How to Use Facebook Live on Your Business Page

| 2060 Digital

Facebook Live: Brands far and wide have been utilizing this powerful live-streaming tool to connect with their audiences in a very personal way, and needless to say, it’s working. Through Facebook Live, businesses now have an unprecedented opportunity to engage with their fans and followers in a manner that breaks down traditional marketing barriers and fosters genuine interaction. And the possibilities are virtually endless. You can create a live broadcast to conduct an off-the-cuff Q&A session, or to share the latest and greatest updates about your company. Give a live product demonstration to help followers and potential customers gain a greater understanding of what you’re offering. Allow followers to take a peek “behind the scenes” into the inner workings of your company, possibly by touring your office facilities or maybe talking with some of your key team members. Expert interviews, current events, live performances, etc.–whatever fits your brand’s purpose and mission can be shared with your audience by way of Facebook Live, and you can achieve an entirely new level of engagement with your followers due to the immediacy and authenticity of a live-streaming experience. Here’s how to get started using Facebook Live for your business:

First Things First: Some Key Basics About Facebook Live

Facebook Live allows you to broadcast to your followers in real-time with nothing more than a couple of taps on your smartphone screen. Your video will appear in your followers’ News Feeds as well as your own Business Page profile while you’re live. As you’re broadcasting, you’ll see a real-time tally of the number of people watching, as well as what their names are. You’ll also be able to respond to their comments in real-time.

You can broadcast for up to 90 minutes at a time, and when you’re finished, the video will be automatically posted as a status update on your timeline. From that point, you can tweet it, share it, embed it on other websites (e.g., your company site or blog), or delete it. It really doesn’t get any simpler than that!

How to Use Facebook Live on Your Business Page

  1. On your smartphone, log on to Facebook and open up the home page of your Business Page.

  2. Tap the “What’s on your mind?” field at the top of your News Feed.

  3. Select “Live Video” from the drop-down menu.

  4. Write a brief description of what your live video will be about, and then choose the audience whom you will allow to see the video.

  5. Now tap “Go Live.” You will have a three-second countdown, and then your broadcast will go live!

Some Tips for Using Facebook Live

  • Be sure to give your followers a heads-up about when you’re going to be broadcasting live. A written post about 24 hours ahead of time typically does the best in terms of maximizing audience response.

  • Double-check the app to make sure that you have a strong connection before you decide to go live. WiFi typically provides the most reliable connection, but if there’s no WiFi network available in your current location, try to ensure that you have a 4G connection. If you’re signal is too weak, you’ll notice that the “Go Live” button will be grayed out.

  • As you’re broadcasting, be sure to respond to comments as they come in (as appropriate), making sure to address commenters by their name. People love to be acknowledged and to have their questions answered in such a personalized manner.

  • Remember to ask your followers to subscribe to your Live notifications, so they can be alerted to when your next live broadcast will be.

  • When it’s time to close out your broadcast, make sure to let people know you’re signing off with some kind of closing line such as “Thank you for watching!” or “I’ll catch up with you guys again soon!” Once you have officially closed the broadcast, tap the “Finish” button and then wait until you hear the “ping” sound to let you know that your video has been finalized.

  • Be sure to broadcast often! Try different formats (Q&A, behind-the-scenes, breaking news, expert interviews, product demonstrations, etc.).

The time has never been better to grow your online reach using Facebook Live. Keep the above the tips in mind in order to take your business engagement to the next level!