You can listen directly here. 

Do you want more leads? More clients? Do you want to be known as a person of authority in the travel industry? Someone, whom clients know they can trust and won’t SELL them all the time? 

 

Feeling as though we should sell all the time is something I think it too prevalent in the travel industry. WE all have specials, we all have deals. But that isn’t going to set you apart from the other agents out there in this day and age. You need to be where your clients are. You need to be unique and different. 

 

With over 500 Million people turning to Facebook every day and watching videos. Now is the best time to be on board and show your face too. Sure it may seem scary and daunting, but today’s episode is full of tips, tactics and of course a step by step plan to help you get started with Facebook live to help you get more leads in your business. 

 

We are leveling up your travel business to set yourself apart and be THE agent that clients turn to, recommend and will also book with. You are going to give them an inside glimpse into your life as a travel consultant and provide value to them so they know WHICH agent (YOU) they come to, to book their next trip. 

 

You are ready… You can go LIVE on Facebook. We have a plan to show you how you just need to make the commitment to do it. 

 

You can do it! If you need a little help make sure to join our Achievers in Travel - Accountability group. We are kicking off a challenge - starting NOW! 

Show Transcription: 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business. 

 

Roslyn Ranse: Hello there everybody welcome back to another episode of Travel Agent Achievers! 

I am Ros and I am your host once again for today's episode, we are up to Episode 14 now, and today we're talking about How to Generate Leads with Facebook live videos, and I'm going to give you a step by step guide on how to put together your Facebook live videos, but also throw a bit of a challenge as well. 

 

So let's get into it. 

This episode is all about “why it's important to show up live and also in a video on social media”. 

 

What you need to focus on how to create a plan for each video you do, and I'm also going to throw in some tips to move to a more advanced level and then a few tips on how to be prepared without distraction just to get it done. 

 

So we're talking about generating leads with Facebook live videos. Why should you actually go on to Facebook these days and do videos? 

 

Well, if you're not doing it, you need to do it. 

 

And why? Because there are over 500 million people watching Facebook videos, which include live videos daily, 500 million people. Now this is, according to Forbes tech news on Facebook marketing recently published. 

And if you want really familiar with video, it is really just you, your camera or phone and hitting the little red button on Facebook. 

 

You're given a short countdown and then you're live to the universe. 

 

Initially, it is likely that nobody's going to be watching you when you are live. So there really is no need to be scared, guys. And so you know, I only started with a Facebook live video about six months ago. I know, I know. 

 

Everybody says we should have been doing it two years ago when periscope came out and all of these other things, and I really wanted to. 

 

But fear held me back. I was petrified. 

I had no idea if people are going to like it or watch it, or even if it would resonate with my ideal clients. 

Like who am I to be a video, right? 

 

And you may relate to this. So it took me a while. I'm a perfectionist, for those that know me, know that I like to get things right. I don't like making mistakes. And I've felt for me everything had to be perfect just to do a live video. 

 

My fears overtook me for a very long time. 

And I'm here to tell you that you don't need to worry about those fears. You can say goodbye to those little Gremlin sitting on your shoulder telling you ‘not good enough’, now, since starting Facebook live videos. 

 

And believe me, I've done things the wrong way. 

I've had videos facing upside down. I've had the Internet freezing. You know, it looks wonky. 

 

I've even told my husband he wasn't even allowed near me or the room, and he's not allowed to say anything. Whilst I was going live as I felt, he would also laugh, right? 

 

I've also told my team, and they are huge supporters of me that they're not allowed to interact with me on in and over the top way, or they're not allowed to interact with my walls. 

I'm on a Facebook live because I saw her. It is distracting. Now can you tell that I'm a perfectionist? 

My biggest supporter is my husband, Clint. And he is undoubtedly my biggest supporter. Even I doubted him that he would even like it himself. Self-talk was really bad. 

 

Anyhow, I took the leap and I just did it. 

 

Okay. Okay, so there was a bit of a challenge behind it. And for anybody that also is part of our accountability group or has been part of any of my coaching clients, you'll know that I do like a challenge, and I like to push myself a little bit. But I also like to push my clients a little bit as well. So there was a challenge out there set by my accountability group to actually just get it done. 

 

And once I did it, it was okay. 

 

So since starting doing live videos, the feedback that I've received from my clients has been awesome. I've received many bookings through this fact, and it is one of the strategies I use in marketing my business that I think and I really solidly believe you guys need to get started with this as well if you aren't already. My clients love it. 

 

And what's scary for me is that they are raw and they’re real and quite simply, it's just me, right. I give them behind the scenes look, it's all honesty, and what they care about is the content. It's not the stuff around me that happens, so they just want the good stuff. 

 

The one thing that I have had to learn and I'm passing this onto you guys straight up is doing video is not about you. It is about your clients and your customer. You don't have to watch it. I honestly don't know anyone that loves watching their own videos or listening to their own, audio. This is totally normal. 

 

So, guys, you don't have to watch it. Just let your clients watch it, or your friends and family if that’s who follows you. It's about providing value and getting in those new bookings and clients.

 

My goal is always about building trust, value and client awareness, 

and these three things trust, value, and awareness turn into more bookings. 

 

You need to be the authority for whom your clients want to book with, so to get started, I did have to give myself the challenge to do it. I had my accountability team, you know, challenging me and putting the pressure on. 

And I had to stick with it for at least six wakes. I made a public announcement and I just did it. It was really hard. But I knew that if I didn't challenge myself and I didn't set this goal, it wasn't going to happen. 

 

So it was a weekly goal once a week at the same time on the same day, and realistically I often didn't know what I was going to speak about until 10 minutes before I was scheduled to go live like this is the pressure I was putting myself under. I made it a really simple topic, wrote myself some bullet points. I had no strategy or script, for me, I just like to keep things simple so I don't freak out over the complexity and that was it. 

 

This was how I started with my phone, keeping it really simple and some bullet points and just talking. 

 

Now at the start, I talked too fast. 

I fumbled board. 

I laughed.

I looked all over the place. 

But you know what? I did it. And that was all that mattered. 

 

My clients loved it. They were grateful for the travel insights and how much value I actually gave. This is a value at absolutely no cost to my clients at all. It was just tips and tools and insights of things that I know about and as travel consultants and agents. And it's you that I'm talking to, you’ve been in the industry for a while. 

 

You traveled a lot, but we could get that. Sometimes what we consider is something that everybody knows or we already know. 

 

Our client doesn't necessarily know these things they don't know about seating on an aircraft or why we recommend midship on a cruise. They don't know why you should take a small first aid kit or essentials with you when you travel. These are things we know about and we take for granted. 

 

What about the things you pack in your carry-on? 

What do you need to do when you clear customs and immigration at an airport? 

How long do you need to have your passport valid for when you're traveling internationally?

If you need to get a visa for somewhere, it's the little things that matter to our clients, and we forget this because for us as consultants and agents it's everyday life, and these are the things that you can share with your clients on a Facebook live. 

 

I can guarantee it, guys, they're going to love you for it. So we as the travel agents are the experts in our industry. I think we often get caught up in that because we do know stuff and we think that others (our clients) do too. 

 

This isn’t the case. They WANT To know and they often NEED to know. 

 

I recently did a Facebook live when I came through an international airport. I had just cleared customs and immigration and after entering the duty-free shopping, I went live to update my clients on things they need to do and be prepared for when going through immigration now. Any updates and suggestions. They loved it! 

 

So… This is exciting. Now is my time to challenge you. 

 

This week my challenge to you is to GO LIVE for at least 4 weeks and see the difference this has on your business. You can start it today, you can start tomorrow.

 

I just want you to make the commitment to start. 

 

If you haven’t already - check out our Achievers in Travel Accountability Group on Facebook where we are going to do this… together! And see the effects it can have. 

 

Don’t be scared. I am going to help you through this. Following this episode, I have a cheat sheet created so you can download it, you can draw all over it and you can have a plan as to what to say throughout the facebook live. Super simple, easy to follow and tips to make it work for you. 

 

Getting started is as simple as having you, a phone, good light (so you can see yourself in the phone) and some bullet points so you don’t go off on a tangent and to know what you are going to say. 

 

Today’s episode we are talking about the WHAT and HOW you can do this (Knowing what to say so you can then go out and try it for yourself)

I really do believe many of you listening right now should be doing Facebook Live videos. It’s a way to connect with your audience that is WAY more personal than any post you would ever put on social media.

 

It’S OK TO HAVE FUN WITH INSTAGRAM/FACEBOOK, but remember you are a brand and a company, so it's ok to play, but having a strategy behind what you are doing will help build your business. 

 

I believe it is time for you as a travel agent to move with the times and get serious about promoting yourselves. I know you can do it. 

 

Did you know that out of $42 billion dollars spent on leisure travel in Australia, about $6.5billion was spent with online travel agents? This gives you as the REAL LIFE consultant the opportunity to step up and be the authority and person that clients turn to for professional advice and take care of them when things go wrong. I spoke about looking after your clients when things go wrong on Facebook Live myself. I will refer to this in the show notes. 

 

But back to the video. If you are in bricks and mortar office or you are a mobile agent, you need a reason for people to come to you, over someone else. 

 

As we have just said, over 500 million people are watching facebook videos and also Instagram stories every day… this gives you the opportunity that hardly ANY agents are doing at the moment to capture attention and show people that you are the person they can rely on. 

 

So, What do you post? When do you post it and HOW on earth is this going to get you, new clients. 

 

How do you do this? You need a plan. 

 

You need to be yourself. Shakes are ok, nerves are normal, feeling the imposter syndrome of I'm not good enough is also normal.

 

 However, you HAVE to push through these. 

In all honesty, people don’t care what you are wearing, they don’t care if you are fumbling (a little) they care that you are present, you are there and you are providing VALUE. 

 

Value is the key.  And having a plan as to what to say is what I am going to share with you.

Going Live or being on video is about inviting people into your world. You get to be transparent and knowledgeable. You get to tell stories, share strategies and tips, take people behind the scenes and share things you can’t share in a photo or static post. 

 

Even if you are nervous, even if you think this is NOT your thing, you feel like your going to mess up I want you to just an experiment - set yourself a challenge for once a week for the next 4 weeks, try it and see how it goes for you and your business. 

 

Step one is to have a phone. It’s just you and your phone. 

Super simple and ready to go. Now if you prefer to NOT hold the phone, I am giving you insight and the tools you need to take your video to the next level. You don’t have to do this straight away. I want to keep it as simple and as easy for you as possible to get started. 

 

There are only a couple of pieces of equipment if you want to take it to the next level that you need. This will give you a better quality video. I will have links to these in a ‘tech tools’ document - which I will link to in the show notes and you can go off and purchase if you are ready to take that step. I have used these for the last few years and take with me EVERYWHERE. When I am on the road, on a famil, visiting properties or at an event, I can take short videos and put those together - more on that in another episode or I can go live and know that my clients are seeing things but also getting good quality sound and video. A microphone and tripod are the 2 extra pieces of equipment to get you started. Lighting if you want to get fancy. 

 

Next up is getting started on the “WHAT to Say” or the “HOW to say it”

And remember we have a cheat sheet on these steps so you can print it out, download it and write out what you are going to say. 

 

The WHAT to SAY

You are doing this for your audience. That is all you need to remember. The what is what are the questions you get asked? What do they NEED to know? You have to meet them where they are. Get out of your own head and then you are able to service and provide the value you want. 

 

You aren’t telling them EVERYTHING. You are giving them a teaser as to what they should know. The reason why I am saying not to tell them every one is that I want them to come to you and learn more. They are coming to you BECAUSE you know more. That’s why they come to you. You are the specialist. You are the authority. 

You most likely will have a story around why you are telling them something. 

 

You want it to be enough information so they can go and do it themselves or are then more confident than prior to listening to you, but if they want more information they will be able to come to you as you know what you are talking about and can take it to that next level. 

 

Now before we get started on the HOW to say what you want to say I have some quick tips for going live on your phone. 

 

Don’t get caught out. 

 

 

• Have at least 70% battery

• Make sure your phone is on Do Not disturb

• Look at the actual camera on your phone. NOT yourself. If you look at yourself, your audience will think you are talking to someone else, not looking at them. 

• Strong Wifi - if you can have ALL bars on your wifi lit up, you shouldn't have any connection problems. 

• SMILE and breathe. Pretend you are having a conversation with a good friend or client. This is what you do every day, it’s just that on a live video you can’t see the person at the other end

 

Finally, we are moving onto The HOW and the structure….

 

 

• Introduce yourself and tell them what you are talking about. 

 

 

Not everyone watching will know who you are and what you do. State your name and where you are from and the topic you are discussing. If you can do this in the first 10 seconds, awesome. 

 

Even if you state the topic first and then your name and where you are from. Not everyone will know you and some people will share your post. Once your post is shared it becomes even more removed from your current fan or client base, so you need to state these things. 

 

Promoting yourself can be hard. I get it. It may feel like bragging but people need to know who you are and what you do, so they know why they should be listening to you. 

In mine, I say something like: 

 

“Hey, guys, Roslyn from itravel here. Today we’re going to be talking about the 5 tips when traveling with children and how this will make your life easier.

 

I've been traveling with my son Jackson now for the last 5 years. He is pretty much my ‘onboard suitcase’ on all my trips. I really want to help you with your travels with children so these tips are to give you peace of mind when you are traveling with a child.”

 

This is really natural and easy for me.  You are simply introducing yourself and creating credibility. WHY they should be listening to you. 

 

In addition to who you are and what you are discussing, you can also state where people can find you if you want. Alternatively, you can leave this until the end as well. 

 

RECAP: Name, company, the topic you are discussing today plus why they should listen or watch it.  

 

• If you like, the second step is about creating engagement. You may want to ask a question. 

 

 

You don’t need to look at the comments or the likes, this can sometimes throw you off. So ask a question and move on. The reason why you do this is because it creates engagement on your FB page and then FB picks it up in their algorithm and says it must be popular content, so it is shown to more people. Don’t get me started on algorithms and the complexities as to why and why not things are and aren’t seen. Just know that if you have people engaging with your posts, you are better off. 

 

So. question could be: Let me know in the comments if you have traveled with kids or are you too scared to? If traveling with kids freaks you out, then type FREAKED out in the comments. :-) 

 

If you haven’t type HELP ME. 

If you are too afraid to do this at the start, it's ok. You can build up to this. 

You can move straight to Step 3. 

 

• Provide value. 

 

 

Don’t look at the comments, focus on delivering the content. You don’t have to break up the content to say hi to everyone

 

 

• List in detail your tips or tools or steps. 

• Remember this isn’t an hour-long ted talk. You are providing value and moving on. It may only be a sentence or two about the tip you have for them. 

• This is where I have bullet points as to what I am talking about. If I have 5 tips, I can then talk off each of them, or write an extra note against them. Or if it is a topic or sale that's coming out I want to make people aware of and to be prepared, I tell them what they should prepare or look out for, so they aren’t caught out.

 

 

• Summarise your content. 

 

 

This is as easy as step 1. Step 2. Step3. 

 

• Ask for a call to action or how they can find you. 

 

 

Say goodbye. Make sure you give them a way to connect with you. Whether that is via email, on FB messenger, checking out a special link on your website or connecting with you on another platform. You just need to give them a place to find you. 

 

Get used to the process. 

So the steps for creating a GREAT engaging Facebook Live post are: 

 

• Introduce yourself and state what you are talking about (who and what)

• Create engagement - ask a question

• Provide value - this is like the body of the essay (tips or the teaching points)

• Summarise the tips, tools or strategies (summary)

• Call to action. How can people connect with you to learn more? (CTA)

 

Once you have finished your Facebook live, make sure you save or share it with your personal pages as well. You never know who may be listening. There are also advanced strategies once you start doing facebook lives, like adding a thumbnail picture to the start of the video, adding captions, downloading and using it on other platforms and of course to increase the quality of the videos, however, for now, I just would love to see you get started. 

 

Please come over to Facebook, join our Achievers in Travel group and let’s get started together. 

 

I will finish this off, with …

 

it’s ok to say Um and Ah, it's ok to look at your notes, it's ok to fumble a little. 

Just remember to have energy, SMILE, 

have eye contact with the camera and be passionate… 

have a laugh and this is not about you.

It is about your clients. 

 

Have an awesome week ahead! If you loved this podcast, please hit review send me a message and don’t forget to subscribe. I love reading these and all the messages from you. 

 

We have a number of things coming up to help you with your travel business and move towards the end of the year, I am so excited to get to share all this with you. Especially to get you out of your comfort zone and do something new. 

 

Jump over to our Achievers In Travel Accountability group and join us. I am starting this challenge today in the group and I want you to be a part of it. 

 

Get accountable and see how you can move your business forward by taking this one small step. I will see you there!!! 

 

Announcer: Welcome to Travel Agent Achievers! The place to learn how to grow your travel business and have fun with it. Join Roslyn and her guests as they walk you through proven steps to a fulfilling and profitable business.