Using Facebook Live For Business

I have done a couple of articles on Facebook Live. I wanted to re-visit this topic again. If your business engages in social media at all, you know video is almost everywhere. If your business is not making use of this very powerful medium then you are more than likely missing out on sales, customer engagement, and brand building opportunities. One app that you can quickly start using that is a sure-fire brand builder is Facebook Live. if you really want to take your business to the next level, consider Facebook Live. It is just not for teens or young adults talking about where they are or what they are doing. It is a gold mine for business marketing as well.
So Why Should My Business Use FBL?
One of the things people appreciate about Facebook Live its sense of authenticity. There are no editing tricks or slick production values for most live video – and that's what people love. It harks back to the days of live television where people had to be good at what they were doing, or funny when they messed up. This makes your company real and accessible to your client or customer base. It shows you are human as an owner or manager. Now to get started…
 All you need to begin immediately broadcasting are a smartphone, decent lighting, a relatively quiet space and a good internet connection. Even the smallest company can afford to go outside and talk into their phone for a few minutes. By doing this consistently and talking to your audience while you broadcast it is possible to increase engagement with your posts, This will help as Facebook will use it’s data to track and build your base. (followers to your page.) The gift of Facebook Live doesn't end with your broadcast. As soon as you stop filming, Facebook converts the video from live to a recorded video that your followers can watch at any time.
Content Ideas
Unlike many other forms of content, it can be difficult for companies to generate compelling ideas for live video. If you get in front of the camera and do not have a goal in mind and a general idea of what you will say, it is unlikely your followers will continue watching, which can hurt the statistics of the video and may cause Facebook to not promote it as heavily. Here are some cool ideas that are proven to work. The bottom line however though is you must get comfortable being in front of that little smartphone camera and be good at ad-libbing your way through a live broadcast. Even with notes.
·        Behind The Scenes At Work – No matter what kind of business you have, your customers want to know more about what it takes to make it work. Whether this means a behind the scenes look at a day in the office or a walk down the production line, there are ample opportunities to capture unique footage.
·        Q & A Time – Regardless of your industry, you receive regular questions. Use your Facebook Live session as a way to answer some of the most commonly asked questions first. Then send out a request to your email list or online community for questions they'd like answered and address a few at a time across the span of several Facebook Live sessions.
·        Promotions – If you have an upcoming event, special or launch, Facebook Live is an excellent way to build interest. Show people a little of what is to come or give them an excited verbal preview.
CTA
While Facebook engagement is good, it is not enough to simply have people watch your video if it isn't somehow benefiting your business. Use the attention you gain from the Facebook Live to move people into a funnel. There are several things you can do to accomplish this:
·        Offer to explain about a topic in more detail on a blog post and provide a link to the post in the comments and description of the video.
·        Provide a coupon code for a product or service that is good for a limited time. Be sure to link to the sales page to make it easy for them to utilize the code.
·        Mention if they would like more free content like this they can sign up for your email list. Again, provide a link so they can do so easily.
·        Create a free printable that goes with the topic of the Facebook Live and at the end describe it and provide a link. Be sure to use this as an email list builder.
Embracing technology for many is a hard thing to do. Being a host or “M.C.” is even harder on a live broadcast but remember. It makes your business and you accessible to your audience and customers. It makes you real. Finally, it will increase your brand and your market share over time. It is cheap, it is easy to do and Facebook provides all the analytics to help boost your engagements. 
-Roy

---

Tags:  #facebooklive #marketing #facebook #socialmedia #marketing