Did you know 82% prefer live video from a brand to social posts (Source: Live Stream)? Additionally, 78% of online audiences are already watching video on Facebook. Live video has become an incredible tool for marketers to effectively reach and connect with their audience. It’s essential to take note and ensure your small business marketing strategy includes live video.
In fact, the benefits are too compelling to ignore. It’s simply an ideal way to increase your awareness, attract more customers to your brand, and stay in front of your existing ones. Also, it significantly separates you from the crowd because many small businesses are simply not using live video.
Thus, you’ll have the slight edge and the advantage of being in touch with your market.
If you’re wondering how to incorporate live video into your content marketing strategy, here are seven unique ideas that will help energize your online presence.
7 Ideas to Using Live Video in Small Business Marketing
#1 Host a 5-Day Challenge
Many people enjoy following a challenge that helps them attain an end goal. They’re particularly effective when done with partners or in a community. You can help foster your online community by hosting a 3 or 5-day challenge with your social followers using Facebook Live or Stories. It is an excellent way to boost engagement on your pages and drive awareness. Consider a common problem your audience often experience in the industry. Each day, share a tip or action step they can implement to help them overcome this challenge in the next 3 or 5 days. Make it interactive and fun by highlighting viewers that are on the live show and actually completing the challenge. Perhaps reward participants with an exclusive discount or content offer. Find creative ways to host a challenge that can get potential customers engaged in your content.
#2 Weekly Broadcast Q&A Sessions
Q&A sessions are highly valuable for your small business marketing strategy. You see, not only does it allow you to connect and stay in tune with your audience, you can also leverage these questions for your content marketing. The questions asked are coming directly from your market! You will never run out of topic ideas because you’re receiving them from the very people you want to engage. Therefore, commit to incorporating a live Q&A session every week – or every other – to answer your market’s most pressing questions. It doesn’t have to be long; perhaps 15-20 minutes will do. Having these weekly broadcasts also creates an additional channel for likely clients to communicate with you, making you more attractive to do business with!
#3 Address the Top 3 FAQs in Your Industry
What do your customers tend to inquire about the most? Do you often hear the same concerns over and over again? Well, these are perfect content ideas for going live on social media. By addressing these top FAQs, you continue to position your brand as a credible source in the industry. This is what inbound marketing is all about: sharing valuable content that focuses on solving problems, answering questions, and offering solutions. Using live video is the perfect tool to get it done! For this tactic, you can do this weekly, monthly, or as a one-time topic. (If you decide one time, perhaps address the top 10 FAQs.) The good news is, you can repurpose this content.
#4 Invite Followers into Your Office/Company’s Culture
Another way to use live video in your small business marketing is taking your audience behind-the-scenes to get a taste of your office culture. People desire transparency and authenticity in their content. The more they get to know who you and your team are, the more it builds trust and credibility. These are key ingredients to a working digital marketing strategy that brings new clients to your doors from online. With that said, go live the next time your office hosts a company party. Take your social fans to the office picnic, team workshop, or holiday event. Highlight the Employee of the Month on live, sharing a few details on how their value contributes to the team. Or go live prior to the start of the workday so viewers experience how you prepare for your day’s clients.
#5 Report Trending News in the Industry or Related Topics
Facebook Live and Instagram Stories are huge assets for sharing trending topics. First, it shows that your business stays current in related news and, thus, further solidifies you as a reputable source. Secondly, it gives you a chance to offer your expert opinion, helping your followers gain a better understanding of the topic. You’re just confirming more ways on how you remain relatable and engaged to the happenings in your respective industry. So, the next time a local or national story hits, hop on live and provide your feedback. You’ll be amazed at how these broadcasts drive engagement and visibility to your brand.
#6 Share the Top 5 Mistakes/Things to Avoid
Consider the top blunders people often make in your industry. Wouldn’t you agree that people should know about them? Since Facebook Live is that engaging tool capturing attention over social posts and images, leverage it to your advantage to educate your followers. Keep people in the know by outlining mistakes that people are making that is negatively impacting their results. In fact, topics that have a negative connotation (avoid, mistakes), ironically gets people involved. Also, boost attendance by sharing with your email list the time you plan to go live. Since email subscribers are 3 times more likely to share your content with their networks than people from social media, encourage them to invite their social networks to your broadcast. This simple act can dramatically increase your viewership.
#7 Show the Correct Way
How-to videos are incredibly popular posts on social media. Taking someone through a simple process to meet a goal is always excellent content that puts your brand at the forefront. Even if you’ve offered how-to tips on your blog or social media posts, sharing them on video is just much more effective as viewers are able to visually see the process from start to end. Therefore, use live video to show your followers the correct way to achieving a specific goal. Offer tips and tricks to accelerate their results. They’ll appreciate the advice!
Live Video Revives Your Small Business Marketing
Live video on social media is a powerful tool for elevating, energizing, and reviving your small business marketing. If you’ve been struggling with engagement, going live will help drive more activity on your pages. So use these tips on live video. By doing so, you’re giving the people more of what they want.
Are you ready to energize your digital marketing in 2018? Reach out to us and let’s chat! We can help get you in front of ideal clients and improve your marketing results online.
