Go live on Facebook to make your presence felt

Even though everyone has this available, not many have started to use it effectively because they are new to it. In this column, I will share some best practices to make the FB Live work for both individuals and brands. 

One of the biggest reasons why people are hesitant to get started is because they are afraid of making mistakes, especially in front of everyone. As it is, we are shy of facing video cameras and now the Live feature freaks us out even more. The best antidote to it is to do a quick study on how it works and the do’s and don’ts. Here are quick tips. 

Make a short video. It can be as little as 20 seconds. Are you reading a book? Then tell what book you are reading. Attending a conference? Spin the camera around and give a sneak peak of the hall and the audience. These little things will help boost your confidence and remove the fear. 

Have you seen some people’s videos come sideways? That’s a classic newbie mistake. Remember this rule. If you are on Android or iPhone, you can use your phone vertical or horizontal. However, if you are doing horizontal, you must ensure that you turn on the auto-rotate mode. Otherwise, you will get videos sideways, which sucks and makes you look like a bumbling amateur. You don’t want that. 

The beauty of FB Live is that it helps your audience engage with you. To increase the engagement, tell your audience much in advance when you are going live and encourage them to ask questions or comment. The audience responds much better if they are prompted. 4) Higher Reach: Facebook really wants to promote FB Live videos. So, they provide much higher reach for a FB Live video than a regular post. Take advantage of this fact and use this to reach out to a bigger audience.

Instagram also has live video. So, what is the difference between the two? Instagram videos are like Snapchat. They disappear after broadcast. Whereas Facebook Live videos can continue to be seen much later. They will be archived and people can replay this and watch it at their convenience. If you want more reach, I would recommend FB Live. 

To convince your audience that it’s worth their time to watch your video, then take the time out to describe what the video is about and why they should watch it. Makes a lot of difference. Sure, live streaming is in its fad stage, but I have a feeling it is here to stay. Good luck with going live.