Leveraging Facebook Live as a Business

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In an effort to further the video agenda in newsfeeds, Facebook released a new sharing method a few months ago called “Facebook Live.” This allows users to share live video from their mobile devices straight to the feed.

What has this update meant for marketers? It means a very real-time avenue for communicating with consumers and engaging them in a new hands on way. Brands are able to translate stories and build authentic, real relationships with their followers through the use of live streaming video.

While the concept itself may seem simple, there are some steps to consider to maximize the use of this video tool. Use these guidelines to determine best practices to really make an impact in the Facebook broadcasting world. From increasing viewership, to measuring engagement – we’ve got you covered.

Get Personal

The whole idea behind streaming live as a business is to connect with your audience on a whole different level. Different, meaning personal. Take advantage of the avenue by creating interactive and relatable videos. Ask viewers to get involved, talk directly to them, ask questions, and mention names if possible. Create a back and forth avenue that generates a flowing conversation.

Keep it Concise

There can be a fine line between entertainment and utter boredom. While you want to make sure your broadcast is long enough to serve a purpose, you don’t want to lose the interest of your audience either. A general rule to live by is greater than 10 mins to make sure you’re fully reaching a bulk of your audience and drawing them in. As long as viewers are actively engaging with you, it’s okay to keep streaming – once things taper off, it’s time to say goodbye.

Be Purposeful

While it’s easy to want to project your brand on every avenue as soon as possible, it’s important to keep a strategy in place. Live streaming for the sake of live streaming can cause your brand’s message to fall flat. Create an outline of your goals to accomplish in each live feed, what key points you will address, and how you will interact with viewers throughout your message. Depending on your target industry persona, it may better serve you to go in without a lot of planning, while other businesses may prefer to have some kind of agenda. Whatever it is you plan to share – be prepared. Which leads us to our next point…

Come Prepared

While being spontaneous certainly has some charm, going into a broadcast unplanned can negatively affect your participation. Live videos should have an advanced plan of action so viewers know where to be and when in order to fully participate. Promoting the upcoming streaming and giving several reminders will ensure the maximum amount of followers will attend.

Stay Connected

Nothing is more embarrassing than planning to broadcast live only to have your connection constantly interrupted or dropped. While a good, strong WiFi connection is recommended – 4G cell connection will work as well. Whatever it is you use to stream – be sure it’s reliable. You want to avoid a bad image projection or disconnect.

With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to fully leverage live videos to your brand’s potential. Let us know some creative ways your company has utilized the feature.

Stay social my friends.