At first thought, Facebook Live can seem like a daunting prospect for PR pros. The right here, right now nature of live streaming can be freeing when used by individuals: Measuring success is often an afterthought, if considered at all. But for brands and communicators tasked with foraging in this relatively new space, live streaming brings its own baggage to the content production process.
Besides the anxieties that are symbiotically linked with live recording, there are other things brands have to consider that are specific to Facebook Live. PR professionals need to know when their audiences are most active on Facebook—and when audiences are likely to tune into a broadcast—in order to identify the measurement criteria needed to gauge and report success.
To learn everything communicators need to know about Facebook Live and hear case study examples spanning the B2B, professional association and B2C spaces, join PR News for our webinar How to Use Facebook Live to Harness the Power of Live Streaming for Brands on Sept. 8 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST.
This process can be arduous for B2B communicators, as their industries tend to demand a greater focus on ROI than, say, a national clothing retailer or consumer goods producer. Blair Broussard, vice president of AR|PR, is an expert in B2B tech communications and has these three tips for B2Bs looking to experiment with Facebook Live.
Define Goals and Objectives
B2B leadership cares about SALES. How can you take your efforts on Facebook Live and define them in terms that will be relevant to the C-suite? Doing this will help to refine your measurement process, too.
Take your specific audience into account
This is two-fold:
- Define your audience—just because it's B2B doesn't mean it's a sales prospect. B2B has additional key audiences like media, investors, brand ambassadors, resellers, partners etc. How do each of these audiences want to receive content and what exactly would be beneficial to them via live video?
- What part of the buying process do you use to determine the type of content to create via live video?
Have a plan
In most cases, spontaneous live video creation for a B2B business will not give you the results you're looking for. Planning ahead with a clear goal and KPIs in mind, optimized descriptors with a strong call-to-action and a preplanned syndication campaign are keys to success.
Of course, Facebook Live's usefulness isn't limited to B2B PR folks. Communicators from all disciplines should consider turning to Facebook Live as their go-to when creating short-form mobile video for Facebook, especially given that Facebook puts so much algorithmic weight behind live videos. Bilal Morris, director of local social media strategy at iHeartRadio, has some general advice for anyone embarking on a live streaming expedition.
- Tell people ahead of time before you broadcast
- Go live only when you have a strong connection
- Create a compelling description for your feed before you go live
- Ask your viewers to hit the Follow button
- Speak to commenters by name
- Don’t make your broadcasts too short
- Go live often
Follow Blair: @BlairAB
Follow Bilal: @Blogzworth
Follow Mark: @MarkRenfree