I don’t know about you, but recently, I’ve started to gain more notifications about people posting live videos. The majority of the time, I’ll take a quick look at the post and then half an hour later, be completely engrossed in whatever the video was. It’s like Youtube but worse!
Facebook Live, whilst released in August 2015 to celebrities and journalists, was rolled out to the public at the beginning of 2016. Since then, the move to live has only increased and gained momentum.
Businesses, bands, celebrities and the general public across the globe are taking to Facebook to offer a new way of reaching the world around them. Whether it is band announcements, such as British band You Me at Six’s version of Hangman or people climbing up tall buildings, making our palms sweat; live streaming is becoming the norm. All in all, most broadcasts have a selection of elements in common; to entice the public to watch in their thousands…even millions!
- Plan it to a T:
There is nothing worse than a poorly planned live stream. Get your description catchy, the position of the camera at the right angle and have some notes down if your broadcast is all about public engagement, such as a Q&A.
- Be quick with your responses:
Live streams get you up close and personal with whomever you want to reach out to; it’s a new kind of intimacy that a standard Youtube video just won’t bring. People feel closer when seeing a live broadcast – use that to your advantage. Be on the mark with all responses, as often the comments can come in just as quick as the viewer count.
- Sound it out:
Decide whether you want sound or not, and if you do, make sure your audience can hear you loud and clear. Whether you need a microphone or speak clearly, choose a method and ensure everything works correctly before you go live.
- Authenticity is crucial:
Live means that people see you as you are. Authenticity is absolutely key. In a Youtube video, you can chop and change whatever you want. You can add filters, sound, length of clips and plenty more features. This just isn’t the case with live broadcasts; it’s raw and real, and perhaps this is exactly why the general public love jumping on this (potentially) crazy bandwagon. Therefore, you need to use this unique opportunity to meet your audience exactly where you are and where they are too. If you are in any shape or form fake; people will see straight through you and your view count will rapidly plummet.
- Perfect timing:
As you would with any social media post, research the best times to go live. It’s no use going live at 8am, when everyone is on their way out the door for work or school. Equally, going live at 5pm when people are kicking out of work is a bad idea too. Live stream gives you a really unique opportunity to reach the masses, so to ensure the most amount of people see your broadcast, you have to carefully deduce the most appropriate time for this.
Overall, live broadcasting is an ever-growing medium for the world of Facebook. If used correctly, the opportunities are endless and the boundaries are yet to be pushed to their extreme. The stage is clear for the next big live broadcast to hit our screens; will it be yours?
Katie Smith is a graduate from Nottingham Trent University and an intern with Shake Social, exploring the world of social media and digital marketing.