Are You Using Facebook Live?
If you are using Facebook Live in 2018, you are ahead of many business owners, and even many social media managers.
There are quite a few marketers who do use Livestreaming in their social media strategy, but many more shy away from it, mostly for lack of knowledge.
How do we know this?
The questions about ‘how to go live' just keep rolling into our Social Media Managers Facebook group. So many questions, in fact, that we wrote a short ‘starter guide‘ on ‘Facebook Live' not too long ago.
In this starter guide, we answered the following questions:
- Why should you go live on Facebook?
- How To Prepare before You Go Live on Facebook?
- What To Do During Your Facebook Live Broadcast?
- What To Do Once You End Your Facebook Live Broadcast?
- What should I talk about on my Facebook Live?
- What tools should I use to go Live?
Today, there is a NEW question we'd like to answer for you.
How Should You Prepare To Go Live on Location, at an Event?
We asked our social media experts to help us answer this question.
Top 5 Tips For Better Livestreams on Location by Eddie Garrison
Eddie Garrison is an active member in our Social Media Managers group and answered our call for tips quickly!
Here are Eddie's top 5 tips for having better Livestreams:
- Always Stabilize Your Camera – a portable phone tripod works great.
- Good Quality Audio – wired mics are typically cheaper than wireless mics, but both work.
- Utilize Best Lighting – go outdoors if possible!
- Promote your Live Stream before, during & after the event
- Respond to every comment, during (if possible) or after the Livestream
BONUS: Remember to bring a portable power bank so your phone won't run out of power during your broadcast.
Overall Top Tips for A Successful Livestream by LaTasha James
LaTasha James offered us several great tips to add to our list.
- Keep your eyes on the camera – avoid looking away for too long or reading off of a script. Viewers want to feel a connection with you, so don't worry about the occasional verbal misstep or pause. Lives should feel like a natural conversation!
- Save your questions for the end – nothing is worse than hopping on a live to be stopped every few minutes with, “Hey there” and “I just got another question!” Communicate with viewers that at the end of your presentation; you'll answer all of the questions. This also helps with retention!
- Natural sunlight is the best – face your window or shoot outdoors for the best lighting. Also, be mindful of noise. If you don't have an external mic, just make sure that you're somemplace relatively quiet as most of our phones don't have the best built-in microphones.
- A tripod is really the only must-have; you can purchase a cell phone sized mount for just a few dollars on Amazon. Everything else will add some extra pizazz. Those add-ons include ring lights, an external microphone, and a stabilizer or phone rig.
How to Quickly Improve Your Facebook Live at the Next Event
Lacy Phillips gave us one power tip!
“Always watch (your Livestream) back afterward to take notes on what you can improve on. It's painful. A lot of people don't like watching themselves on camera (myself included) but doing so can help you continue to improve.”
Social Media Pro Advice To Take To The Bank!
In addition to all best-practices mentioned above, here are our additional tips for a successful on-location Livestream event.
- Scope out your location ahead of time; choose a site with minimal noise interference, natural light, and fewest people.
- When recording with a SmartPhone, make sure you have enough available memory space to record and save the video.
- Run a test on both audio and lighting before you interview someone or go live! Just record yourself and play it back.
- Consider creating a sign you can display ‘I am live on location' so that people know you are live and won't interrupt you.
- Check your appearance right before going live; check your hair if you are recording outside.
- If you have a script, use an iPad or older phone with TV Prompter app to read your questions and/or script. If you don't have that, use a whiteboard to write on and read off of. Don't use paper – it will make noise.
- Expect the unexpected. Go with the flow and no matter what, stay in control of your broadcast.
- Buddy up; ideally, you'd have a partner to help you navigate and implement these tips.
Tell us; what other challenges do you face when Livestreaming at events?
I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You'll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.
