Often in the world of social media, people and brands avoid real connections. Rather than actually being social, profiles and company pages become façades to the public. With scheduled posts and branded images, it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s “real.” Even though Facebook has grown into an incredibly diverse platform for many viewpoints, organizations, and businesses the directness of social media remains to be desired. That’s part of the thinking with Facebook Live! Here we’ll discuss tips for Facebook Live and ways your brand can prepare to use this feature:
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5 Tips for Facebook Live
Now that so many people have smartphones with high-speed connections, streaming live video from just about anywhere is a huge opportunity for brands. Honestly, there’s nothing worst than flat, non-personal ads or posts just wasting away on your timeline. Given the opportunity to reach fans or customers directly is something few would pass up! But with that said, it’s important to understand the best techniques for utilizing Facebook Live:
1. Tell People When You’ll Be Live
Although you can easily start a live video at any time, one of our key tips for Facebook Live is to let your audience know ahead of time. At the time of the broadcast, followers usually receive a notification indicating the stream as started, but that’s not always enough. For those who really want to join in, it’s best to create a Facebook event that will remind people of the live stream.
At the same time, starting impromptu live video streams can be just as effective — if not more so! The element of surprise can certainly work to entice viewers who weren’t expecting a live stream. It all just depends on your goals for the broadcast and how much audience participation is required.
2. Stream When You Have a Strong Connection
Getting all set up and prepped for your live stream only to have a shoddy connection is a marketing nightmare! Even the best cell phones are no match for cellular dead zones, so testing your wireless service ahead of time is key. Ideally, you’ll want to be connected to WiFi but 4G is the next best bet. If you have too weak of a signal, the “Go Live” button on Facebook won’t even be available. It’s one of the more obvious tips for Facebook Live, but it’s crucial to your live stream’s success!
3. Stay Focused and Maintain Context
The beauty of live streams on Facebook is that anyone can join in at any moment. However, this means that your full audience may not be present until after several minutes have passed. This makes it necessary to keep each viewer informed on the stream’s context. For instance, you’ll want to reintroduce yourself several times throughout the stream as new viewers join, and provide a brief description for “those just joining us.”
Even if you are relatively confident in the content of your live stream, having some notes doesn’t hurt! Once the camera lights up, it’s not uncommon for people to freeze up or go blank. If you are able to stay on track and remain focused, you’ll hold the viewer’s attention much longer and generate better engagement overall!
4. Keep it Personal and Energetic
One of the best things about Facebook Live is that brands and influencers can connect with individuals. Each viewer’s name will be listed once they join, so greeting them personally is recommended! This creates that authentic connection and verifies that a stream is actually taking place in real-time. Another great aspect of this is that comments can be read and addressed on the spot. This is something that your brand has to be ready for, especially if it’s regarding a product or facet of your service.
Overall, keeping a stream energetic and captivating is the goal. Although it depends on the content and goal of your broadcast, having talking points will be one way to move seamlessly from one area to the next.
5. Remind Viewers of What You Want Them to Do
Unless you’re just live streaming for fun, one of the most important tips for Facebook Live we can give is keeping your goals in mind. If you want people to submit to a contest, like your page, or find a particular page on your site, build your stream around that. There are options for allowing people to follow your page provided during the stream, but giving people an imperative by your own speech or actions is the whole point!
Do you have any tips for Facebook Live yourself? Let us know in the comments below!
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