It is hard to believe … we are in April getting ready for Mother’s Day promotions and strategic planning for the summer. June will mark the midway point for 2017. So, what can you do this summer to differentiate your brand from the competition? Most of us are getting social, sharing valuable information and blogging to become a resource to our online communities.
This has gotten more interesting with the addition of ads for FB, Twitter and LinkedIn. FB Live and the use of video streaming to tell stories to attract clientele and promote services is the new norm. Of course, this is all part of an integrated marketing plan, to create, implement, measure and achieve goals.
Not new, but gaining momentum, and having great results with B2C businesses, is FB Live. To get started, determine your brand strategy and message. Anyone who knows me, knows that this is always my starting point for social content creation. Next discussion, is focusing on demographics and the audience you are trying to connect with on FB. To better understand your audience and their interests (engagement and impact) you can analyze FB Insights and additional data in Google Analytics (Audience/Interests). Create content and broadcasts, keeping in mind your audience’s demographics, interests and behaviors.
FB offers guidance and there are many resources out there for DIY learning. Here are my quick tips for coming out of your comfort zone to explore FB Live. Write your talking points down ahead of time and note your key messages. These notes will be helpful when you are going to promote your broadcast. To promote your broadcast (at least a day in advance) you can encourage your audience to “sign on” with a fun and enticing description of your upcoming live event.
Also in advance, you may want to practice the shoot. Background noise can be distracting, so speak loudly and clearly and make sure the location is conducive. Positioning of the camera, will make a difference. FB recommends over a 10-minute broadcast but, depending on the content, a 5-20-minute time frame will work. The longer you go, the larger an audience you can build. This is an opportunity to be authentic and transparent. Make sure you have a goal and add value for the viewer.
During the broadcast, it is great to welcome viewers by name, answer questions when possible, remind viewers to subscribe to notifications and have an interactive experience.
As always, end with a CTA (call to action). Keep it simple. Let your audience know what you want them to do: for example, visit your website or sign up now. Lastly, don’t forget to thank everyone for joining and to have them click on the notification for future broadcasts.
If you are a business, you may want a boost to get higher visibility. Of course, sharing your FB Live video in a blog post is always a great idea.
Have fun going live! Facebook Live offers another opportunity to share knowledge, engage with current clients, expand your reach, and most importantly tell “your story”, literally. Make this a part of your social content creation planning for the 2nd half of the year.