Live video is increasingly becoming an important element marketing strategy. One in five videos on Facebook are currently live and some have argued live video is the cornerstone strategy for Facebook’s future.
You can also go live on YouTube, which is the second-largest search engine in the world behind its parent company, Google.
Live video also helps you establish a strong connection with your ideal customers, but only if you’re doing it right. But what does doing it right look like, and how can you start as soon as possible? Read on for ideas.
The Basics of Live Video as a Marketing Strategy
There are a few high-level concepts to keep in mind:
Don’t overthink it: In this case, perfect can be the enemy of good. Try things. Experiment. Facebook Live is a great place for this. Besides, those connected with your on Facebook will probably overlook the errors of your first attempts.
That said, understand audio/lighting: Typically, a bad shot (poorly lit) can be dealt with, but bad audio is going to be a turnoff for your audience and potential customers.
The topics have to be relevant: This should be obvious, but if you’ve watched a handful of Facebook Live videos, you know they can get a little bit meandering. If the topic doesn’t appeal to your customers, they won’t watch – and the next time they see you go live, they might not watch, either. There’s a lot of competition for people’s attention span these days, so make watching your videos worthwhile.
Videos You Could Launch This Week
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
1. FAQ Live Video: You can do this every few days. Either use some of the FAQ on your website and have a charismatic staff member address two or three questions, or use questions from your marketing kit. A different approach that can work well is talking to your sales team. They deal with customers all day, and they often get questions from them. If they can identify four or five of the biggest questions being asked, that could make multiple live videos topics.
2. Expertise video: You’ll flex your expertise muscles here. Talk about the industry and potential pain points customers might be experiencing. For example, if you sell running shoes, talk about some lesser-known running ailments and maybe even bring a customer onto the live video to talk about how they experienced them. Now, you’re relatable to someone who needs a shoe for that type of problem and expanding your expertise and relevancy.
3. Service and Project Tutorials: These are more operational and logistical in nature. They can focus on how to contact you, how to order a product, where you’re based, who to call, how to get featured on a future live video, and so on. Caution: you should not make this the sole category of your live videos
Don’t Overdo Your Live Video
If you conduct too many live videos, customers will get burned out watching them. We’d recommend two to three per week at regular times (say, Tuesday and Thursday at noon ET). That way, customers will know to keep returning at those times. And after all, human brains love predictability.
Also, make sure you embed the final product, turn it into a blog post (ideally keyword-optimized), and repurpose that post on other social networks. For example – a Facebook Live video, when repurposed, can become a post or lead generator on LinkedIn.
Live video is a growing element of marketing strategy and could be a solid channel for your business. These three easy to implement live video ideas could get you started and allow you to test the impact on your marketing results.
If you’d like to know more about what you’re doing right and wrong with your current marketing strategy, and how live video should play a role there, consider submitting your business for a Valens Point Marketing Checkup.
