Since Facebook plans to become mainly a platform for hosting videos, in particular, live videos, it’s never been a better time to leverage Facebook Live for marketing.
Facebook live is Facebook’s live-streaming video functionality. Facebook users can find live videos broadcast from your personal account in their newsfeed if they are your friends or follow you, and can find your live videos broadcast from your business page if they are fans of your page.
Live videos are a very effective marketing tool for many reasons. First, because they appear more sincere than any other videos. Live videos also enable you to build deeper relationships and trust with your fans or followers, which will make it easier in the long run to turn viewers into leads and sales. Another reason why Facebook live videos are a good tool to use is because Facebook prioritises live videos. Organic reach is much higher for Facebook live videos than standard posts. In other words, Facebook will show your live broadcast in the newsfeed to more people than they will show your standard posts. Plus, Facebook has introduced “live maps” accessible on https://www.facebook.com/livemap/ that shows live videos happening around the world. This means that anyone accessing “live maps” can potentially come across your live video regardless of whether they are fans of your page or friends and followers of your profile. Live maps display blue dots on the world map where live videos are being broadcast, and users can simply hover on the dots and watch the video. Another benefit of live videos is that they lead to higher engagement levels which allows you to get instant feedback and shape your content marketing accordingly.
In order to be able to broadcast live videos on Facebook, you will need to install the Facebook app on your smartphone. Then, simply login to your Facebook account though the Facebook app, click on “publish” where you would normally share a post, and the “live video” option will appear. Simply click on it, allow Facebook to access your phone’s camera, and follow the prompts. The same applies to Facebook pages. Should you wish to stream a live video from your Facebook page, login to your Facebook account through your Facebook app, go to your page, click on “publish” as if you were going to share a post, and click on “live video”. Allow Facebook to access your camera and follow the prompts.
In order to put together a killer Facebook live video to promote your upcoming webinar, you need to follow the steps below.
Step 1: Market your Facebook live video
A mistake people make is not announcing they will be running a Facebook live video. Simply put together a post announcing the time and day and title of your Facebook live video. For example, if you’re planning to run a webinar titled “how to become an Amazon bestselling author” and your Facebook live video will be used to promote your webinar, then a post saying: “I’ll be running a Facebook live video, at 9pm Sydney time, this Monday all about how I became an Amazon bestseller and so could you”. Don’t stop at promoting your live video on Facebook. Leverage other social networks such as Twitter and Instagram and your email list if you have one.
Step 2: Outline the content
To make sure your video is straight to the point, engaging and adds value to people and you don’t forget to touch on some points you want to make and don’t repeat yourself too much, a good habit to adopt is mapping out the content you will be delivering.
Outline your content in 3 parts:
- The introduction
- The content
- The call to action
In the introduction, you want to position yourself as an expert and authority figure so people are more likely to continue listening. Stating who you are and what you’ve achieved for a few minutes is enough. Then, deliver on your promise by sharing tips and secrets you’ve learnt. The content is a short version of your webinar.
For example, if you’re teaching people how to write a book fast, then share how you wrote yours.
The aim is to make people want to stay on the video and more likely be eager to find out more information and register for your one-hour long webinar.
During the content section, feel free to engage with the audience by reading their comments, answering their questions and asking them questions. For example, you could ask them what their number one challenge has been when trying to write their book.
Then, the third section is the call to action. The call-to-action is very important, as it will make or break the success of your Facebook live video. The call-to-action should state the several benefits for people to register for your live webinar, state the time and date of the webinar and clearly state the link where people can register.
Step 3: Rehearse
Rehearsing is key, especially if you’ve never run a Facebook live video and are unfamiliar with the technology and different options. To make sure your Facebook live video runs smoothly, practice delivering your content several times. Simply pretend you’re in front of a live audience, and go through the points you’ve outlined. Not only will it help you memorize what you plan to say, it will also allow you to see how long approximately it will take you to deliver it, to make sure your live video is not too long and is not too short either.
Step 4: Schedule it at the right time
To decide when is the best time to run your Facebook live video for maximum exposure, use “Facebook Insights”. Facebook Insights is Facebook’s built-in analytics tool which allows you to see when your audience is the most active on Facebook. Make sure you run your Facebook live video at that specific time and day.
Step 5: Production
Like any video, Facebook live videos need to be of high quality. Make sure your internet connection is strong, your lighting is strong enough to avoid producing dark videos and think of even using an iPhone tripod so your video is steady and both your arms are free to communicate more effectively with your audience. Avoid recording your Facebook live video in noisy places or where you can easily be interrupted.
