At TotalCom Marketing get the opportunity to attend a pretty large conference each year for Healthcare Marketers (SHSMD Connections) and while the sessions and keynote speakers focus on marketing for hospitals, there is much to be gleaned for other business categories as well.
One of the sessions that I attended and thought might be helpful was a “how to” for using Facebook Live, presented by the communications team at Virginia Commonwealth University Health System.
About Facebook Live
Facebook Live is a marketing tool that can prove quite helpful in meeting your organization’s social media objectives (and more). It is immediate, authentic, interactive and a great way to connect and engage with your audience.
Reasons Why You Should Consider Using Facebook Live
For now at least, the Facebook algorithm favors Facebook Live. We have all seen a decline in engagement with our posts, Facebook Live is a way to help overcome this.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to make Facebook Live work for your organization.
Facebook Live is another way to connect with customers and prospective customers where they are spending considerable amounts of time each day – on Facebook.
Get Started with Facebook Live
You don’t have to have a special video camera, an iPhone works great.
Polish up your efforts with a few extra items including a camera mount, tripod, lapel mics to isolate sound and simple lighting. Also, Mevo (“a tv studio in your pocket”) is an app (and more) that allows you to look like you’ve got multiple cameras, allows for on-the-fly editing, is easy to use, requires no video editing experience and can really take your live stream to the next level. Learn more at www.getmevo.com.
Tips for Live Video Best Results
Always have two people to manage the live stream as it is more than one person can do alone.
Make sure you have a strong internet connection. VERY IMPORTANT.
Promote your live stream in advance. Promote not only on Facebook, but Instagram and any other social channels you use. Ask your audience to sign up for a reminder.
As per social media best practices, don’t use Facebook Live to sell, but rather to establish thought leadership and be a resource to the community you serve.
Keep your production authentic. It is ok that your Facebook Live is not Spielberg quality.
Strategy first and tactics next. Use Facebook Live for the benefit of the audience, not just because it is fun and cool.
Have a lengthy event? Don’t just “set it and forget it”. Best to break up the event into manageable snippets, do interviews in between highlights. Remember to announce often where you are and what you are doing for those who tune in late.
Lunch is a good time to go live, as are evenings. However the majority of the engagement is AFTER the fact.
Look at organizations and brands that are successfully using Facebook Live. Here are a few brands effectively using Facebook Live.
Practice, practice, practice... Use Facebook Live personally to learn how. But no worries, you can use Facebook Live and no one else see if, in the “Select Privacy” mode, you choose “Only me”.
Be sure to use Facebook analytics to provide insight and learn how you can fine tune and improve your Facebook Live efforts.
Facebook also offers these tips for using Facebook Live
Ways to Use Facebook Live
Use in place of, or in addition to a press release. News departments are short staffed and they can’t always cover events. For media outlets not able to attend, send them a link to the stream. They can then use some of the footage and include your event in their news report.
Interview staff members or ownership.
Demonstrate new products or services.
Boost the value of your sponsorships so that you get more than just your logo on a flyer or t shirt.
Appeal to your audience’s curiosity. Give a behind-the-scenes look to let your audience “peek behind the curtain”. Demonstrate how a product is made or who makes it. Give a tour of the back of the store.
Remember to always ask, “Is this important to our audience? Is it relevant?” Don’t go live just for the sake of it.
Are you using Facebook Live for your organization? We would love to see how you are doing it. Share with us, won’t you?
Blog post written by Lori Moore, Senior Account Manager for TotalCom Marketing Communications. Reach Lori Moore by email or phone at 205.345.7363.
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