4 Reasons Not To Use Facebook Live (Although You Really Should!)
A little light-hearted read for Holiday Monday (in the USA and UK)…..
Lately, there’s been a lot of hoopla around Facebook Live Video. It was one of things most talked about at #SMMW16, everyone seems to have written a blog post about it, all the podcasts are talking about it, and you’ve probably seen a bunch of these videos popping up in your own Facebook news feed.
And, if you follow me on Facebook, you know I’m loving the Facebook live videos too. I could go on and on about how awesome it is. But, instead, it’s important to point out that Facebook live video isn’t for everyone. So, I’m sharing with you the 4 reasons why Facebook video may not work for you.
You’re Happy With Minimal Facebook Reach
We all know it’s hard to get decent organic reach on Facebook. If you work really hard and use a really effective strategy, you might pull off double digit reach on your Facebook page.
So, if you’re good with this, and have no interest in something that will significantly boost your organic reach, then Facebook live is not for you.
However, if you love the idea of more Facebook reach, then you will love the live video function. Facebook has committed to giving these videos priority in the news feed so if anyone you follow is live when you log in, you will see that video first. That’s pretty awesome from a marketing perspective! Imagine how many more people could see your page content if you regularly shared live video posts.
Facebook live videos have also been found to generate 10 times more comments than normal videos. So, if you like the idea of more engagement, more conversations, and more interactions on your Facebook page, live video is going to help with that too.
You Have Absolutely Nothing of Value to Share
If all you do is saturate Facebook with crap content that serves no real value to your audience, then Facebook live probably isn’t ideal for you. It’ll just show people how little you really have to offer.
But, if you have anything of value to share – tips, tactics, recommendations, support, motivation, resources, ideas, opinions, or really anything of value, then Facebook live is awesome!
From short videos and effective snippets to long tutorials or detailed answers, Facebook live offers you the opportunity to share so much more value with your audience and reach them in whole new ways.
And on top of it all, if you go into each video with a clear purpose and plan, your audience will get real value that will enhance your position as an authority in your industry. Also make sure you include a clear call-to-action in all of your videos (sign up for emails, download something, leave a comment, etc.) to maximize the value you get out of the video.
You Never Show Your Audience the Inside of Your Business
If you live to hide behind a computer screen and have absolutely no interest in showing your customers what your business is really like, Facebook live is not for you. Never shown a behind-the-scenes post? Never shown a photo of yourself, but instead hide behind a logo? Then, live video is not gonna be in your strategy.
Facebook live is one of the best ways to be truly authentic with your audience. Trip over your words, have less-than-perfect lighting, get distracted by a co-worker… that’s life. And that’s the joy of live video. It’s real. You. And authentic. If you like to show off this real side of your business, consider using Facebook live for your business.
You’d Much Rather Use Complicated Technology
I get it. Some people love a challenge. And coordinating complicated technology, linking multiple tools to pull off what you want to achieve, and crossing your fingers that it all works can be a rush for some. If this is you, the simplicity of Facebook live video will likely bore you so don’t bother wasting your time.
But if you’re anything like me and are grateful for one simple tool that does all the right things, Facebook live is perfect for you.
Seriously, you wanna know how easy it is? Start a new status update on your Facebook page. Click on the little silhouette with radio waves over the head. Type in the title of your video (with a purpose, remember!). Then hit “Go live”. Start talking. Keep talking. Mention your call-to-action. Stop talking. Hit “Done”.
If you wanna get really crazy, you can change the view from the selfie camera to the back camera and back to the selfie camera with one touch each time. I mean, I know this is a big step up in skill, but if you’re willing to test your limits with this, you can add a whole other dimension to your live videos.
That’s it. If you do those few simple steps, Facebook will put your video in the top of the feeds of those who follow your page. People can comment in the post, generating real conversation for you to engage with. When you’re done recording, Facebook automatically saves the video to your page for instant replay. And when you want to see how your videos are performing, go into your Page Insights and click on the video post. You’ll see a ton of data on how your video performed.
You get all of this without third party tools. Without syncing up multiple sites or devices. No need to remember to hit record to ensure you get a replay (yeah, we’ve ALL done that on other platforms!).
If you like simple, easy, effective, Facebook Live is gonna be your new favorite aspect of Facebook marketing.
But if that’s just not up your alley, that’s ok. You don’t need to embrace Facebook live video. The rest of us will and we’ll enjoy all the rewards that come along with it.
Originally titled “4 Reasons NOT to Use Facebook Live for Your Business” on jennstrends.com, and is republished here with permission
Image attribution: Copyright: ‘http://www.123rf.com/profile_scanrail‘ / 123RF Stock Photo
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