7 Smart Ways to Start Using Facebook Live For Your Business

By Patrick Cole

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Facebook Live

It’s difficult to know why Facebook waited so long to offer its users a live streaming option. Perhaps it was a strategic move. After all, it’s not always the best choice to be the first out of the gate. Whatever their reasons are, Facebook Live is here. Brands have wasted no time in using this resource to reach out to their audience.

You might be wondering how your company can get in on the action. If so, here are seven smart ways that you can start using Facebook Live for your business.

1. Put on Webinars And Host Events Directly From Facebook

Oyster shucking; Who would have thought that thousands of people would tune in every day to watch somebody shuck oysters? The latest trend in direct marketing is selling customers pearls, harvested directly from the oyster as they watch live. To be more accurate, customers are purchasing the pearls and the jewelry which will display them.

Had this trend started a few years ago, these events would be hosted in people’s homes. Now, thanks to Facebook Live, party hosts can reach out to an even wider audience. As a business owner, you can use this as inspiration. Facebook Live is an ideal vehicle for hosting live webinars and other events. Just make the announcement on Facebook, promote the event with the time and date, send direct invitations to your most loyal followers, and encourage people to invite others.

When it comes time to start your event, don’t forget that this is an interactive platform. Pay attention to questions and comments. You’ll also see various emojis floating across your screen. These give you an indication of how well your audience is responding to your content.

2. Spotlight Employees And Industry Influencers

Businesses include employee profiles on their websites and other materials for good reason. People are more likely to feel comfortable doing business with people that they feel as if they know. You can compound this familiarity by interviewing or highlighting various employees during live streaming sessions.

There are a few ways to do this. If you are working with someone who is particularly savvy when it comes to appearing in front of a camera, it may be best to simply let them speak. If they are comfortable enough, they should be able to shine without being overly scripted. On the other hand, some may be more comfortable and forthcoming if you use an interview format. Whatever you decide for each employee, letting your audience get to know your team better is always beneficial.

As far as influencers go, the benefits are the same as getting someone who is respected in your audience to write a blog post for you, to review one of your products, or to provide a testimonial. The difference is that not only do they get to share their thoughts with your audience, your audience can engage with them in real time. Also you can find help at writing sites and check top writers reviews to find the best one for your project.

3. Create Live Customer Service Experiences

The upsell is a beautiful thing. You have a customer ready to make a purchase, and you get them to add on a premium. This increases your profit, and it gives your customer a little something extra. The key to upselling is often getting customers to see that they are getting a lot of benefit for paying a little more money.

This is why amusement parks offer season tickets for only slightly higher prices than they charge for daily passes. The customer sees that they can pay a few dollars more to return any time they want. Sometimes, the best way to get customers to upgrade is to provide them with a premium experience.

What does this have to do with Facebook Live? The platform has given users the ability to create private Facebook Live sessions. These can be used to provide VIP customers to premium content and information. For example:

  • If a customer purchases a premium app, offer them a thirty minute session with a technician who will help them get things set up.
  • Offer a six month ‘subscription’ to a weekly Q&A or best practices session.
  • Share important announcements with VIP customer groups before releasing them to the general public.

Facebook Live can also be used to turn negative customer into a positive. If you have a disgruntled customer who is frustrated with your product, you can quickly schedule a private session with them to help them in real time. If multiple people are having difficulties, invite them to a group, and use live streaming to help all of them at once.

4. Host a Live Ask me Anything Session

FAQs are boring. They aren’t dynamic. Because of this, they don’t often answer what people want to know now. It’s also impossible for frequently asked questions to reflect your branding or personality. On the other hand, a livestreaming, ask me anything session can be used to accomplish all of these things.

What is an ask me anything session? Essentially, you or another representative of your business make yourself available to field all kinds of questions about your company. You can expect people to ask about your products, your background, your future plans, and to bring up a variety of other topics. Your job is to answer these questions and create lots of positive engagement with your audience. When done well, a live ask me anything session can create lots of positive buzz about your company and your branding.

5. Feature a Product or Service

Sometimes, it’s nice to take one of your products or services and really drill down into the details. You can present customers with very specific education about that product or services. It’s also a great way to provide them with new information on potential uses, and lesser known features. You could even take the time to explain product maintenance, speak about worries, and address frequently asked questions on that specific product.

Yes, you could do all of this by simply recording product videos and uploading them to YouTube or Vimeo. The only problem is that you don’t get the benefit of having a live audience. Facebook live gives you a forum where you can boost enthusiasm about a specific product while answering questions and fielding comments at the same time.

6. Provide Project Updates

What is your audience looking for to? Do you have a new product that will be launching in the future? Have you broken ground on a new location? Will you be moving to a new website? Whatever you have coming around the corner, it’s important to keep your customers interested and excited. Unfortunately, it’s easy for customers to forget about what is coming up as they focus on what is already here. Keep them excited by using Facebook Live.

In a Facebook live session, you can update customers, investors, and other interested parties on issues such as:

? Changing deadlines

? Problems that have occurred and your plans for solving them

? Deliverables that have been met

? Estimated completion dates

? Other important information

You’ll increase confidence and trust if you are willing to be transparent about your progress and answer your audience’s questions.

7. Take Your Audience With You on New Experiences

What’s on your calendar? If you plan on attending any conventions, festivals, conferences, or other events you can use Facebook Live to bring your audience with you. For example, if you develop apps for gamers, take your followers with you to an eSports event, and stream the event to them live. If you are trying to appeal to your local audience, show up at local music, food, and art events to help create enthusiasm for your company, and for your local community.

Conclusion

These are only a few of the ways in which you can begin to use Facebook Live to reach out to your audience. Be creative. This is a great tool both for promoting your products and services, and for creating and improving customer relationships.

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