Our 5 practical tips for using Facebook LIVE
Posted on April 3rd, 2020
With many of our consumers staying at home and trying to ride out this storm, our small businesses are being forced to be innovative about the way they operate and communicate. This will mean stepping outside of your comfort zone which can be very daunting. Here are 5 tips on how to get started with Facebook LIVE.
1. Plan & Practice
Unless you deliver this information daily (e.g. like a tour guide or professional trainer), it’s best not to “wing-it” when doing LIVE broadcasts.
– Plan the content you are going to be talking about, make some dot points that you can briefly refer to ensure you don’t have any long pauses, and consider doing a test run with a ‘Private Broadcast’ so you can test lighting, background noise, etc.
– Decide whether you will hold the phone or if you will use a mount or a co-worker. Keep in mind that for live broadcast you can use either the front or rear facing camera.
– Consider forwarding your calls to avoid interruptions during broadcasts.
– Lastly, this may seem obvious but if you are shooting on a phone ensure you have a strong broadcast connection as your stream quality will vary based on your connection speed.
2. Promote your broadcast
Think of your live broadcast as an event rather than a video or blog post. You’ll want to generate interest for your ‘event’ before it happens to ensure people attend. The same goes for live broadcasts. Each time you remind your audience about your broadcast, tell them something new like; what will they learn, or what are the highlights, etc.
3. Go long! Short and snappy is NOT the aim when broadcasting live!
Facebook prioritises longer videos (3 min +) that encourage people to continue watching. Therefore, the longer you are Live, the more likely people are to discover and invite their friends on Facebook to watch the video. Good planning will help you reach this goal, as will encouraging your viewers to ask questions.
4. What to do when you are live…
Always introduce yourself and your company. Outline what you will be talking about or your agenda, so viewers know what to expect.
– Let viewers know if you are planning to take questions as this gives them time to type them in for when you are ready to answer them.
– Talk to your audience and personalise their experience – even welcome some of them by name as you see them join. Also remember to offer context as you see more people join in. for example you may want to say something like “Welcome to those of you who have just joined us, ware are currently talking about…”.
– Remember to end your broadcast with a call-to-action or tell them a bit about your plans for the next video.
Examples:
Watch the video below of locals, Koorana Crocodile Farm, who frequently use Facebook LIVE. Here is a great example of a live cooking broadcast where they are answering viewers questions as they go along…
Here’s another example: a caravan manufacturer that does regular live broadcasts where they provide a “walk-through” of their new vans. They spend quality time acknowledging their viewers, whilst still providing informative commentary.
5. Get Creative
You don’t need to broadcast the same way every time. Try different phone orientations (i.e. landscape or portrait) and broadcast durations to see what is going to work best for you and your audience. Try to go live often.
How do I go live on Facebook?
To go live:
- Click Create Post at the top of your News Feed.
- Click … then click Live Video.
- Write something about your live video.
- Click Go Live in the bottom right.
Note: Use the Google Chrome web browser to go live from your computer
Click here for Our TOP 5 tips for Facebook Marketing during COVID-19
