Quick Tips To Actually Optimize Your Facebook & Instagram Live Broadcasts
In the following article we are going to talk about an important topic that is “6 Customer Service Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2020” and will discuss about it in details within the articles:
What you actually need to grasp about Facebook Live and Instagram Live
There are several ways in which you or your brand can make an online broadcast. You can select a platform solely dedicated to live broadcasts, such as Twitch, or a video platform which also includes live broadcast options, such as YouTube.But the magic about Facebook and Instagram Live is that each of these platforms has more than a billion active users on them! More importantly, both platforms make it incredibly easy to notify its users when a new broadcast is going to take place and for its users to share the broadcasts with their friends.
However, on top of a large audience, Facebook and Instagram Live also include interesting features that make them great platforms for streaming:
- Your viewers can interact with your broadcast by using emojis, chat and comments.
- You get to choose the level of interaction you want your audiences to have available.
- You can save your live videos after the transmission is over.
- You can go live with multiple streamers via split-screen.
- You can increase a broadcast’s visibility and reach by using appropriate, relevant hashtags to draw more viewers in.
And that’s just to name a few! But let’s cut to the chase here. The 2 biggest hang-ups when it comes to actual live-streaming are:
- It can be hard to attract the right type of audience
- Making sure the stream goes off without a hitch
Planning A Broadcast
Before you start the production of any video, you need to plan ahead if you want it to succeed from a marketing standpoint. And that’s as true for live broadcasts as it is for more traditional pieces, like whiteboard animations or video ads!There’s no way you’ll get a good broadcast if you don’t have a solid strategy to guide your efforts from the get-go – something that becomes painfully obvious when it comes to streaming. When you are shooting a live video, everything you improvise on the spot is irreversible, and it could change everything. You shouldn’t be memorizing a script or acting out a scene – both big no-no for live broadcasts. However, it’s extremely advisable to possess or have a well-developed content structure to shape your stream.
You should know:
- Whom you will be speaking to
- What the characteristics of your target audience are
- What your audience is interested in knowing or learning
- Your topic upside down!
And, most importantly, what you should give them to keep them interested and watching. Again, it’s not about making a script; it’s more about creating an outline. If you have a clear understanding of what the main topics of conversation will be and what comes next, you’ll be able to navigate through the live stream confidently and without awkward pauses.
Finally, make sure that you can identify what your main goal is for the broadcast:
- Are you planning to present a specific product to raise your sales rates?
- Do you want to increase awareness of your brand?
- Do you want to grow your follower count?
Get a clear picture early on about what you want to achieve, and use that goal to shape the broadcast’s preparations. Your stream might be merely informative, or maybe you wish to begin a conversation with your audience and gain some insights about them. Perhaps you simply want people to see a more relatable side to your brand. Whatever it is, define your goal prior to the live stream, create and program your stream’s content around that goal, and make sure you know the type of audience you’ll be engaging. Things will go much more smoothly that way!
Promoting Your Live Stream Ahead Of Time
An “if you build it, they will come” approach is liable to end up in disappointment. Live videos should be treated as special events. Just like any other kind of event, you need to generate interest around it before the experience actually happens. That is, if you want to attract a good amount of viewership!
On Facebook, for example, you can create an actual event for your live stream, listing the date and time, and inviting people (friends and/or followers) way in advance.You can even add keywords to your event to help people find it and use the option of having guests confirm their attendance. A great thing about this feature is that when people RSVP to an event, their friends will get notified, increasing the number of eyes coming across your broadcast notification as well as increasing the likelihood of their attending.
That said, there are plenty of other ways to drive more attention to your upcoming live videos.You can rely on Instagram or Facebook Ads. Start conversations on Facebook posts or Instagram Stories to let your audience ask questions which will be answered during the live video, or for them to decide which topics they’d like you to discuss.
You can share sneak peeks of the content. For example, you might be using this live broadcast to present a new product or announce a new feature. An effective social media campaign with teases of the announcement tied to your upcoming live broadcast is an easy and effective way to promote both.Don’t forget the more traditional mediums, like cross-platform messages, emails, and posts on your other social media channels, which are also great ways to boost your live broadcast’s attendance numbers.
As long as you convey to your audience that something special is going to take place and that they can be part of it by tuning in and watching, you are on the right track.
Dry Run the Event Beforehand
It’s highly advisable that you prepare yourself and your equipment before the event takes place, and that means going through a dry run to avoid any possible mistakes or mishaps that you might not have foreseen.
Run through the entire event to make sure you know and understand all the steps for going live and ending a broadcast. (It’ll make you feel less nervous, too!) Check that your equipment is up-and-running in tip-top shape. Do one final pass over the topics you’ve outlined to ensure that it all makes sense.
Plan ahead so that you and your team make this dry run with enough time before the actual broadcast. This way, if anything is not working correctly (your camera, mic, or the platform itself), you’ll have time to fix it or find a replacement.
Lastly, make sure to have a backup! Have a friend’s phone nearby in case yours run out of battery (although, you should be plugged in for something like this) or freezes up. Have extra topics of conversation prepped ahead of time in case the ones you’ve planned aren’t as engaging and conversation-provoking as you initially thought!
Branding in Live Broadcasts
Adding branded elements in your videos (logo, custom designs for name tags or titles, color palettes) is important to remind your audience that the content is yours – and that applies to your live streams as well!These elements help with brand recognition and cohesion and elevate your broadcast from a simple, informal affair into something more professional and impactful. But you have to do it right.
You can design these visuals in any platform you feel comfortable with (like Photoshop or Canva) and add it to your Facebook or Instagram Live with the help of a platform like Be.Live or SwitcherGo.Just remember: the focus of your live broadcast should be on your message — the visuals and branded elements are secondary (so make them pretty but subtle).
Here’s a list of ideas about how your brand can take advantage of Facebook and Instagram Live:
- Offer A Peek Behind-the Scenes (Dunkin’ Donuts)
- Host A Debate (Grazia UK)
- Hype Your Upcoming Event (Tough Mudder)
- Share Exclusive Content (Tim Coppens)
- Offer Freebies and Giveaways (J. Crew)
- Launch A New Product (Chevrolet)
- Show Off Your Humanity (Starbucks)
- Show Fans How to Actually Use Your Product (Benefit Cosmetics)
- Partner with Another Brand (Martha Stewart)
Don’t Forget the CTA!
Earlier, we discussed how important it’s to have or possess a solid goal before you make your broadcast. Here’s why: Including a call to action somewhere in your stream is the most direct way to make your audience take the next step you want them to take.Give them something to do! Point them to the new product that you’re unveiling and link to the landing page with more information about it. Invite your audience to subscribe to your newsletter to stay updated on the topic you were discussing. Whatever you choose to do, just make sure that you use all this engagement to your benefit. Otherwise, it’s just (fun, but) wasted effort.
You shouldn’t limit your CTAs to the end of your broadcast, either. In fact, you should be taking into account that some people are going to leave your live stream before it ends (don’t be offended; that’s just the way social media works!).So ensure that you simply include calls to action at different stages of your stream – a subtle one near the beginning, one somewhere in the middle (maybe with a break, actually depending on the nature and length of your stream), and a giant one at the end. You must remember the people are still there at the end of your stream will often be your most invested as well as motivated audience.
