Why you should livestream on your Facebook page

While we’re not all social butterflies who love to get in front of the camera and engage with our audience, live streaming has become a popular marketing tactic over recent years. And for good reason! There are numerous benefits for facing your fears and talking through that camera lens.

As one of the biggest social media platforms, Facebook is a popular place to ‘go live’ in people’s feeds, which is a fantastic way to get noticed by your target audience, have them engage and interact with you, and please the algorithm Gods that control all things Facebook.

In this blog, I want to go into detail explaining the benefits of livestreaming on your Facebook page, the kinds of topics and discussions to have with your audience, and how it can impact on your wider marketing strategy.

Facebook live streaming is a cost-effective marketing strategy

Social media marketing is popular because unless you’re using paid ads, it’s free. Facebook streaming is no exception to this. You don’t need fancy camera equipment or software to get started with streaming, all you need is a mobile phone with a video camera and you’re good to go.

But cost-effectiveness is all about the results – it doesn’t matter how free something is, if it doesn’t get the results you’re looking for.

The good news is that going live on your Facebook feed is a fantastic way to reach your target audience, and it’s been shown that live streams get good engagement rates (often much higher than static posts or videos).

Getting on camera is a fantastic way to share your authenticity as a business owner

Behind every business is an individual but it can be incredibly difficult to get the person behind a business across in marketing. There are only so many “get to meet me” posts and personal images that can be shared before you run the risk of making your marketing about you rather than your business.

It can be a fine line to cross however Facebook live streams are a fantastic way to show you, the individual to your target audience while marketing your business effectively.

It’s often our body language, tone of voice, and the words we choose to use when we talk that enables others to understand us and build a rapport. By going live, you’re allowing that to happen naturally. By being your authentic self on camera (rather than trying to present a polished version of yourself) you’re starting to build trust with your audience, and it’s this that’ll encourage them to choose you when they have need of your products or services.

And the great thing about live videos is that you can do them at any time about anything. Just experienced something relevant to your audience – get on camera and discuss what happened and why it matters. Often, it’s the spontaneous live streams that get the best results.

Facebook streaming supports your other Facebook activities

Of course, you need a Facebook business page to be able to live stream to your followers, but live videos are a fantastic way to promote your Facebook page itself, and ultimately your website.

When others are engaged with a live stream and finding it useful, they may share it on their own feed or tag friends in to watch. By interacting with these new followers, inviting them to like your page and directing them to relevant blogs or website pages for more information, you’ve expanded your audience, and this can create a snowball effect on growth.

Facebook love when you go live because their algorithms are programmed to highlight that kind of activity over static posts. This means you get in front of your audience when you need to, but it also enables your other posts to be seen when they check your other Facebook activity.

As live streams stay on your Facebook page as static videos once you’ve finished filming, your viewers can rewind and watch again if they’ve missed something. But you can also make the video a focal point of your marketing – why not write a blog post, infographic, lead magnet or posts for other social media channels around it?

You can take streaming to where your business is

For dynamic business owners who aren’t stuck behind a desk most of the time, live streaming with Facebook allows you to film wherever you are, whatever you’re doing!

About to start a Pilates or Yoga class? Why not have a quick live stream showing the venue, your attendees and the equipment you’ll be working with that day? Nutritionist? Why not take your camera on your next grocery shopping trip so you can talk through some better alternatives to common foods?

Those are just a couple of examples, but the opportunities are endless. Where could you film a live stream from that’s a little different from the norm? Have a read of my blog on how to generate video marketing content for your business if you’re stuck for ideas.

Analytics from your live videos can help you understand and improve your marketing strategy

One of the best things about live streaming is the immediate feedback you get from your audience. You can ask them in real time if there’s anything specific they want to know, you can answer their questions, and you can generate ideas for future video content based on what they say.

The analytics on videos are also incredibly useful. The detailed information they provide can help you determine which streams are working better than others, the kinds of topics your audience prefer to engage with, and even whether short or longer streams are best?

This information can be used in your wider marketing strategy to ensure that you’re providing the high quality content that your audience want to see, and that will help to convert them from a Facebook follower to a paying client.

What do you think about live streaming on Facebook? Have you dared to get in front of the camera or are you feeling too shy? If you’d like some advice on how to get started, video ideas for your business or more general advice on using Facebook marketing for your business, get in touch with me today for a friendly chat.