6 ways to successfully leverage Facebook Live

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Emotions are sticky. It’s the most powerful way to connect and leave a lasting impression with people. Live broadcasting allows your brand to connect and interact with your audience in a way that makes them feel special, exclusive and a part of the conversation. When your audience engages with you live, you’re more memorable than watching a video or reading a blog; you’re making the experience about them.

Have you thought about trying out Facebook Live for your organization, but aren’t sure if it will be successful? Many of our customers feel the same way. Facebook Live went, well live, for everyone on April 6, 2016. Since then, businesses have been experimenting with this new feature and a few tactics have bubbled to the surface.

Here are the 6 foolproof ways you can increase your engagement using Facebook Live:

1. Give your audience an inside look

People love watching what is usually off-limits to them. Give them a sneak peak into how your product is created, the unique way in which your team collaborates, the best part of your job, or how your organization relaxes and gets to know one another. As long as your organization is comfortable sharing it with the world (including your competitors), then pull back the curtain and give them a sneak peak!

Pro Tip: The longer you stream, the more engagement you’ll get because you’ll be able to reach more people. The more engagement you get, the higher up on your follower’s feed your broadcast shows up increasing your chance of capturing a larger audience.

Take a look at how Lady Antebellum gave their fans a look backstage:

 

2. Live broadcast an event

Are you attending a conference, fundraiser, or some other exciting event that your audience would love to be there for, but can’t? Use Facebook Live to let them in! If there are key speakers giving you a shout-out or hosting a talk about something your audience would find compelling, stream it! Odds are, you have a handful of followers who would love to attend these events, but either can’t afford to and will thank you for the opportunity.

Pro Tip: Everyone likes to feel exclusive. Opening up a live broadcast only to current customers, or a different segment, makes people feel special. Call viewers out by name when you quote their comment or questions. They’ll feel included. Have a “partner in crime” monitoring the questions coming in on the computer so you can focus on the broadcast while attending to questions in a timely manner.

 

3. Promote an upcoming event

Are you hosting a webinar or conference in the near future? Consider live-streaming it via Facebook Live to engage your followers and current customers.

Pro Tip: During your broadcast, make sure you remind viewers to subscribe to receive notifications the next time you broadcast on Facebook Live. If viewers like what you’re streaming now, they’ll probably like what’s coming next.

 

4. Tease new products

Leverage Facebook Live to create anticipation around your new product , service or upcoming release of new features! Your customers and followers who already love your product will be ecstatic when they find out you have more in store, so give them an inside glimpse.

Remember that exclusivity increases word of mouth activity. By inviting only your current customers (or another exclusive group) to a launch preview, you’ll create organic buzz. You can use live streaming in a few different ways around product releases:

Here’s a great example of John Legend building up anticipation around his new album without giving away too many details:

If you’re going to unveil it live, you can spruce it up by inviting a trusted outsider, like an evangelist or beta tester, to talk about how much they enjoyed using your product/new features.

Pro Tip: After your Facebook Live session is over, it saves to your account and you can go back and edit it. Use the most engaging sessions as content you can repurpose on Facebook.

 

5. Hold a Q&A session

A live Q&A session works great if you have a core set of customer support questions that frequently pop up. Holding a live Q&A session to answer those questions is quicker to create than a support page and your team can respond faster to those customers who need your help asap. Plus, the magic of video provides the sense of personalization. Most companies feel so far removed when they’re communicating from behind a computer, but video breaks down that barrier creating a more genuine, face-to-face customer experience that instills trust in your brand.

Holding a Q&A session helps save time in addressing commenters on your blog. Consider adopting live video as an addition to reaching your readers in addition to responding to their comments online. Since it’s a live feed, remember that everyone who needs answers to their questions won’t be tuning in, so continue to reply in your comments section on your blog as well.

Pro tip: Remember that your audience won’t all tune in at the beginning of your broadcast, so be sure you introduce yourself multiple times and tell people what’s going on throughout the stream.

 

6. Host Interviews

Interview your company’s employees to humanize your brand. Interview your most successful customers to illustrate the possibilities of success for potential customers. Try interviewing industry influencers to borrow credibility and build your brand while increasing engagement via Facebook Live.

How has your organization used Facebook Live to increase engagement? We would love to hear about what has and hasn’t worked for your business. Tell us your story in the comments section below!

Danica Benson

Originally from the Portland Metro Area, Danica migrated north to work as a marketer in the startup arena after earning her MBA. She’s a small business advocate bringing her passion to the tech world. Outside of the office, Danica spends her free time on outdoor adventures and exploring the great city of Seattle.

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