There is no denying that live streaming is the newest social media craze. It is available on all the major platforms. Everyone from your friends to celebrities are doing it, but how can your business use live videos to increase website and store traffic?
Live streaming serves two major functions in the social media world. First, it is authentic — because it is live and all the stumbles aren’t edited out. Don’t worry if your presentation isn’t perfect; people like to be reminded that you are human. Second, it’s social, which is the whole point of social media. Anything that facilitates a conversation in social media is a win and live streaming can do that. While your video is being broadcast, people can watch and comment live, allowing you to acknowledge them and even answer questions if time allows. Real time person-to-person interaction will make a positive, more lasting impression.
Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have all experienced major growth in video. 100 million hours of video are watched on Facebook each day. 500 million hours of video are watched on YouTube daily — however, YouTube does not yet offer live streaming to all contributors. Marketers and businesses have also jumped onto the live bandwagon. In fact, 43% of marketers said they’d like to create more live videos. Why? Because, right now, they work.
That’s why today we are going to discuss how you can create great live videos.
FOMO
FOMO is the Fear Of Missing Out. It is the one of the reasons I believe live videos have taken off. Regular videos also do well, but people watch Facebook Live videos three times longer than recorded videos. Many platforms allow you to post live videos to you wall after the event (which you should do), but there is something about watching live that initiates more excitement in what you’re saying. In the beginning, very few people will watch the video live because you are unvetted. All that means is the audience doesn’t know what you are doing or what benefit your videos offer them. Most of the video views will come from replays. However, once you have developed it as a regular feature, your viewership will grow because of FOMO. People don’t like to be the last to know about a great sale or event until it’s already over. Use this to your advantage and continue to leverage it as your audience grows.
Promote before and after you broadcast
While Facebook sends out alerts when a person is broadcasting live, not all of the platforms do that. You need to make sure people know when you plan on doing the videos. Talk about the post before you make them and in the video description. Include hashtags that will make your efforts easier to find by people on campus. Once the live video is over, make sure you post it on your page for those who have missed. Continue to promote that post as well. You need people to watch the videos so the next time they are more willing to tune in to see what you have to say.
Be prepared
This is a deceptively tricky task. You need to know what you are going to say, but you also want to be natural. Don’t be that person reading from notecards. Eye contact and ease will help you connect. If you are looking down or reading from a card, you won’t be doing yourself any favors. First, work out what you want to talk about and the points you want to cover, then practice a couple times. Give careful consideration to the video title and description. Sound quality also matters. Make sure you can be heard and your message is clear, but also keep in mind that 85% of videos viewed on Facebook are watched without sound. Finding a way to make your broadcast interesting for those who view it with or without sound will be a challenge, but you will be rewarded when you strike the right balance. Consider adding hand-held signs to further highlight the most important parts of your broadcast.
Use these to formulate your going live plan. Read Going Live Part Two to learn more about what to include, and what not to include, in your live streaming videos.
