How do you know if you’re getting the best you can from the Facebook Live Events? Below are 13 tips that will help you rock your Facebook Lives.
Facebook Live Events
We all know videos do well on Facebook, but Facebook Live broadcasts are where the action is on the platform. People spend three times longer watching live videos than they do pre-recorded video clips. Facebook Live gives marketers and businesses the opportunity to reach out to their audience in real-time to achieve real results.
1. Give followers a heads up for the start of your live events
No one knows your Facebook Live is on the horizon until you tell them it’s going to happen. Let all of your friends know about the event. If you’re on other platforms like Twitter or Instagram, you should post there about the coming live broadcast. Tell them in advance when you will be live and what the viewer will get out of it to make them want to tune in. Make sure you give another quick reminder minutes before the live event.
2. Be ready to go live
Have your phone or camera ready to go. Switch to camera view so you can see what the audience will see. We suggest you sit facing a bright window so you have light on your face rather than sitting with your back to the light and be cast in a shadow. Have your battery charged so you don’t get cut short or choose a location that allows you to be plugged into a power source. Plan ahead and you’ll never be sorry!
3. Horizontal vs. vertical video
If you’re sticking to Facebook users only, you can shoot in vertical format, but if for any reason you plan to reuse this content later, we suggest you shoot horizontally. Video players like YouTube or Vimeo are horizontal. Televisions are horizontal. Plan accordingly!
4. What’s in a name
When you name your Facebook Live feed, it is like giving it a headline. Make sure it’s catchy. If you’re looking to increase your following, you will want to create a headline that piques interest. Use numbers to give concrete takeaways. Use emotional objectives to describe your follower’s problem. Demonstrate what the follower will get out of the event. Above all, know your audience and their needs.
5. From the beginning
At the top of your Facebook Live, tell your viewers as soon as possible what to expect from the video. Tease any action that is about to take place. Create a list of talking points and hit on all of them in your introduction. Include information that will connect with the audience.
6. Call to action in your live events
Keep a goal in mind during your live video and lead people to perform a call to action. Ask the viewer to do something specific. This might include increased engagement through commenting, asking the viewer to share or like your page or video, or even asking them to buy your products or services. The brevity and directness of a well-constructed call to action will put the focus on what’s important and remove any distractions.
7. Give value during the live events
It’s important to focus on giving your viewers valuable information in an interesting way. If your content is of no interest or doesn’t help them in some way, they will soon switch off and are unlikely to watch any future broadcasts.
- Say hello to those who comment in the thread.
- Reply live to comments and questions.
- Pin great comments to the top of the chat.
- Encourage live participants to engage with the online audience.
- Repeat yourself throughout the video as new viewers come online at random times.
8. Mistakes and stutters
Don’t worry about it! Try to be as professional as possible, but don’t worry about every little mistake or stutter. We’re all human and these things happen. In fact, spontaneity works, and these things make you seem all the more natural. If your equipment malfunctions, someone walks into the frame, or you lose your train of thought, just go with it.
Sometimes it helps to talk about what just happened. You can bring attention to how packed you are there on location or about how there is so much information to convey. Use it as a talking point and laugh at yourself. A joke or a laugh can set viewers at ease and keep you on track to making important points in the broadcast.
9. Longer live events
Facebook prioritizes videos longer than three minutes that inspire people to continue watching. For Live broadcasts, the longer you are live, the more likely people are to discover and invite their friends on Facebook to watch the video. You can stay live for up to 8 hours when broadcasting over the Live API with an encoder.
10. Ask for subscribers
Not everyone who’s watching is a fan of your page. Several times during the video ask viewers to like your page. You can also ask them to subscribe to notifications of future broadcasts. They can do this by hovering over the “Liked” button (after they’ve liked your page) and ensuring notifications are ticked. This usually defaults to the on position, but ask them to check to be sure.
11. A successful upload
Make sure that the video has successfully posted to your fan page and watch it through to the end to ensure the full content is there. In some rare cases, parts of the video are clipped due to internet connectivity issues. If you’d like to use the video footage elsewhere (like in a commercial or on your website), you can also download the file to your computer. It’s great to repurpose content in this way.
12. Check out the analytics
At the end of your broadcast, take a deep dive into your “Insights” tab. Here you’ll find all the tidbits on how well your video performed, what worked, and what was a flop.
You can use Facebook Live Video analytics to find out:
- Minutes viewed
- Unique viewers
- Total video views and 10-second views
- Average completion rate
- Number of reactions, comments, and shares
- Peak live viewer count
- Average watch time
- The total number of people reached
- Demographics of viewers
13. Add captions later
Many people choose to watch Facebook videos with the sound off. According to Facebook, 85 percent of all Facebook video is watched without sound. Take the initiative to add captions when your live video ends. This will also benefit those who are hearing impaired. You can easily generate captions through Facebook or upload an SRT file.
We know social media
Facebook Live is captivating to viewers who check out social media for the latest updates and trends. There’s no better way to create a human connection with your audience than by doing a live broadcast. Remember, you are not a news anchor and things don’t have to be perfect for a Facebook Live to perform well. Anyone can start generating views and leads with Live video if they start with the best practices listed above. If you need assistance with Facebook or other social media platforms, let the experts at Vervocity know. Contact us today. We’re here to help and we know social media marketing!