Tips on hosting your next Facebook Live broadcast for businesses

July 27, 2020

Impressions are everything. With more and more businesses turning to work-from-home solutions, finding ways to stand out is a challenge. Many small business are turning to live stream video on their Facebook business page to position their business solutions to users directly. Some opt to stream a Zoom conference, others use their own streaming software to insert branding and banners. Either way, this article is meant to give you basic advice so you can prepare for your next live event. For more on how and why go live, check out this page

Build and audience

An audience does not form overnight. Odds are you are planning your livestream a few days in advance. Use the days leading up to the event as an opportunity to hype up your event. We recommend at least one post a day for about a week leading to the event. This lets your followers know that you are indeed planning something special. Create an event and ask your followers to share your page. Otherwise, starting a live event with no buildup may lead to little to no views. Of course, it’s not just planning, your content has to deliver.

Content type and length

Let your customers know what you’re all about. Naturally, the goal is to position your brand to your audience. What better way that to spend time showcasing your products, services, or mission. People already know and believe you. There is no need to hire professional actors to spread your message. No one knows your business better than you. Make a plan of speaking points to avoid rambling. Those that have a custom setup may include pre-recorded video to make the stream more interesting. We’ve noticed that anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours works best. We stress the importance of planning because a few minutes feel like an eternity during live broadcast. We often advice to make a list of topics. Make each topic about 5 minutes to keep the stream from becoming boring. This showcases your expertise in the subject and ensure that you always have something to talk about.

Connect with your audience

Engage with your viewers. Let your audience know that you can see their comments. Make a call to action during your stream asking viewers to check out your website, comment, donate, and ACKNOWLEDGE when they do those tasks. It is a live event after all. Unlike a video re-stream, social media allows you to directly engage with your customers. You’d be surprised how many businesses ask us if we can re-stream or share a pre-recorded video as if it were live. That defeats the purpose of making a live video. Use every opportunity to let viewers know that you are making time for them. Viewers are not dumb. They can tell when something is live, faked, and will ultimately do more harm than good. Any technical problems or glitches will be extremely noticeable. Try your best to keep the stream active as much as possible. That’s because people like to be acknowledged, take that away, and your post is no different from a video posted. Viewers likely know that your business is not a television production studio. Use that to your advantage. Use your charm as a small business to impress your customers with the goods and services you provide.

Equipment and software

You don’t need top-of-the-line cameras for a good stream. Something as simple as a cell phone is a good start. Whatever camera you use must be mounted on a tripod or something stable. Anyone can hold a phone and point a camera by hand, however after 30 minutes, the camera will likely start to wobble. Do not take any chances. Mount your camera somewhere stable to keep a consistent look. Know that adding branding elements are not possible straight from sites like Facebook or Youtube, but you can use a computer to add them. Streaming software such as Streamyard or Streamlabs will allow you to add video, graphics and other elements on screen. Hiring a professional crew will likely improve your live stream with multiple camera angles, video quality, tech problems and other features to help your cause. No solution is better than the other, but know that the free options will likely mean you will have to get more creative to stand out.

Full disclosure Top Hat Central offers livestream services for business and nonprofit. We help plan, coordinate and set up a live stream from beginning to end. We provide a multi camera setup, on camera coaching, live tele-prompter, graphics, and video for your next organizational event. Our specialty is creating affordable solutions for small business and micro-business. We understand that small businesses oftentimes do not have the personnel to spare for media related efforts. You wear many hats, we hope to offer one less so that you can focus on what you do best. Click here. for more info.