About once a week I have a content development discussion with a client or friend. It usually includes talking about Facebook Live. At this point, the other person either makes a face like they just sucked a lemon or a spider has crawled on them. Either way, just saying Facebook Live tends to strike fear into many.
Yet Facebook Live is one of the most powerful (free) tools available.
It’s time to embrace, versus hide, from this relatively easy way of sharing video content with your audience. And here are some simple tips to make you do not suck at Facebook Live.
1. Know your audience
Just like all content development, you need to start with truly knowing your audience. And no, people ages 35-65 is not an audience.
Drill down. Think of your audience as a person. With a name, job, gender, income, educational background and interests. Visualize that person standing in front of you. How would you talk to them? What interests them? Why should they care about what you’re saying?
When using Facebook Live, talk directly to this person. Yes, it means some people may tune you out or stop watching. That’s okay. It’s better to make a meaningful connection with your target audience versus no one listening or connecting.
2. Make it relevant
Facebook Live is a tool in the toolbox. It is not the only tool.
Think about where else you have shared the content you will be talking about on Facebook Live. Did you recently issue a press release? Is there something on your website? Did you write a blog post about this topic?
For me, I try to focus on a different theme each week. Usually launched off my blog post. This helps not only reinforce content I’ve already shared, but also directs people back to my main content, in case they haven’t read it yet.
3. Keep it short
Now this is the tough part. Knowing how long you’ve been talking and making sure you don’t babble on and on.
Ideally, you want your Facebook Live videos to be 30 seconds to 3 minutes. The exact length will also vary on your audience, their attention span, as well as their interest in the topic.
DO NOT read from a script. That goes against every rule of social media.
If you’re concerned about time, you can:
- Have a timer in front of you
- Ask a friend or coworker to give you cues in 15 second intervals
- Break content into a series of Facebook Live videos versus one video
4. Pick your days
Do you ever have a day where you’re rocking your hair, wardrobe and attitude? These are the perfect days for Facebook Live.
Seriously. When you feel confident, you will be confident. When you feel tired, worn out or stressed, it will reflect in your video.
Last week I was putting off doing my weekly Facebook Live. I had a sick child, sick parent and client deadlines. I simply wasn’t in the mood to be cheerful and intelligent. So I skipped doing a video all together.
This week, I had a great day, finalizing a training session with a new client. So I decided to jump on Facebook Live and record a video. And guess what? It was one of my highest viewing videos. All because I waited until the energy was right.
5. Practice, practice, practice
Did your eyes bug open when I said my weekly Facebook Live video?
That’s right, this needs to be part of your regular routine. And guess what? Each time I do a video I learn something to make the next video better.
Decide what frequency makes sense for you and organization. As a one-person shop, I do weekly Facebook Live videos, usually talking about the content of my blog two days after I post it to my website. For larger organizations, you can easily do daily videos, assigning a different department or spokesperson for each video.
Test it out
Okay, enough time spent reading articles about Facebook Live. The true learning comes from using the tool.
I challenge you to make a Facebook Live video in the next seven days. Take note of the tips above, find a spot that doesn’t distract from what you’re saying. And ideally avoid blank walls.
Ask a few friends or coworkers to watch the video and give feedback. If it’s horrible, delete it and try again. What’s most important is you step out of your comfort zone and try a new tool. You may even find you like it!
If you have any questions or want to tell me how it went, comment below. You can also sign up to receive regular emails from me.