From live presentations to Facebook live streaming – Not such a big step to take
According to a Livestream and New York Magazine survey, 80% of audiences would rather watch a live video than read a blog. In fact, 47% of live video audiences say they are willing to pay for live, exclusive footage from their favourite speaker.
With numbers that prove the preference for live video, it’s evident that there’s power in live streaming. Live streaming via Facebook Live may still be in its infancy; however, when you dissect Facebook streaming and compare it to traditional channels for broadcasting live, such as webinars and other online presentations, you realise they’re not that different.
Facebook Live may be the better choice because there’s no need to use webinar services and take the extra step of promoting the time and date of your live presentation. With Facebook, you not only have a live streaming platform but immediate access to your audience, making social distribution easy.
Here’s how you can take that next step and engage your audience with Facebook Live:
Preparation is everything
Whether it’s a pure stand-up and welcome, or a high-tech presentation with all the bells and whistles, it pays to be prepared. Know how long you intend to stream for; keeping in mind that the longer the airtime, the more views you will likely receive.
Have all the equipment ready such as a fully-charged mobile device to capture the video and a tripod to ensure your footage isn’t shaky. You also need a strong enough Wi-Fi connection to support the amount of bandwidth required to stream live without interruption; as without it, Facebook won’t let you broadcast at all.
Facebook will allow you to broadcast with less than 2 Mbps, but expect the video to be low-quality, and presented as blurry and pixelated. According to the earlier mentioned Livestream survey, 90% think the video quality is the most critical aspect of Facebook Live videos. For excellent quality, ensure you have a minimum 4 Mbps of upload bandwidth.
As quality is critical, ensure your video broadcasts from a quiet location with excellent lighting. You might also want to invest in an external microphone which has better audio quality than most built-in mics.
Practice, practice, practice to look professional
Audiences love live videos as they have a feel of being more authentic. However, you don’t have to lose authenticity because it is planned or rehearsed. While there’s something almost endearing and impressive about spontaneous speech, it’s not something you want to experiment with in front of a live audience. Remember, you want to impress your viewers with your expertise and insight; leaving nothing to chance.
Study your script but limit your reading from it, once you’re broadcasting. You want to remain natural and at ease. If you are interviewing someone, prep them to make sure you’re aligned regarding the direction of your broadcast. The last thing you want to be is caught off-guard.
Facebook live streaming is an excellent opportunity for your firm to showcase expertise, put a face to a name and make you more relatable, yet professional. You can also use it as a tool to interact with your audience in real-time, driving engagement and improving client loyalty.