Today, everyone is jumping on the popular trend to produce videos.
Facebook videos are called Facebook Live.
Twitter has Live Video powered by Periscope, a live streaming app.
YouTube has always been the king of the video market until Facebook and Twitter decided to compete for their share.
Facebook Live has proven to be a decent competitor. After becoming available to the public, just last year, according to recent statistics, interest in Facebook videos has risen over 330%.
Guest author Cathy Lawdanski is here to offer tips on how you, too, can take advantage of the surging interest in Facebook Live to produce your own live streaming videos.
By the end of this post, you will know how to get started and what to talk about in your live streaming videos.
Facebook Live Made Easy
By Cathy Lawdanski
We hear all the time that LIVE video is the way to go. And in this season of blogging and online marketing, it is.
Facebook Live: Your Reach
The page for my blog, My Side of 50, has 554 followers.
In the last couple of weeks, my blog posts have shown anywhere from 9 (yes that’s NINE) to 483 people. That 483 was rare. Most of the time Facebook shows my posts under 100.
In the last 3 months, when I post a Facebook LIVE video, it is shown to a minimum of 300 people with the largest reach being 553.
So since Facebook likes their live videos so much, they are eager to show it to more people and that means a larger reach for you!
But I find that many bloggers are afraid to get in front of the camera, don’t know what in the world they would have to say or both.
Facebook Videos: How to Get Started
- Keep it short. A Facebook Live does not to be lengthy unless at some point you branch out into teaching something or doing a demonstration that is longer.
- Jot down few points that you want to make. Notice I said jot down a few points – not write a whole script. Facebook Live is not meant to be SCRIPTED. It is a conversation between you and your readers.
- And speaking of your readers… if they have liked your Facebook page, they already like you and want to hear what you have to say. That’s why they liked your page.
- I think of Facebook Live as a conversation and in turn a relationship builder with my readers. Not a performance. So whatever you do… it doesn’t have to be perfect. When you are having a conversation with a friend, you don’t do it with a script and you don’t worry about it being perfect.
- And unless you are a super popular blogger with a million followers, you probably won’t have that many people watching you live at first anyway. They’ll watch it later when it comes up in your feed. So you don’t have to feel like you are on the network news when you are actually LIVE.
- Do a practice run through with the video app on your camera. This will help you see where you get hung up or if you need to add/delete anything. Just do ONE. Don’t spend an hour practicing this. As effective as Facebook Live is, it can be a huge time suck if you get hung up on doing the perfect performance. And who needs one more time-consuming blogging task? Are you with me?
Facebook Live Videos: What To Talk About
- What you have coming up on the blog this week.
- A little background about those posts or a story. For example, I wrote a post with a yummy cheeseball recipe. It was close to the Superbowl so I talked about the big game being in my hometown (Houston) and the Texans being in the playoffs. Then I talked about how my cheeseball would be great to serve at a Superbowl party.
- Or I could have told a story about how we devoured this same cheeseball at our house on Christmas Day and that I make it every year. The point is to give them a little something that helps them get to know you.
- Talk about a giveaway you are doing. For those signing up for the My Side of 50 e-mail list, I have a giveaway that is a printable of 3 new ways to tie a scarf. In my Facebook Live video, I talked about how I only know 2 ways to tie a scarf and how handy this guide was to print out and tape to the back of their closet.
- Give them a short tease on a couple of upcoming blog posts.
- Tell them why they should subscribe to your newsletter and what subscribers get.
- Show them something. If you have a DIY project, or a craft project or a dish you have made that will be on the blog, show it to them.
Facebook Live: Final Tips
- Should you give your followers notice that you will be going live at a certain time? If you don’t want to the first time because you are just getting your feet wet, then give yourself a pass on the first one. Otherwise, I would announce it ahead of time – maybe the day before (if you are organized enough to know you are doing a Facebook Live the next day) and an hour or two before. If you know you will be doing your LIVE on a topic, then say so. “I’m doing a Facebook Live tomorrow at 1:00 on 5 entertaining hacks.”
- When you start you LIVE, ask your visitors to let you know they are there. Ask them to say “Hi” in the comments or put in the comments where they are listening from.
- Include a Call to Action in all your Facebook Lives – subscribe, read the blog post, download the opt-in or share this video.
- Share. Share it to your personal or other Facebook pages you have. Download it to your YouTube channel.
Facebook Live is a great tool for reaching your audience. Don’t sweat it. Just do it. Remember… the point is CONNECTION and RELATIONSHIP. Not perfection.
Here are 30 Facebook Live Topics.
Bio
Cathy Lawdanski is the blogger behind MySideof50.com, a lifestyle blog for midlife women. She blogs about family, travel, fashion, health and wellness and food. She also loves blogging and believes that bloggers shouldn’t have to do “all the things” to have a successful blog. She shares blogging tips on the Blogger Smarter Facebook page and through her weekly Blogger Smarter newsletter.
Host Blogger’s Comments:
How to Make a Facebook Live Streaming Video
Simple! On your computer, go to the Facebook Live Map. Then, click “Go Live.”
If you would like to see an example of Facebook Live, Ryan Biddulph made a video using Facebook Live for a blog monetization post he wrote for Mostly Blogging:
Testimonials
Carla Birnberg explains the overwhelming popularity of Facebook Live. According to Carla, people have left Periscope for Facebook Live.
Social Media Strategist Kaylyn expressed she loves Live Streaming and explained it can boost your blog traffic if you give people the right Call to Action at the end.
Readers, please share. Considering the overwhelming popularity of Facebook, I’m sure many people would appreciate learning about Facebook Live.
What did you think of Cathy’s post? Is Facebook Live something that might interest you?
I look forward to your views in the comments section.
Note: Janice will be answering comments as her vacation schedule and Internet connectivity allows.
Related Post:
How to Be a Better Blogger with YouTube
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