.live with questions you have.

Hosting a Live Sale

Whether you’re hosting the show yourself or have brought in some hired talent to host, it's important to welcome your shoppers, tell your brand story, educate shoppers on how to shop your live sale, and talk about the products in a way that excites shoppers and motivates them to buy!

Nail Your Opening and Welcome

The first few minutes of a live sale are vital. They hook your audience in, tell them who you are, what you can do for them, and what your audience can expect from the experience.

As a general rule, make sure you include the following information during the welcome portion of each live sale:

• Welcome your audiences from wherever you went live—those tuning in on your website, Facebook, and/or Instagram.
• Introduce yourself and let them know what you do at your shop and what you're passionate about.
• Introduce the brand you represent and the story behind it.
• Hype the show and tell your viewers why they should stick around and shop (e.g. "We've got some AMAZING deals on denim that you won't want to miss!").
• Let shoppers know about shipping—any free shipping minimums or how soon can they expect to see these products on their doorstep.
• Educate your audience on how to shop your live sale (more on that below!)
• Tease two hot or exciting products you'll be showcasing later in the live. We call this setting up a good tease. Learn how in this video!

Your initial introduction should take no more than 3 minutes. It might be helpful to write out bullet points for what you'll say so you have it with you during the live. Make sure to practice ahead of time—the more you practice your introduction, the easier it will get!

Let Your Audience Know How to Shop

During the Welcome and throughout your live sale, you'll want to educate and remind your audience how they can shop and purchase products during your live sale.

Although it may feel repetitive to you to repeat yourself several times during the sale, remember that your shoppers will be joining the live at different times—some at the start, some ten minutes in, and so on. You want to make sure shoppers who missed your intro know what to do and help shoppers feel comfortable with shopping your live sale.

If you go live on more than one channel (e.g., your website, Facebook, and Instagram), you’ll need to include information about how to shop for each one. 

Closing

When wrapping up your live sale, don't just say goodbye and stop recording! Here’s our recommendations for a strong close to your live sale:

• Recap any near sellouts or popular products from the sale and encourage your shoppers to grab them before they are gone.
• Remind your shoppers to check out!
• Tell your shoppers when the next live will be and why they should tune in.
• Speak to the shoppers watching the replay (i.e., people who missed the live sale) and tell them why they don't want to miss the next live event.
• Tease a product or a theme you’ll have in your next live sale, or ask shoppers to comment with what they'd like to see!
• Thank your viewers for watching.
• Send them off with a big goodbye!

As a reminder, there is a slight delay in your video stream while you are live, but there is no delay when you hit End Live on your Live Overview dashboard (where you'll manage your live sale).

Hosting Best Practices

As a live-selling host, you are more than just a seller—you're a storyteller!  Audiences crave connection, as well as great information about the products you are selling. 

As Nancy Hornback, our in-house live selling expert says, “Your job is to build an authentic relationship with your live sales shoppers and help them find exactly what they want and need.” 

How to Talk About Items You’re Selling

Highlight Features, Benefits, and Value. Go beyond just talking about the features of a product and focus on benefits and value. 

• Features are what a product does and its attributes–color, size, and material are all features. 
• Benefits are advantages your shopper gets from a product or why the features matter to them. For example, a feature would be that a product is made of wool while the benefit would be that it will keep them warm.
• Value goes one step further and addresses if an item will save them time or money, enhance their safety, make them feel more confident, or make their life easier. 

Remember—your job is to help them find what they need and then take action! Watch a great video on Feature Benefit Value Selling from our in-house live selling expert, Nancy Hornback!

How to Get Them to Buy: The Call to Action

A call to action is asking someone to take action–in this case, you are asking your viewer to make a purchase! A call to action should be direct, action-oriented, and in first person.

Here are some examples of a call to action you can use:

• “Intrigued? I invite you to try it out!”
• “Place an order! It's so easy!”
• “If you’re new, this is a great place to start!”
• “Treat yourself!”
• “Be sure to grab one before they are gone!”
• “Order today to get free shipping!”
• “Go ahead and add it to your cart!”
• “Be sure to check out before the end so you can get that extra discount.”

Want to see how to say some of these phrases? Watch a video all about the Call to Action.

Engage Your Audience 

Because your shoppers aren’t in the room with you, you’ll want to be sure to engage them through the chat feature on your live sales. They chat in, and you answer live! This increases their connection with you, boosts your reach on social media, and gives you the opportunity to answer questions in real-time.

Here are some suggestions to engage your audience:

• Have a question ready to ask at the beginning of your live show to get the chat going. 
  • • “What city and state do you live in?”
    • “What is the weather like where you live?”
    • “What is your favorite food?”
    • “On a scale from 1-10, how was your weekend?”
• Answer questions and address comments in real-time.
• Call your viewers by name when you answer their questions or respond to their comments.
• Ask questions and encourage them to answer in the chat. Then call out their answers!
• Use direct, single pronouns. So instead of saying, “Hey, everybody!”, use “you” phrases—your goal is to speak directly to your audience and make them feel like you are talking to them personally. 
  • • “I am so glad you are here.”
    • “You will love yourself for making this purchase!”
    • “You will feel so comfy in this.”

Want to see how it's done? We've got two great videos for you—Engaging Your Audience and Talk to One, Not Many.

Be Yourself

Live selling works because of the personal connection shoppers make with you, the host! The best way to be successful is to be yourself!

Here are some suggestions to help you tap into your authentic voice and make a connection with your viewers:

• Share stories about yourself—favorite or funny anecdotes, future plans, personal victories, and even struggles you feel comfortable sharing. 
• Don’t be afraid to tell your good stories over and over again.
• Research what you sell and then connect those stories and facts to what you are selling. Let your products tell a story too!
• Become an expert on your brand and your products. This helps you share in a more authentic way.

Need ideas? Watch some videos on being authentic, storytelling, and being that product expert from Nancy Hornback: