Likes Go Live: How to Use Live Video for Your Business

If you are a business owner, having good social media exposure will always come in handy.

Be it Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, social presence is certainly a better determinant of our reach as an entrepreneur. The best strategy, however, would be the manner in which technology mixes with social media, for getting the required bouts of online traction.

Facebook has been pretty active in this regard and added a new string to its bow by adding live streaming to its ever-expanding list of features.

Initially rolled out for celebrities, this service is now available to commoners as well. It’s currently being beta tested on personal accounts, and will be rolled out shortly. Competing against the likes of Meerkat and Twitter-owned Periscope, Facebook has included this technology after multiple speculations and apprehensions.

Related Article: Press Play: The Evolution of Video Marketing

With Live Video Streaming on-board, entrepreneurs can now supercharge their strategies and take their businesses to greater heights.

Initial Roll-Out

It all started with Facebook pulling off the curtains on the Live Video, a feature dedicated to its iPhone app, Mentions. Live streaming can be termed as one of the more exciting features by Facebook, unlike Oculus that did attract a lot of flak.

Once the beta testing was done, Facebook Live became a reality, with a few selected ones getting the privilege of accessing it in the first place.

The availability of Facebook Live is an indication as how social media platforms are moving towards functionality and a greater feeling of human emotion. However, at this juncture, businesses weren’t very hopeful regarding its usage for revamping their strategies, on the whole.

Presently, Facebook Live is available for everybody with iOS, and this presents a greater opportunity of using it for gaining an edge over the competitors.

Related Article: 8 Marketing Trends You Should Know About And How to Use Them

Making the Best Use of Live Video

The entire procedure of accessing this service is simple and detailed. The users must tap the section with news feed on their iPhones, add a message if required and begin broadcasting by tapping’ Go Live’. The broadcast can be terminated on tapping ‘Finish’. This simple yet effective tweak will soon be made available to Android users, therefore enhancing strategic options with immediate effect.

For the business owners, the mentioned procedure already looks lucrative as broadcasting while accessing the social media platform is the best way to initiate online marketing.

Facebook Live now offers us the flexibility of preselecting the audience, making it easier to keep a track of prospective clients and customers. Suppose a product is being manufactured and the customers are looking to get involved with the modus operandi; then Facebook Live is certainly the way to go. 

Unlike Skype, the video-centric interactions will be formal and one can cater to a large number of individuals, at one go. Facebook Live offers us the flexibility of looking at the number of live viewers and if someone leaves mid-way, it is quite easy to determine. For an open broadcast, tuning in is allowed for someone on your priority list; friend-list in the case of Facebook. This is actually synonymous to the website traffic with the only difference being the actual determination of visitors and, therefore, subscribers.

Business will be hugely benefited by another aspect of Facebook Live, the real-time section of streaming comments. Visitors can watch the entire broadcast and comment while viewing the same, forcing entrepreneurs to make constructive changes, in real-time.

We also have the flexibility of disabling comments by selected viewers, with one tap. Businesses are actually well-served by the duration of broadcasts. The 30-minute timeline is the perfect zone for selling a product or a service. Going longer might just kill the excitement. If someone has missed out on the Live Video, watching afterwards is also an option with Facebook Live as we have it saved on our timelines, like any other status update.

Facebook Live has the potential of bridging the emotional gap with our audience.

Surveys suggest that more than 77 percent of Americans have a deeper connect with someone sending personalized messages, rather than texts or emails. More than 66 percent prefer electronic mediums for broadcasting information and news. Facebook Live, therefore has the potential to change the scenario of online marketing, with multiple taps.

Playing the ‘Money Game’

Most companies are planning to put up live sessions with the customers, urging them to comment and interact, via the Facebook Live. Live broadcasting will certainly generate a lot of revenue in years to come. Experts suggest that once the worldwide popularity of Facebook Live is established, the company might start thinking on the lines of monetization. Even today, around 74 percent of B2C marketers make use of videos for most of their marketing efforts. The scenario is similar with about 92 percent of B2B marketers.

According to Cisco, most of the traffic by 2017 will be generated by videos, roughly 74 percent of the total. Again, viewers with live access to products are more likely to make the purchases, around 1.7 times more, in comparison to those visiting websites and reading newsletters.

Collages Make Perfect Allies

Complementing the Facebook Live perfectly are Collages, allowing entrepreneurs to create a proper amalgamation of live videos and photos, mainly as a presentation. These are to be arranged in grids and the age-old scrolling list can now be ditched. The collages have been included as the part of the iOS update for Facebook app and will soon hit the Android shores.

Key Takeaways

These additions happen to be the part of Facebook’s continual progression towards adding rich media and sophisticated tools to its repertoire. Online interactions with the customers are now made easier and the entrepreneurs are now waiting for the Facebook Live to roll onto the Android platform.

Related Article: Don’t Believe the Hype: Why Live Streaming Isn’t For Everyone

This is just the beginning of media interactions and with technology growing in leaps and bounds, another video-centric revolution is certainly on the cards.

Now when the pilot has been a success, the rest of the episodes, associated with the Facebook Live look rather convincing.

So the next time you look at ‘What’s on your Mind’, do remember that you can literally answer it with this new social media tweak.

Likes Go Live: How to Use Live Video for Your Business