21 Jun Facebook Live for Small Businesses

There’s never been a better time to be a digital marketer. In the boom of social media, your content can reach billions of internet users in no time. Despite fierce competition in the market, Facebook, with 1.94 billion users at the end of March 2017, remains the most powerful platform. Businesses around the world, whether big or small, online or brick-and mortar, cannot leave out Facebook when it comes to planning social media marketing strategies.Whilst written content proves to be important, it’s undeniable that video content has been getting increased attention. Catching up with this trend, the social media giant introduced Facebook Live that allows users to broadcast live video streams. This feature has hit the industry with a bang that no businesses could ignore. If you have a small business and are still unsure if Facebook Live is worth the effort, keep reading.

1. Give your customers an insight of your business

Although photos and videos are an effective way to visualise a brand’s stories, the production process takes a lot of time. And time is money, you would not want to stay idle waiting for videos to be done while shoppers are busy checking out your competitors’ products. Facebook Live can fill in the gap by giving your potential customers a closer look at your business without the hassle of editing and retouching. If your business has a physical presence, do a virtual tour to show them the store layout, the products, your staff, and your service in real life. The best thing about this is viewers feel that things are spontaneous and less staged as in video ads, they can expect to see the same things when they walk into your store. In case you are just starting out with an online store, go ahead to virtually introduce your team and showcase the hard work behind it. Also, take the chance to entice traffic to your website by giving customers a sneak peak of your upcoming products.

2. Can be used in conjunction with influencer marketing

When your business is new to the market, you need more people to talk about it favorably. Partnering with a social media influencer has always been an effective strategy to spread word of mouth. Now Facebook Live has made it even better. Your digital influencer partner can schedule a live stream session to talk to their fans about your business, give a product demo and answer any questions as they pop up in the chat. Real-time comments on the live videos allow more interaction between the influencer and their viewers, which gives an instant credibility boost to the product being featured. Live streaming is also a friendlier way to educate potential customers about a brand’s values, especially for small businesses whose budget is a bit too tight or large digital campaigns.

3. Stream your events

Have you seen those videos by BBC streaming their live reporting at different types of events? Being a small business doesn’t stop you from trying strategies that are effective for established brands. In fact, they work just as successfully. As soon as you have an event planned, be it a quick tutorial or your store’s grand opening, make a post on Facebook to announce the time so your followers know when to expect your live video. The same goes for occasions when you attend other people’s events, let your fans virtually accompany you and give them a chance to see your experience.

4. Address FAQs

How long does it take you to type the sentence “Customer service is at the heart of our business and we welcome all your feedback.”? Does it take you as long to say this sentence out loud? Obviously verbal content can be delivered in a much shorter time compared to written material. Take advantage of Facebook Live to upgrade your customer service by answering questions as they are submitted to the comments section. This allows more interaction, customers will feel more appreciated that their concerns are addressed on the spot and they can also see the person behind those answers.

News channels are conducting live interviews with politicians, beauty bloggers are live streaming their favourite brands, even law firms are scheduling live sessions to address legal related concerns. Facebook Live deserves serious consideration if you are building a detailed digital marketing plan for your new business. Now it’s your turn to go live!