6 Facebook Live Tips: Getting Started with Live Video

Are you ready to dip your feet into the world of live video broadcasting? Or have you started using Facebook Live, but want to create more impact for your brand? Facebook Live is a powerful marketing tool to reach more people and build engagement on social media, especially as Facebook’s algorithm looks favourably on live video content.

We’ve put together 6 top tips to create a big impact with Facebook Live streaming:

1. Ride the live video streaming wave

As we mentioned, live video is not just a growing trend, it's a snowballing content form that brands can no longer ignore. Whether you’re creating Stories on Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat, or perhaps you’re broadcasting live with Periscope on Twitter, live video boasts high engagement rates. And social networks' algorithms rank live video highly, whilst brands are earning SEO brownie points with Google. So, it’s time to get on board and get your live videos out there!

Facebook reports that users watch Facebook Live videos for 3x longer than normal videos.    

Facebook sends notifications to followers when you start a Facebook Live broadcast, giving your content chance to attract more viewers. People can react and comment live, so you get that real-time interactive appeal. This presents an opportunity for you to respond to comments and questions during your live stream, which is great for a discussion or Q&A-style broadcast.

2. Get started with Facebook Live

If you’ve not yet created a Livestream with Facebook Live, here are the basic steps to get started: 

• Click on “Live Video” at the top of your Facebook News Feed
• Insert an accompanying message (keep titles to less than 255 characters)
• Why not add an emoji to give your content a fun feel?
• Click “Go Live” and off you go!

It might be daunting, especially when you go live for the first time, but being natural and conversational helps give your content a crucial authentic quality.

3. Embed videos into your website and landing pages

Facebook allows you to download your videos after your streaming has finished, which is great for giving you a key content asset to repurpose on other channels or adding to blogs. The live video will publish as a post on your Facebook page feed after the broadcast has finished. You can embed the videos into your blogs, website and landing pages by clicking the cog symbol in right corner of video. Click on “embed” to get the embed code and insert it into any blog or web page, to increase visual impact or to give visitors easy-to-consume content. Let the potential of your live video run and run!

4. Devise a Facebook Live strategy

Once you've got to grips with Facebook Live and become comfortable with the live brodcasting format, it's time to put a plan in place. As we've mentioned, live streaming on Facebook doesn't have to be a standalone content format for your brand, it can be repurposed and you can build up the impact over time with a clear strategy for getting the most out of Facebook Live.

Plan your key topics to cover in your Livestreams and also the types of live video you want to put out there. Do you want your Livestreams to be interactive or will you be mainly delivering brand updates and exclusive news? Perhaps you'll be discussing tips and tactics. Think about the purpose of your videos before you start. If you don't, it will come across that way to your viewers! 

Here are some examples of different forms of live videos to create with Facebook Live:

• Product launch
• Live broadcasting at an event
• Behind-the-scenes content
• Exclusive news or offers
• Brand storytelling
• Unboxing reviews
• Quick win tips
• How-to tutorials

These are just a handful of examples, there are many more options to publiah great content via Facebook Live. Also, plan your engagement strategy and consider the best ways to get people to subscribe to your videos. Build a buzz around your content, using other posts and channels to promotion your Facebook Live videos. Put out reminders when you're about to go live!

5. Make your live video content engaging

In the early days of live video broadcasting, you could get away with being a big rough around the edges. It was all about giving it a go and being authentic. Now, users expect to see a bit more gloss, especially from top brands. Ok, you don't necessarily need a green screen (like in the pic above), but investing in some decent equipment (like lighting) and thinking more about the composition of your videos for Livestreams shot in-house can make your live content a lot more engaging.

Obviously, this doesn't apply so much when you're out and about. When filming yourself on the move or live at events, no-one will expect it to look that professional. If you're at home or in your office, why not use a tripod for your smartphone, or even use a tablet or desktop computer? Look to improve the quality of your Facebook Live videos over time.

6. Build up a following

You're up and running and improving your videos each time you do a new live video, now it's time to build up a following. So, how do you encourage users to watch your broadcasts?

Here are a few ideas for building an audience for your Facebook Live videos and getting more views:

• Utilise other other channels to promote your videos
• Tweet the link to your Facebook Live and share it on Facebook and Linkedin
• Post a reminder about your upcoming FB Live vid in advance of your broadcast
• Email people and let them know about your past and future Livestreams
• Repurpose and atomise past videos into snippets and clips to entice more viewers
• Edit content for short videos on Instagram
• Encourage and incentivise people to subscribe to your live videos
• Bring in guest hosts to increase reach and engagement
• Be frequent and consistent – how about a weekly broadcast at a specific time?

Wrapping Up

As you can see, the possibilities are vast and the more live videos you produce, the better you'll get and the more scope you'll have for repurposing content and enticing more viewers. Draw up clear plan for Facebook Live, establish the main purpose of your broadcasts, pick out your key topics and start building your tribe. Good luck!

Enchant is a leading UK digital marketing agency, based in London. We help brands to improve their performance fast and reach their full potential with customer lifecycle marketing strategies. If you need help with your social media marketing or paid social advertising, why not get in touch with our experienced marketing consultants and see how we can help you supercharge your marketing strategies!