How to Strategically Use Facebook Live Videos to Build Your Ideal Audience
Strategically using Facebook Live can build your audience (but there’s work involved)! In my last blog, I provided tips on how you can leverage social media to promote your book: build your audience, be consistent, and be active.
As I discussed the importance of building your ideal audience, one tip I touched on was using Facebook Live. Today I want to discuss more about this great tool. Here are a few statistics about using Facebook Live:
- Since the public began using Facebook Live in 2016, searches for Facebook live streams has risen over 300%.
- Facebook Lives are watched 3X longer than pre-taped videos.
- Facebook has over 8 billion viewers a day; imagine the potential growth of your ideal audience when you do Facebook Live videos.
The above statistics are great (and there are many, many others), but if you aren’t using or don’t know how to use Facebook Live for video, what good is it to know the stats?
I knew video was up and coming as far as marketing and letting people see the “real” me, developing the know, like, and trust factor, and building a community, but my mind kept saying, “I don’t want to learn anything else. I’m tired.” However, as J. K. Rowling said, “I think you’re working and learning until you die.” So, are you ready to learn (or brush up) on making Facebook Live videos work for you?
The definition of community is “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” The goal of a Facebook group is to engage with the people you want to work with; your audience. If you don’t have a Facebook community, who is going to buy your book, or any product for that matter. For the majority of people, your community doesn’t grow overnight.
In August 2017, I joined two separate Facebook Live video challenges, and while I enjoyed both, I felt an urge to stay in touch with Katya Varbanova.* Katya’s was really magnetic, fun, and authentic. The members of her community were too so I followed along and then joined her group. I’ve been doing FB Lives ever since. I’ve learned how to plan an organized video, how to include what’s important, how to be myself, have fun, and develop relationships. It’s a mindset and we all just need to keep the following front of mind:
- You and I are as good as anyone out there; we just need to do the work.
- If you and I haven’t already realized it – no one is perfect!
- You and I are in business; we all have information to share. Period.
Becoming comfortable doing Facebook Live is a process, especially if you’re an introvert, but if you want to build your ideal audience and develop your ideal community, you can do it. Today, I want to focus on the steps to take so you can build your audience doing FB Live videos. It’s really about some planning (it’s not brain surgery – thank goodness!), becoming comfortable talking to a live audience, and being you! It’s always fun to have people join you online when you’re doing a Live so invite people ahead of time; post in your group and other social media outlets and tell people when you’ll be going Live and ask them to join you. Below are the top ten tips I’ve learned about doing Facebook Lives:
- Introduce yourself. Tell your viewers a little bit about yourself and what you do.
- Tell them what they can expect from your broadcast.
- Say hello to any viewers.
- Start your video broadcast content – I suggest covering three subtopics at most to support your main topic.
- While speaking, ask for questions from people on the broadcast.
- Have a call to action – this could be as simple as signing up for your complimentary opt-in on your website to build your email list, or invite them to a complimentary strategy session, etc.
- When you’re ready to end the broadcast, do a summary of the content you covered.
- Remind people of your call to action; always have a call to action!
- Ask people to share the Live video on their pages – this allows for their audiences to see it which means more people are viewing it, which means some of your people’s people may want to learn more about you and what you do.
- Tell them goodbye; thanks for attending. Maybe ask what was the one takeaway they learned from the broadcast (this can lead to conversation).
Your broadcast is over! You did it! Great! Now what? Follow up, follow up. Go back to the video and reply to anyone who commented on your video or, if they liked something thank them for liking it and joining. Ask a question to continue the conversation; any comment can start building the know, like, and trust factor which can lead to book sales, possible book readings, or speaking events. The important thing to remember is being active is key.
Have you started doing Facebook Live videos yet? If not, why? If so, what differences do you see in your community? How often do you do a Live video? Peter and I look forward to hearing from you. As always, we’re here for any comments or questions.
Until next time,
Colleen
#WriteYourWay
*Katya Varbanova – Out Of This World Video Marketing for the Thought Leaders and Mentors of the 21st Century.
Image credit – Montgomery College
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