Since it went public in January 2016, Facebook Live has earned significant attention, with many live streams going mainstream. Streams that have received major national attention include “Chewbacca Mask Lady,” the U.S. House of Representatives sit-ins, as well as numerous videos of shootings, public protests and arrests.
There have also been some very interesting and entertaining company and brand uses of Facebook Live. PR Week recently published an article, “The six most innovative brand uses of Facebook Live so far.” The article describes how McDonald’s, Benefit Cosmetics, Dunkin’ Donuts, Popeyes, GE and Airbnb have used Facebook Live to reach new audiences and increase social engagement.
In short Facebook Live offers brands a unique opportunity to tell stories and engage audiences via video. Live streaming video services allow company spokespeople to share stories spontaneously, or they can evolve their stories organically as they answer questions or respond to comments in real-time.
According to Michelle Michalak, director of social media for Slyde Handboards, another benefit of Facebook Live is that you can see when viewers are dropping off and adjust your messages or begin to wrap up your broadcast.
With 1.7 billion Facebook users, more and more companies are deciding to leverage Facebook Live and some clear best practices are emerging. Below is a list of the things to keep in mind if you decide to leverage Facebook Live for your company:
- Consider the timing of your live stream. It is always a good idea to think through why your content is relevant on a particular day or at a particular time. McDonalds timed its live stream to coincide with National Hamburger Day. With so many other national days, other brands can follow McDonald’s lead. A quick glance at the national days that are upcoming include National Tailgating Day (Sept. 3), Stand up to Cancer Day (Sept. 9), and National TV Dinner Day (September 10) among many more. It will be interesting to see if any organizations leverage Facebook Live in conjunction with these days.
- Make sure the length of your live stream is appropriate. You don’t want to drone on and lose the attention of your viewers so think about the value you want to add and how to communicate in the most succinct, compelling or relevant manner.
- Be consistent with your brand voice and identity. If your brand is laid-back and fun, you may want to take a laid-back and fun approach to your live stream. If your brand or company has a more serious mission, your live stream probably should reflect this.
- Outline your talking points. Before you get online, it is an excellent idea to have a script or talking points. Gabby Wallace, video marketing expert at GabbyWallace.com recommends that you have a strong call to action or next step for your audience that you repeat twice once at the beginning and once at the end.
- Make sure you have the right technology and technical skills. You need to produce video that people want to watch. This means you need good audio quality, you need compelling visuals, and you do not want to have any technical glitches during your live stream. Think about how you will produce a successful and engaging stream, and have a contingency plan in the event something goes wrong.
- Know how you’ll measure success. Some things you might consider measuring around your Facebook Live video include the number of views, impressions, comments and shares. With your first live stream you can always establish a baseline around these metrics and then work to continuously improve them.
- Consider promoting your Facebook Live stream. Facebook offers several different ways to boost content so it might be worthwhile to look into this option if you need some extra help generating awareness or engagement for your live stream. You can either promote your live stream before it happens or during your broadcast.
If you have leveraged Facebook Live, please share your story. And, for more on how Facebook Live is affecting journalism, please check out this New York Times article by Liz Spayd.
For more of our thoughts on Facebook, please see the following articles:
Facebook Provides Increased Competition for News Media
Lessons from NPR’s Survey of its Facebook Fans
The Why and How of Deleting Your Facebook Page
Traditional Seafair Embraces Modern Social Media