NOTE: Blab no longer exists. I’ve left this blog post up because it’s interesting that some very, very popular “tools” have appeared and then completely disappeared for one reason or another – usually because it couldn’t keep up with the growth or no other big company bought it or it simply burned out its creators.
If you’re attempting to keep up with new technology that can help you grow your business, you may have heard of Blab.
Blab is the hot new tool that enables anyone to have a talk show.
Blab’s Twitter bio says this: Press a button. Start a talk show.
That’s it, really.
Yes, there are other tools that help you live stream, such as Periscope and Google Hangouts. I’ll write about those tools in a future blog post. (Or feel free to research them on your own, of course.)
The Best Blabs Have These Traits In Common
Keep in mind that I’m a new fan of Blab and not experienced as a host yet but maybe that’s a good thing because I’m objective (a bit).
I’ve tuned into several Blabs recently. Some were poorly done – they strayed off the topic for too long or someone took the guest seat and was lower in energy than the hosts were and killed the energy level but other Blabs were great and had these traits in common:
The hosts and guests stayed on topic OR allow the conversation to evolve in a good direction, were passionate about what they were talking about and kept the show moving forward in an interesting and fairly energetic way. Energy is key. Have you ever watched or listened to someone on TV, radio, podcast, etc. and their energy level was low? Boring, right? Yes! Or have you been in a conversation that started to become fascinating but someone said: “Let’s get back to what we were talking about before…” Yikes. That’s not a good host: that’s a controller. Remember this when you do your first live stream, whether it be on Blab or Periscope or a video for YouTube or hosting a chat.
I took this screenshot during a really great Blab I recently watched:
We Were Made Smarter For Having Watched This Blab
The audience who attended this Blab would probably agree with me. The resources I gained from watching that Blab were intriguing. Bonnie Frank and Roy Montero shared membership site tools, graphic tools and webinar tools. This is invaluable insight from people who have tried out these resources already and compared them to other similar tools. They gave us the links to these resources and voila! We were made smarter for having watched this Blab. Not only that, but a lot of time and money was saved because now I don’t have to try out other tools to see if they’re useful or not (or research them). Here’s the link if you want to watch the re-play: Masterminds, Membership Sites and More! (NOTE: I un-linked that because the link no longer exists).
Other Cool Features on Blab
- The audience can tune in (see them on the right in the screenshot above) and write comments, give props or double high-fives to the guests and hosts as they share good advice or say something worthy of a high-five. Blab tracks the number of props each speaker receives. In the example above you can see that Bonnie Frank had 208 at the moment this screenshot was taken.
- The audience can ask questions by inserting: /Q in front of their question so it’ll appear on the left side of the screen.
- As an audience member, you can also share the Blab to your Twitter audience – and when you do this, Blab creates a gif to go in your Tweet. So cool! Click the t.co link below to see one.
Masterminds, Membership Sites & More! w/ @bonnielfrank @RoyMontero @BeckyJAnderson1 https://t.co/EBUuXxtOVH #blab pic.twitter.com/TWMjPvyFgs
— Lori Gama ♥ (@LoriGama) November 22, 2015
- You can also give other audience members stars for their written comments.
- You can easily start following people in Blab and in Twitter. So, it’s a great way to grow your own tribe – without even doing a Blab. I followed some interesting people in the audience, based on their Twitter bios and based on the fact that they were interested in the Blab I was attending, too.
Now, why would you want to have your own talk show? And who has the time to do such a crazy/innovative thing?
Blab is not for everyone. If you feel uncomfortable making conversation at a social gathering or if you NEVER strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you on a plane, then hosting a Blab probably isn’t for you. But if you enjoy learning, then be an audience member who high-fives the speakers and shares their Blabs. Blab hosts will love you. And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll feel like jumping into a Blab and sharing your experience or advice if asked by the host.
But if you love good conversation and you enjoy learning, then you’re a prime candidate to either host your own Blab (talk show) or start regularly watching or listening to Blabs that talk about topics you’re passionate about or interested in learning. I predict that Blab will grow your business. How can I make such a prediction? Read on, my friend…
How Blab Grows Business
Something amazing happened while I was finishing up writing this post: I DM’d (Direct Messaged) Bonnie Frank in Twitter and told her I was writing this post and mentioned her and was that okay? She kindly said yes and kindly offered to share her answer to this question:
Would you agree that Blab has helped you grow your business? If so, how has it done that? (You attracted more members, clients, referrals??)
Bonnie replied:
“Both Blab and Periscope have grown my business! I had a “business with no customers” for an entire year. On July 3, I got on Periscope and six days later I started selling all of the same products and services that I’d had in my store for the previous year! Shortly after that, I found out about Blab and that has snowballed my business growth. All of my clients, customers and products and services sold have happened because of livestreaming. Research has shown that it takes between 7-12 touches (communications) before someone will buy from you on social media. Livestreaming has changed that to between 1- just a few more! 🙂 ”
So there you have it: a testimonial from an expert who has lots of experience live streaming with both Blab and Periscope and has grown her business because of this. Wow. What a great testimonial. If that doesn’t light a fire under your entrepreneurial bottom, I don’t know what will. 🙂 Thank you, Bonnie!
Here are a couple of more reasons to try Blab (and Periscope) if you’re still not convinced:
-
- Smart early adopters win. By hosting your own Blab at a set time and day (just like TV) with guests joining in with you to talk about a specific subject, you’re going to eventually grow business because Blab is so new yet already so popular that you will automatically be a smart early adopter. A smart early adopter is careful about choosing what s/he’s going to spend time learning and doing because time is more valuable than money. If you have a program, an online course, an e-book or if you do consultations or coaching or speaking gigs, you must do your own Blab. People who watch your Blab will either like you or not. When they like you, they’ll tune in again. As you share more free advice and tools and resources, you’ll earn the trust of your viewers. Once they trust you, they’ll be more likely to either buy from you or recommend you. After watching one Blab, hosted by Bonnie L. Frank, I knew that she is a trustworthy expert and though, I have not yet invested in purchasing any products, I have recommended her to you and to my Twitter followers.
- Like-minded people gathering to talk sometimes turns into collaborations or joint ventures. As Margaret Mead said:“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. (r) Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Blab Resources
Just discovered: The 168 Hour Blab: a whole lot of entrepreneurs who talked and shared advice and experiences for 168 hours straight. (If that link is incorrect, I’ll post the replay link as soon as it’s available. Or you can search for the replay in Blab with this hashtag: #the168). I’m listening to the last hour of this record-setting live streaming event that is wrapping up right now and I can tell that I missed a very, very special and meaningful Blab. It sounds like this particular Blab, started by Lori Webb, has changed peoples’ lives. Because of this particular Blab, a community began and the ramifications of which are probably going to be huge for all who were involved.
Be sure to read Blab’s policies and terms of use so you don’t break their rules and so you know what to do if you spot someone not playing nice.
Infographic about Blab: To see this infographic in its larger size, go to: https://blab.im/about
