Not seeing results from social media? Boost your audience engagement with live streaming video.
You created a website. Great!
You updated your Facebook page. Fantastic!
You even set up a Twitter account. Wonderful!
But you still aren’t seeing the results that you would like and you’re not sure why. You’ve established a digital presence, so why aren’t our nation’s 19 million baby boomers flocking to your practice? Perhaps you need to take a long, hard look at your social practices and the content you’re using.
Today’s consumers are looking for quick and easy-to-digest content — content that is “snackable.”
Video provides that outlet to keep the public up to date with little effort on their part. In fact, 55% of individuals watch online videos every day, and people spend an average of 2.6 times longer on pages with video content than without [1].
At least 51% of marketers say that video has the best ROI and that number is only going to continue to grow as more and more people go online for news. Cisco predicts that 80% of all consumer traffic will be from online videos by 2020 [2].
So, how do you delve into the video content world?
Thanks to the live video boom, it’s easier than ever!
Live video, particularly on Facebook, allows for organic storytelling, which resonates with consumers. As we’ve mentioned before, if you’re true to your brand then people will respond. Also, due to the live format, viewers aren’t expecting perfection. They understand that mistakes happen — after all, we’re all human.
These little hiccups in live video make you relatable to the public. Now, that doesn’t mean you should dive into live video without having a solid plan in place first. Turning on a camera doesn’t guarantee viewers. You need to establish your goals and objectives for venturing into social video.
For example, news outlets like CNN and BBC use live video to interact with their audience in real time. CNN has experts like Dr. Sanjay Gupta answer questions about the issues important to viewers. By providing access to influencers, CNN builds a rapport with their audience by offering useful and relevant information.
Consider hosting a similar live video on your practice’s Facebook page. Decide on a topic for the week or month or whenever you want to go live and promote it on your social channels and your practice’s newsletter. How often you want to go live is a good question to ask your marketing manager or your Client Advisory Board also, check with your firm’s compliance officer to be sure live video is supported in your firm’s social media guidelines.
You want to get the word out about your live video so people know it’s coming and when to tune in. Here are some tips to help ensure that your Facebook Live video is successful:
- Long videos work.
The longer you broadcast, the larger number of viewers that can join and share it with their friends. Facebook recommends going live for at least 5 minutes, but feel free to exceed that time frame.
- Grab the viewer’s attention.
Keep your videos topical. If something major happens with Social Security, schedule a video about it.
- Engage with viewers.
We already touched on this, but answering questions in real time connects you with the audience and promotes high quality involvement. Also, keep answers broad and direct viewers to schedule an appointment to discuss in-depth or specific questions.
- Promote your live video across multiple platforms.
If you’re on multiple social platforms, then promote yourself on all channels. Always be reaching further.
- Encourage viewers to subscribe and engage.
End your videos by reminding viewers to subscribe and to visit your page for future updates. Also, encourage them to leave comments, suggestions, and questions that you can use for your next video. This helps to boost your live video’s ranking in Facebook’s newsfeed so more people will see it.
Remember, consumers are looking for content that’s quick and allows them to move just as quickly through their day. Video lets them continue with their busy lives and places you directly in their line of sight, building credibility and making you the professional that consumers turn to.
