In the world of social media and online marketing, keeping track of new launches and features is a full time job in itself! One such trend that has been gaining popularity in recent months is Facebook Live. Let’s take a look at what it is and why it’s become so popular.
What is Facebook Live?
If you’ve been anywhere near Facebook in the past few months, you may have noticed that more and more people are posting and sharing videos. There are videos of all kinds – funny cats, tutorials and more recently, videos about Olympians. The rise of videos hasn’t gone unnoticed by brands, who’re using unique concepts to promote their products.
But Facebook Live isn’t your regular video post – it allows you to broadcast a video live. So all your followers and fans can watch and comment in real time, while you’re filming. What about your users who aren’t online during your broadcast? No problem! Your video is automatically saved by Facebook and uploaded straight to your timeline. From there, it’s available for viewing any time and can even be deleted.
Why is Facebook Live so popular?
The popularity of Facebook Live isn’t just speculation; there are numbers to prove it. For starters, the stats show that users are posting 75% more videos this year than last year. Among these videos, Facebook Live videos get watched much more than a non-live video.
So what’s the big deal about posting live video? Most of all, it seems to be due to the excitement of live video. There’s a feeling of urgency, similar to a limited period offer. People also end up clicking on live videos to avoid the ‘fear of missing out’ on something important.
Another reason Facebook Live is so popular is the same reason reality TV has such high TRPs; it’s REAL. You get to see your favorite brand/blogger/celebrity in real time, unedited and available. Consider an actor who posts a live video from the shoot location of his latest movie. All his fans and followers get an instant, personal behind-the-scenes video, without any kind of editing. Imagine the impact of such a video!
5 Reasons you should be using Facebook Live
1. As of now, Facebook is giving live videos an extra edge, by promoting it to a higher rank than non-live videos. This increases your visibility tremendously. Since live video is still shiny and new, your followers are likely to click through and watch.
2. There are several other live video broadcast options out there, like Periscope, Blab and Meerkat. However, with Facebook Live, your content is always available on your timeline. This gives you the option of reaching out to your followers who aren’t online during your broadcast – more inclusion!
3. Facebook Live also has some cool features that help you analyze your video’s performance in detail. During the broadcast, you can see how many people are live. You also get usual stats like number of non-live viewers, percentage of completion and of course people’s reactions.
4. Haven’t we heard about a picture being worth a thousand words? Well a video is worth a thousand pictures and a live video is worth even more! With Facebook Live, you can make announcements, share events or launch products in person, and in a manner that’s way more effective than with a Facebook post or image.
5. Facebook Live gives your viewers a chance to interact with you in real time, which is massive! This means much more audience engagement, and a chance for you to reply, comment or react to their comments as well. Since a live video is unedited, your audience gets to see the real thing, which creates a more personal relationship with them.
As you can see, Facebook Live is here to stay, and it’s got lots of potential, a good part of which is still untapped! As with everything else, Facebook Live needs to be used correctly to make the most of it, and requires the implementation of some best practices. But that’s a story for another post, and we’ll see you then!
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