Using Facebook Live The Right Way!

​Live video streaming is on fire because of Covid-19. Schools, nonprofits, musicians, media publishers, and businesses have turned to live streaming to reach their audiences on social media. With physical locations closed, businesses have learned to publicize, promote, and sell products and services with live streaming such as Facebook Live, one of the most popular live-streaming platforms. Before you live stream, however, there are some important checklists you should go over and prepare for. Do not just go live for the sake of “going live”. Let’s look at some important "dos and don’ts" that I found to be the most effective in planning your Facebook Live broadcast.

Planning. Preparation is a major factor for a successful live streaming video. Before going live, establish your goals and messages. Consider your guests, background, props and technical details such as sound quality and your Internet connection. You can’t prepare for everything of course. You still need to react to the audience's input.

Internet connections. A fast and stable internet connection is critical. Poor internet connections are the most common pitfalls on Facebook Live streaming. Beware of Wi-Fi overload, and seek a hardwired cable connection if possible.

Promotions. To raise awareness of your upcoming Facebook Live stream, schedule an announcement post in Live Producer, which will then create a Facebook preview post that interested viewers can select to get a reminder of the event. (Also promote the live stream on other platforms and your owned media, such as your website.)

Crossposting. Crosspost from other Facebook pages you control. Your guests and others can crosspost to your page. When crossposting, post simultaneously to multiple Pages at once. It appears to be native video to that Page to viewers, but the viewership is aggregated and its statistics are aggregated on that one video asset.

Data insights. Examine metrics in the Creator Studio such as audience retention, engagement signals, and page follower growth to make improvements. For instance, insights into audience retention and time to assemble may prompt you to adjust the length of broadcasts and the times for stating key messages.

Engagement. Content with more comments ranks higher in its algorithm and obtains greater reach. Start commenting to initiate a conversation with viewers, respond to comments, and moderate comments for engaging and positive conversations. Also, consider inserting polls and questions into live streams. They’re worth the extra planning they require.

Music rights. Make sure you have the rights to music you play while live streaming. Facebook may pause, mute, and take down the video if it receives a complaint. For the same reason, beware of background music at sports events and other venues. To avoid such problems, try the sound collection inside Creator Studio for songs that Facebook has pre-cleared.

It's A Wrap. Promote the video after streaming it. Just because you streamed a video live doesn’t mean that is the end of it. You can still reach many prospects by a record live stream. Boosting the video on Facebook with paid advertising after the live stream will reach more customers who missed the live stream. Obviously, you need to make sure you have the funds set aside to do that.

Bottom Line: These recommendations can help businesses and other organizations improve their results on Facebook Live, an increasingly popular tool for reaching customers and promoting products.
​
-Roy

---

Tags:  #socialmedia, #videoproduction, #facebooklive, #livestraming, #covid19