Here’s the deal… if you haven’t hopped on the Facebook live video train, it’s time. I know it sounds scary and crazy and like I’m asking you to stand up naked in front of your entire high school, but live video is truly where it’s at in today’s online marketing world.

Nervous about diving into the live video world? I completely understand. I’ve been there too, hovering over that “Go Live” button, a hot mess of nerves. But, once you do a few Facebook live videos, I promise you, it gets much easier. And, if you are running a creative business, or any business for that matter in the online space, then you’ve got to leverage this platform. It is the future, like it or not!

Don’t believe me when I say Facebook Live video is a game changer?

Challenge Accepted.  You’ve heard of Mark Zuckerberg, right? He’s the CEO of a little biz you might of heard of: Facebook. A while back Mark tried to acquire the rights to stream NFL games live on Facebook. Well, Zucks lost out on that one, and Twitter was given those rights. So, he went after Snapchat. He tried buying Snapchat outright, but they shut him down quickly. In good old Facebook fashion, Mark and his team were like, “that’s cool people, we’ll just do our own thing.” Since Facebook owns Instagram, they created their own little Snapchat…aka…Instagram Stories. Not only that, but FB has an entire team of people whose only job is to further the platform of Facebook Live video. A whole team, people! If Facebook is chasing down live video with such intensity, then you know it’s a big deal.

Facebook algorithms favor live video significantly more than static posts.That means your live videos are way more likely to be seen than any of your other content.  Still a doubter? Okay.

Here’s why Facebook Live Video is Important:

Have you seen a Facebook live video today? Yesterday? Don’t lie, you know you have.You’ve probably seen more than one. Don’t you think that if you are clicking on live videos that your clients are too?  

Yes?  Yes.  So, you’re going to do this video thing right? Cool.

Here are a few tips to help you leverage live video to both grow your business and connect with your clients!

What Should You Talk About in Your Facebook Live Videos?

This is probably the most common thing I am asked about concerning live video. And, my answer is always the same: do your live videos on the things you are most commonly asked about.

I want you to grab a pen and paper right now and make a list of things people ask you about on the regular. Go ahead. I’ll wait. Don’t forget to come back though.

Done? I bet you came up with at least 5 topics you could do live videos on today.

I want you to keep this list around and continue adding to it. Think about problems your clients might have and offer solutions. Have you recently discovered a new tip, tool or trick? Add that to your list and keep those live videos rolling.  The things that you think are common knowledge or boring may be totally fascinating {or even better, NEEDED} by other people?

Want proof?  Want to know my number one YouTube video?  How to use your Expodisc to set your white balance.  While most of my videos get 300-1000 organic views, that video is close to 20k viewers!  Now, it’s not live video {I did a Periscope broadcast on this but the recording was lost when Katch.me shut down in 2016}, but my live video also got an INSANE amount of interaction and interest!  Setting my white balance – routine and mundane to me, exciting to everyone else!

There are so many topics that seem super basic to us, that are totally interesting and needed by our followers and clients. So make your list and start your broadcasts!

How long should my video be?

Unless you are doing a longer tutorial, most live videos should run between 5 and 10 minutes. If you go under 5 minutes, your friends and followers don’t have enough time to find you and start watching. Ten minutes gives people plenty of time to find you without being too long, which means you will likely keep your audience watching most of your video. But, if you find people hopping on and off, don’t freak out. That is totally normal.  If you have a powerful message to deliver, longer videos are fine – just be aware that your audience may or may not be able to stick with you for the duration of your Facebook Live video!

How can I be sure that my videos will be seen?

Live video is thrown into people’s feeds much more often than any other type of content. However, if you want to make sure that you are getting the best possible reach with your live videos, you’ll want to encourage engagement during your live broadcast and later on during the replay. How do you do that? Well, I thought you’d never ask!

• Teach your viewers how to use the platform.
  

  If you’ve watched any of my Facebook Live videos, then you’ve heard me explain to my viewers how and why to give a thumbs up, heart, or smiley face. I do this for two reasons. One, it teaches my followers how to engage while using FB Live. Two, it increases my engagement rate. The more likes and hearts and smiley faces I get, the more engagement the FB algorithm sees, and the more likely people are to stumble across my video in their feeds!

• Ask your viewers to participate.
  

  Another thing I do pretty regularly is ask viewers to give me a 1, 2, or 3 in response to a question I’ve asked. For example, I might say something like, “give me a 1 in the comments below if you’ve been using FB live consistently, give me a 2 if you’re thinking about using FB Live, and give me a 3 if you think FB Live is completely terrifying.” This does two things: gives me a gauge on where my audience is in terms of the topic I’m discussing, and gives them a simple, fool-proof way to leave comments. The more comments I have, the more the FB algorithms like me, which means more eyes on my videos.  

One thing you will want to keep in mind when asking people to comment and like is that there’s a 20-30 second delay on FB Live video. That means people won’t hear what you’ve asked until about 20-30 seconds after you’ve asked it. Then, they need time to think and respond. So, you can’t just throw a question out there, wait ten seconds and then peace outta’ that joint. You need to keep talking and give the answers time to flow in.

I know you’re probably worried about whether or not people will watch live and interact. I get that. But here’s the thing: people will watch. Remember, it takes some time for them to join, but they will watch. Even if you don’t get a ton of viewers live, the replay will pop up in people’s feeds when you are finished broadcasting. Videos get tons of love on most platforms today, so have no fear, your videos will be seen!

Need more tips and tricks to make the most out of your Facebook Live video broadcasts?

I’ve got you covered friend!  If you’re a newbie, let me help you jump into the live video game.  If you’ve been dabbling for a while {but not really seeing a positive impact on your page}, let me help you up your engagement levels on live video.  A few little tweaks {and they’re super simple – promise} and you’ll be rocking and rolling on your next Facebook Live broadcast!

Oh, and the best part?!  I can help you, for FREE!  Seriously!  Download my FREE Live Video Strategy Guide Here!

My Live Video Strategy Guide will show you how to design a successful live video broadcast,  the five key elements I always include, and how I can consistently help you reach 30-50% of your fans, without spending a dime!  You game?  Give me two weeks of live video training and I know you’ll be a believer!  Grab your strategy guide and I’ll see you in class!