Is Facebook Live the Right Advertising Opportunity for Your Business?

With the development on modern day internet speeds both wired and via mobile carriers, streaming content has become and extremely popular consumption method. A large portion of TV viewing is now done on demand or via a streaming service. Advertising is now following suit and social media leader Facebook have launched their streaming function Facebook Live.

Facebook Live is essentially video content which is filmed and streamed live. Originally launched in 2016 to user accounts only, the service is now available to all Facebook users including personalities, brands and business pages. This development means that essentially all online brands using Facebook now have access to a video broadcast style mechanic to their social media advertising for their business. While this is exciting and opens up the doors for even small brands to start engaging their followers with video content, there are a fair amount of considerations you should stop and take stock of before jumping right in.

Here are some of our pros and cons of using a live streaming advertising function like Facebook Live that you might want to look over before deciding if it’s the right advertising method for your business:

Making Video Accessible

The fact that Facebook have introduced this service will be music to the ears of smaller brands with less resources as it provides them an accessible route to start video marketing. The functionality is available directly via the Facebook App and works perfectly on the vast majority of modern day smartphones. So there really never has been such an affordable way to utilise what is considered one of the most engaging advertising formats around.

It’s Live

There are pros and cons to this one. Being a live stream service is great for grabbing attention and disrupting user behaviour to bring them immediately in to an engaging format. The down side to being live is that, well, it’s live. That means things can go wrong. You need to ensure you go in to any live stream with a clear outline of what the content is you’re going to deliver. It’s recommended to even consider a loose script to follow and a rehearsal just to make sure everything goes ‘alright on the night.’

Getting the Tone & Feel Right

Live stream video is very different from typical video formats and advertisement style videos. You’re addressing a live audience. For many brands, this won’t be something they have done before. It can be tough to get the tone of voice right or to really know how to speak to your audience in this way.

Many brands choose a host for video streaming. A senior member of the business or a brand ambassador. If you are already using ambassadors on social media then these individuals make the best choice as your audience will have already built up some brand association and a relationship with them. But it’s also worth remembering not everyone is great on live camera so choose wisely and make sure you rehearse!

Managing Feedback

One of the features of Facebook live that makes it so appealing is that it allows the audience to interact with the feed while it’s live. The stream can be liked, shared and commented on similarly to a standard Facebook post. While this opens up a superb like on interaction with your audience, managing this isn’t always easy. Just like any social media communication you are open to public feedback meaning that negative feedback and comments about your brand or business are visible to all.

There is also the case of using the interaction to your advantage to create more compelling streaming sessions. You will be able to pose questions to your audience or immediately get their feedback on products and services you may choose to show them. Consider appointing someone to moderate the comments while the session is in progress.

Summary

Facebook live can be a compelling and accessible route for brands of all shapes and sizes to start video marketing activity. It needs to be stressed though that in order to do your brand justice and not create a potential negative impact, planning and careful choices need to be made. It’s certainly not a channel you want to go rushing in to.