How to livestream on Facebook ?

I have been livestreaming for over a year now, and video is here to stay.

Studies show that in five years, 80% of the content we consume online will be video. That, my friends, is an insane amount! So, you can not escape the fact that video should be a big component of marketing your creative business. I began live streaming via Periscope, and I have written some blog posts on how to use Periscope for business, but today I want to chat all things Facebook Live and what you can do with it.

I despised Facebook as a platform in the past because I always felt FB did not value brands and small businesses.

Change after change designed to help the little guy improve their reach with their business pages gave zero improvements. Let’s get real—the opposite actually occurred. We saw losses in reach, and we lost our Facebook Mojo. It felt as if all our hard work was in vain, and I personally felt unmotivated to even try. I had a business page of over 5k fans, but I decided I would focus on my FB groups instead, and I even posted that I would not be updating my page. Then, in last three months, I saw a spike in reach and a few things caught my attention. One tip that has helped me get more Facebook reach has been auto-posting from Instagram to Facebook. Those posts tend to have more reach than regular posts, and I think it’s because A) Facebook owns Instagram, and B) hashtags.

FB has recently changed the way users search by including hashtags. Next came Facebook Live. As a lover of live streaming, I did like it, but I did not realize how I could use it to nourish my audience and grow my brand visibility. You see, Facebook may not be a good acquisition platform where I am easily found by a new audience, but it is a great platform to take care of my tribe.

So here are a few tips to rock it at Facebook Live and grow your Facebook Biz Page reach, too.

#1 . Tell folks ahead of time. Since users only get notified that you’re streaming as you start, many won’t be on Facebook to catch you live or may take a while to get on. So one great tip is to set a date and time for your stream. To do so, create an event on your page telling your audience when you will stream, what time you will be on, and what topic you will cover. You can also create an event in your FB group page if you run one. Plus tell folks on social media and put it in your email newsletter.

# 2 . Create an outline. It’s best if you plan your main talking points and have those in front of you to guide you as you stream. Remember, when streaming live, crazy things can happen, so having an outline to help guide you and keep you on track is important. I don’t mean a complex outline like the one you may have done back when you were in school for those hard term papers. I mean, jotted notes to guide you so you don’t get super distracted.

#3 . Have a great topic! Now Fuse, I am not a teacher like you, so I can’t think of what to stream about. Don’t fret my dear, I got you! You can stream events, behind the scenes, studio tours, a shopping spree, a trip, a tip or latest news with your business. Remember that your fans are interested in you! You are the person behind the brand, so show a mix of the personal with the professional.  Ask your audience what kind of content they want to see. Think of frequently asked questions you get all the time in regards to your business and do some FB live streaming on that. Be a resource to your audience and think of things that will help them! So answer “what does my ideal client need help with?” “What keeps them up at night?” Then brain storm some ideas to expand on.  Get my Mini Guide with 30 Facebook Live Post ideas below.

FACE BOOK LIVE Mini Workbook with 30 post ideas.

#4.  Stream longer. One thing you will notice about Facebook Live streams is that they tend to be longer videos. Why? Because it takes a while for folks to even know you are on and for them to be on as well. So ideally, your Facebook Live should be at least 15 minutes. YIKES! You can do it, I pinky promise. Add a Q & A section at the end of your talk, or as I said, stream an event. Or do a livestream of a topic you’re really passionate about, and you will be able to stream longer. If this time length thing is freaking you out, then get a buddy. Interview someone! Get a vendor or a former client, and get them to do the talking for ya! Wink wink. For more ideas, download my FB Live Mini Guide here.

#5.  Call to action, baby! At the end of your stream, do not leave your audience hanging, but guide them to what to do next.  You may not be launching a course or promoting a paid product, but you can have simple calls to action, like fan my page, sign up for my newsletter, check out my work. Overall, give your viewers more ways to connect with you and get to know your brand a little more.

What I love about Facebook Live is that I know FB loves video and will push my video to my audience, and I freaking love it that as visitors hover over the video, it almost feels like I am live right there. The auto play starts, and I’ve had people comment thinking I was streaming live at that exact time. I recommend you do a live stream at least twice a month, mixing it up with other video content on your page at least once a week.

Bonus Tip. If you run a Facebook Group, you should really stream special content inside your group to let your members know how much you appreciate them.