Has your brand tried live video via social media channels yet? Live video is an engaging way to make an impact, extend reach and connect with your audience. The liveness and associated FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and immediacy can really work to help humanise brands so that they can develop trust and relationships with their followers and build a community.
We’ve already written about live streaming via Twitter through Periscope, so in this post we’re examining the benefits of Facebook Live and how to harness them for your brand. Social media videos are already offering businesses an impactful way to extend reach and engagement. If you’re finding that your organic reach is falling on Facebook, video could be the solution with video content gaining five times more reach than photo posts (Social Bakers).
So now enter live video to Facebook. This new format offers brands the chance to engage in a conversation with their fans who can ask questions and comment during the broadcast. Facebook Live allows for more informal, off-the-cuff content which can help to personalise your brand. The video can remain on the host’s Facebook page so that it can be watched again or at another time. But there are still incentives for “being there” live to get the latest information first, and as a brand fan, you can tune in to engage with content from around the world.
Here are our top ideas for ways that your business can apply Facebook Live.
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Product demonstration videos
Automotive brand, Land Rover, used Facebook Live and Periscope recently to take their viewers on a test drive with hashtag #LiveTestDrive. This is a powerful way to put fans and prospective customers in the driving seat.
Mira como el #RangeRoverSport hace frente a obstáculos fuera de la carretera en la serie "Live Test Drives"https://t.co/j9YuN3li8a
— Land Rover España (@LandRover_es) May 18, 2016
Product demos can also be more informal and like a chat with friends. Take this example from beauty brand, Benefit which live streams a “girls night in” makeover using the brand’s products.
Does your business have a complex product which live streaming could help to explain? Can you demonstrate your product in action in order to bring it alive for your audience?
2. Video influencers go live
Facebook Live can also be a good opportunity to tap into influencers’ networks by setting up a live video with them. The video could concentrate on them interacting with your brand or it could be a brand association you want to create.
Eighty year old Sylvia Earle, the oceanographer, recently created a Facebook Live video of her latest sea dive. She worked in partnership with ocean.org and the live event tied in with Kids to Parks Day, and answered questions from children via social channels.
Are there key influencers in your sector which you could partner with on a Facebook Live video? You could mobilise their reach and fans in order to create a buzz around your brand.
3. Share top tips via video content
Could your CEO share your brand’s expertise via Facebook Live? Can you share useful content for instance, top tips or how tos which relate to your brand?
Many social media influencers are using the power of live streaming to reach new audiences and demonstrate thought leadership and expertise. Mari Smith, a social media expert, uses it to share Facebook tips.
It is worth noting that her live video post worked much more effectively than her text post with the same content. This approach could work well if you can share genuinely useful content for your audience.
4. Live events
GE is a B2B brand which is always in the forefront of using new social media tools and applications effectively, and its video marketing content is a great example of how the authenticity and immediacy of live video can humanise the engineering brand. To celebrate Pi Day, GE launched the campaign on Facebook Live with the video below, which features Jim Brady, one of its leading scientists. He unpicks how the theory of Pi is applied in tech and design.
This content is coupled with the more dynamic, gamefied video below which shows Pi in action and asks viewers to play along.
5. User generated content
The example below is not user generated content which was elicited by brands, but at the time of writing it’s the viral Facebook Live video of the moment. You can watch later if only to hear her infectious laugh, but what is more pertinent for marketers is how the brand mentioned in the UGC, reacted, which is this case was retailer, Kohl’s.
They reacted quickly and relevantly with this video post below.
The takeaway is to monitor brand mentions as much as possible and react and reach out where appropriate in order to build relationships and trust. You could also use a live video to launch or push a user generated campaign.
Other points to think about with live streaming is to ensure the strength of the connection where you are filming and be prepared for a more informal filming experience. It is also important to be aware of social content’s place in the buying cycle and integrate your live video with content on other channels, including high quality brand videos.
If you need advice with social video, get in touch with us.