Is it time your business went live on Facebook?

Running with live streaming can be an exciting, and profitable, way to drive traffic and convert customers. Perhaps the most popular platforms for this are out on the social media giants, especially Facebook. With the traffic you have been driving through your SEO and social media marketing efforts, doing live broadcasts just may be the thing that puts your business into overdrive.

Facebook has a live streaming option that many businesses have already begun to take advantage of. It is still a young marketing tool and many businesses, as well as their marketing teams and outside professionals, are still A/B testing what works and what doesn’t.

The first thing you need to do, of course, is to devise a plan and decide what your perspective will be. Are you going to show in horizontal or vertical perspective? Will you alternate them? Will you shift back and forth from your main camera angle to go selfie? Your plan means that you are not just going out there to wing it. Few people without sales training and experience can do it and it comes off amateurish to say the least. Have a script and practice the script and camera shots before you go live with it.

Next up, you need to pick your spots. Like you have discovered the best times to post your content, you need to find that sweet spot with regard to when it would be most advantageous for you to broadcast. Once again, your tried and true A/B testing strategy will serve you well here. Your description of the broadcast has to be engaging and, quite frankly, brilliant. If you don’t think you’re up to it then leave it to your professional firm or hand it over to your sales people.

In line with your script and your description, you need to advertise it everywhere and not just two hours before you go live. It is a show, after all, so take your cue from the television channels. Promote it and advertise it everywhere. Even do a video commercial for it. You need to get your audience fired up about seeing something that will be informative and will bring added value into their lives.

Finally, three words: use a tripod. This isn’t a YouTube video shot by some ten year old tween and her BFF’s. Using a camera takes practice and a certain touch to look professional and appealing. Keep promoting your broadcasts and study your data and your analytics. And, remember; be yourself. Be what your company is.

-Written by Kevin Sawyer