Tips on Facebook Live for E-commerce Brands
Facebook Live has become a viable option for brands looking to boost their engagement and gain exposure from their target audience. With the platform announcing new updates to help publishers better understand their viewers, Facebook Live has grown into a powerful tool that lets you forge deeper connections with your followers.
There’s no denying that the interest in live video is at an all-time high, thanks in part to the situation the world is currently facing. The question now is, how can you take advantage of Facebook Live to further develop your brand image?
This article will discuss the top ten tips that e-commerce brands can use to make the most out of Facebook Live and become successful at generating live content.
1. Know the pulse of your audience
Before you start your Facebook Live, it’s important to get a good feel for your audience first. You want to deliver high-value content that’s in line with their interests, and the best way to do this is by taking a poll or a survey. Ask your followers what type of content they want to see or which topic they want you to discuss.
By doing this, you’ll be able to determine the pulse of your audience to which you can structure your content accordingly. It’s also a good idea to ask questions on Facebook groups related to your brand. Getting feedback from the community is a great way to maintain relevance across your target audience and ensures you can communicate with them effectively.
2. Create an event to build interest
Facebook Live is different from every other content on social media in that it’s more of an event than a video or blog post. To get more viewers onto your live stream, you want to generate interest by creating an event. That way, people will know the exact date and time you’re going live on the platform.
But don’t just share an event with the date and time of your live stream. You want to provide bits of information to keep your audience interested, like what topics you’ll discuss or what products you’ll be showcasing.
You can even use images and link your other social media posts to tease your audience on your upcoming live stream. The key is to get your followers’ attention and create anticipation, so keep that in mind when you plan on doing Facebook Live.
3. Establish a natural flow with your live stream
What separates Facebook Live from other forms of media is that it’s all done in one go. It’s not like Vimeo or YouTube, where you can edit out the bad parts of your video and clean it up. You want your videos to have a natural flow to maximize your audience’s viewership.
How do you achieve this? By preparing before you go live. For example, if your Facebook Live is about showcasing new products, the items should already be within your arm’s reach. You should also fix your lighting set up and eliminate as many distractions as possible. The last thing you want is to go off-cam, as even a few seconds can make your audience lose interest in your live stream.
It can take a bit of practice to get it done, but over time, you’ll be able to establish a natural flow with your live stream without any second thought.
4. Provide context regularly
A good live stream is about covering the topic from start to finish. You want your audience to know the talking points to communicate with them effectively. As more and more people join your live stream, it’s a good idea to provide context regularly.
For instance, you may want to use phrases like “For those who just joined our live stream, welcome! Our current topic is about [topic], and we’ve previously tackled [topic].” That way, your audience is in tune with the flow of the live stream. Do this after you cover an important topic so that everyone is on the same page when watching your Facebook Live.
5. Interact with your viewers
Part of what makes Facebook Live so engaging is that publishers can read and interact with their audience through the comments section. Take the time to read through the comments and acknowledge your viewers. When they mention an interesting topic, bring it up for everyone to discuss.
Of course, you don’t have to keep track of every comment. Only interact with comments that drive interest and conversation to your live stream. Your goal should be to maintain a natural conversation between you and your viewers to maximize engagement. Plus, viewers will appreciate it when you acknowledge their presence, which helps boost your brand’s image.
6. Build relationships with your audience
Speaking of interacting with your viewers, going live stream is the perfect opportunity to prove that your brand is more than just a business. When doing Facebook Live, brands make one mistake of inadvertently pushing their products or services.
When this happens, your viewers will think that your live streams are nothing more than a marketing ploy. While it can be useful to draw attention to your offerings, your content should focus more on connecting with your audience.
Know what makes your customers tick and better understand their needs/preferences. The more you know your customers, the better service you’ll be able to provide. Show your viewers that they can trust your brand and the values that your company stands on.
Use Facebook Live to display the authentic side of your business, and you’ll be able to create long-lasting relationships with your audience.
7. Go live at the right time
The timing of your live stream is just as important as the content you’re about to display. When your viewership and engagement numbers are low, there’s no use in going live. Timing is everything when it comes to Facebook Live, and according to Sproutsocial, users are most active on Facebook from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Our recommendation is to experiment with different live stream schedules and see which hours deliver the most engagement. The good news is that Facebook announced new metrics for publishers to analyze, like peak concurrent viewers and viewers during a live broadcast. Keep track of these metrics and make adjustments on your live stream schedule depending on the results.
Another thing to consider is your audience’s demographics. Older generations are more likely to be active during the day. In contrast, millennials and Gen-Z are more likely to be active at night.
8. Write an eye-catching title
Most people don’t put much effort into writing the title of their live stream. Some will write a generic title like “Let’s Go Live and Talk About Advertising!” which doesn’t grab viewers’ attention. You want to write an eye-catching title that immediately gets viewers hooked to your live stream.
For example, suppose your topic is SEO. In that case, you can write a title like “5 SEO Secrets Revealed!” to tease your audience’s curiosity. Or you can write a title like “Influencer Advertising is a Game Changer!” to make a point. You’ll be surprised as to how many viewers will tune in to your live stream when you make a simple change from a generic title to a headline-grabbing one.
9. Repurpose your live video
Facebook Live videos don’t have to be tucked away under your brand’s page. Since setting up a live stream takes a lot of time, why not repurpose the video and download it? You can then upload the video onto your YouTube channel and even post the content onto your blog. That way, you can make the most out of every live video and generate more traffic to your page and website.
You can trim your videos and upload them to Instagram and Twitter for bite-sized content if you want to get creative. We live in an age where short-form media is the mainstream, so consider trimming the best parts of your footage and uploading them as shorts on YouTube and other social media platforms.
10. Promote your live stream
To truly generate interest in your Facebook Live, you need to know how to promote it. The best way to promote your live stream is through email and SMS marketing, where you can notify your target audience immediately. If you’ve already built a solid email list, now is the time to use it and announce to your viewers when you’ll go live.
While you’re at it, make sure to include an image that contains information about the live stream. Images help supplement your emails and break the monotony of texts, thus making your email marketing campaigns more effective.
Conclusion
Facebook Live is a great tool for brands to engage with their audience, build a stronger following, and establish a greater presence online. When used correctly, you can promote your offerings and forge deeper connections with your target audience. Make sure to follow these ten tips to use Facebook Live to its full effect.
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