Why You Should Consider Facebook Live

In case the recent phenomenon of the Chewbacca Mom, Candace Payne, hasn’t woken you up to Facebook Live yet, well, it’s time you join the rest of us over on this (somewhat) new way of live streaming video. 

 

 

Facebook introduced Facebook Live to select celebrities late last year and officially opened it up to us mere mortals earlier this year. With live video sharing apps, like Periscope, on the rise by the hour, it was only a matter of (short) time until Facebook planned to take over all live streaming.

While I know video can be very intimidating, trust me when I say the potentials of using Facebook Live are BIG. Read on for a few reasons why you need to jump on this fast moving bandwagon, and how to optimize your time spent on the new platform.

Because I have a feeling a few of you may need some more convincing to put your pretty faces out there LIVE, let’s start with the WHY. Once I’ve convinced you to go for it, we’ll go over three tips for making the most of your Live experience:
 

3 REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO JUMP ON FACEBOOK LIVE:
 

1.) GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT THERE FASTER – It’s not enough to just talk the talk these days (or ever). You need to walk the walk. What better and easier way to do that than to broadcast your message, brand, or company to 1.6 billion active Facebook users? Facebook Live is the quickest way to reach any and all current customers and fans and any potential customers. Unlike many other social platforms, you don’t have to post a link to your shop, or ask your followers to click over to your website, or ask them to do anything that requires them to do any actual work. Remember, we’re a lazy bunch of souls these days. You can put your entire message/exciting news/company updates and so forth, into your Facebook Live broadcast. Instant gratification.

2.) WE’RE ALL CRAVING CONNECTION – I fully believe one of the reasons video, and especially now live video, is so popular is because we are all craving more connection. Yes, we really are obsessed with our little screens and the online worlds we submerse ourselves in, but at the end of the day we all want more connection. Video is a way to allow your customers and clients to feel more connected to you. Everyone loves a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into a company, or a new product line or an exciting new retail location. By connecting with your audience over on Facebook Live, you’re speaking with them and not to them. The more people feel personally involved, the more your business will grow by loyal customers and raving fans. Connection, people. We all want more of it.

3.) YOUR PEOPLE ARE ALREADY THERE – As much hate as Facebook can get, let’s face it, we can’t imagine our modern lives without it. It’s been around the longest and it’s the one we are ALL, from age 14 to age 80, the most comfortable with. Every day another social media platform seems to pop up in the app store and those trend forecasters will dub it the next big thing. But no platform has stood the test of time like Facebook. It isn’t going anywhere. With that being said, all of your people are most likely already there hanging out in between afternoon meetings, in traffic (though really, everyone stop iPhone-ing and driving!), and on the couch in between commercials. Remember how lazy we all are? Well, Facebook Live now cuts out the middle man. I cannot tell you how many browser tabs I have open on my phone because I see an interesting article on Instagram or Twitter, so I open the link and then tell myself I’ll read it later. With Facebook Live, your users will receive a notification that you have now gone live and are recording. They can choose to either opt in right then and there, or since all of your recordings will be permanently saved to your Facebook page, they can just click on over from that notification and watch it in the Facebook app when the time is right. No one likes a middle man, and everyone likes it to be easy. How can it get any easier, for the broadcaster and the audience, than Facebook Live?
 

3 WAYS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR FACEBOOK LIVE RESULTS
 

1.) WARN THE PEOPLE –  Let your followers and Facebook users know in advance that you plan to go live. No one wants to talk to an empty audience, so be sure to make several announcements on different platforms (think Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat) that you plan to broadcast. Don’t forget to announce the specific day and time (and time zone!)! Once live, you can ask followers to ‘follow’ you (it’s the little ‘Follow’ button in the bottom right hand corner when you’re broadcasting live) and they’ll then receive a notification whenever you go live. However, some people are picky about their notifications, so I will always suggest alerting the people of your broadcast beforehand. 

2.) GRAB THEIR ATTENTION WITH A COMPELLING HEADLINE – Technically it’s more of a description than a headline, but I strongly advise letting users know what your Facebook Live broadcast will be about. Consider this the “status update” for your Live video. People like to know what they’re getting themselves into! Don’t leave them in the dark.

3.) ACTUALLY TALK TO YOUR PEEPS – One of the great things about Facebook Live is that it’s, well, LIVE. If you’re taking the time to broadcast and your followers are taking the time to tune in while your broadcast is live, then you may as well all make the most of it. Don’t let the broadcast fall stagnant. Participation is fun and keeps the conversation going. Ask questions, ANSWER those questions, ask for opinions, call out users and commenters by name. Everyone likes to be recognized, so recognize your fans! 

HAVE FUN!
 

If you need some inspiration, take a look at this Facebook Live Map. It shows you every currently live video from across the world. I know video, and especially live video, can seem scary as heck. But give it a shot at least once and have fun with it! I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Until next time,
VHC