Facebook Live made its debut in 2016 and continues to revolutionize how marketers use the platform to reach their target audiences. As Facebook’s algorithm continues to give more preference to video that is live over video that is not, marketers need to be smart when using the platform.

Brands and agencies hoping to catch people’s attention and with Facebook Live videos often make mistakes causing buyer personas to not watch them. So, Verge Pipe Media wanted to provide some tips to make sure your videos get viewed. Read below for our three steps for effective Facebook Live videos.

Lack of Focus

Despite what you may think, Facebook Live videos need to have the same proper planning as scripted videos. You don’t want to “go live” and have no clear topic or direction for your content. A video like that will get boring pretty quickly. We’re not saying to script your live video, but you should settle on a specific topic to keep your audience engaged.

Performances, speeches, and tutorials are good examples of structured content that perform well on Facebook Live. From the live map, which shows Live users around the world, there are usually a few of the previous examples listed.

Having a clear topic and streaming content regularly will help create consistency and prompt viewers to come back for repeat Live broadcasts.

Poor Connectivity

Most viewers have become accustomed to a high standard of video quality. Degrading video quality and video loss are the worst-case scenarios for live-streaming. Viewers will get frustrated if the stream goes out at an important moment or ends up not working at all.

Marketers need to do advanced planning to ensure that the Live stream will have a strong and secure connection to either a wired or wireless network. Those who properly plan in advance to minimize the risks with the stream will ensure a high-quality video. This will increase the chances for gaining viewership and followers.

No Interactions

The early returns show the most successful Facebook Live videos are ones encouraging interaction with the viewers. These personal elements of interaction give the viewer an obvious benefit in watching the live stream. There’s a reason that live-streaming websites like Twitch have live chats.

Events need to be a two-way street, so make sure interaction is encouraged.

This interactivity makes users and viewers feel a sense of community and shared interest. Social media at its core is about meaningful communication. Users who understand the importance of engaging with viewers are much more likely to gain followers and customers.

Facebook Live is still in its early stages and still growing in popularity. As we’ve written about before here and here, there are many ways marketers can leverage the platform. It’s an exciting time for video marketing as streaming live content has never been easier.

The basic keys to success are:

• planning quality content,
• securing a strong connection and
• interacting meaningfully with viewers

In the long run, Facebook Live will be judged on its users’ abilities to create original and meaningful content on a regular basis.

To learn more video marketing tips and how they can be used in your Inbound Marketing strategy, click here.