How to Use Facebook Live (The Easy Way)

If you’ve been on the internet recently, you’re probably be pretty familiar with video content. It’s everywhere, and for very good reasons.

1. It’s easy to consume.
2. It saves time.
3. It is simpler to communicate ideas visually.

As a result, video marketing, and especially live video streaming, has become important for building a business brand. According to Forbes, companies that use video marketing are out competing businesses that do not.

But, live video is for big companies, right? It seems so complicated for small business owners who are taking on all the social media marketing themselves. Especially the ones just starting out.

Actually, live video is quite easy! Social media platforms such as Periscope, Youtube, and Facebook have made streaming easier than ever. It’s accessible, even for a grandmother of two, like me!

This article is going to focus on how to use Facebook Live for your business. We’ve provided the step-by-step instructions on how to get started today!

Why Facebook Live?

I use Facebook Live for a few reasons:

• It’s a simple, easy way to connect with my Facebook audience.
• It allows me to build relationships with my following.
• It’s easy to do from a desktop, tablet, or smart phone.

Before you jump in, there are a few things you will need…

• If you plan to use your phone, download Super Cleaner and/or Booster apps. These applications work to free up extra space on the device allowing for a better quality video stream.
• Buy an external mic. Having a microphone makes all the difference in the sound quality of the stream. This is especially important if you are streaming in a crowded place.
• Use a Wifi booster. If you are relying on Wifi on your phone or are streaming from a hotel or public place, you’ll definitely want to use a booster. This will help reduce internet lag and stream interruptions.
• Put your phone on airplane mode. If you’re using your phone, be sure to put it on airplane mode. This means you will not be able to receive calls that would interrupt your video stream.

Once you have all of that, you’re ready to get started!

Here are the step-by-step instructions for starting your very own Facebook Live stream!

Log in to you Facebook account. At the top of your News Feed, you should see this “update” box.

Click on the box and select the “Live Video” Tab in the top middle.

Next, you need to write in a title! This is a very important step. Choose something that will captivate your target audience and get them to join your stream.

Once you’ve given your video a title, you will need to select to whom the video will stream. To do this, select the left blue box in the bottom right hand corner (it should say “Public” at first). This drop down will allow you to choose your audience!

Public: Allows anyone to access your video.

Friends: Allows only people you are friends with to see your video.

Friends except…: Allows people you are friends with to see your video, but allows you to exclude select friends you may not want to see your video.

Specific friends: Allows you to send a live video to one specific person or group of people.

Side note: The “specific friends” functionality is one of my favorite features! I now have the ability to send live video to contacts or friends in a way that is fast, easy, and most importantly, it’s FREE.

Once you’ve given your video a title and selected your audience, you’re ready to go live! Click the blue “Next” button to continue.

You will then be taken to a “Preview” window, like the one shown below.

This will allow you to make sure your camera is working and that the lighting is good before you get started. Once you’re ready, take a few deep breaths and click the “Go Live” button in the bottom right corner of the screen.

And that’s it! As you can see, Facebook has made Live video streaming accessible to all of us.

Now that you know how to do a live stream, do you know what you’re going to say?

Here are 5 tips for developing content for your Facebook Live Stream:

Prepare What You Want to Say

There is nothing worse than spending 20 minutes listening to someone who has nothing to say. It wastes the audience’s time and ensures most of them won’t come back to watch again. Just because the video is live does not mean it needs to be off-the-cuff.

Before you go live, know what you want to say and have some notes to keep you on track. It can be easy to talk too long or go off topic. However, this is disrespectful of your audience’s time. Know the purpose of your video and stay on track.

Keep It Short

Keep the length under 30 minutes. In fact, we recommend keeping it less than 20 minutes. The average viewer checks out after the first 1-2 minutes, so keep it captivating and move it along. We often recommend having a new talking point every 2 minutes to keep viewers engaged.

Be Upbeat!

Have lots of energy! There is nothing less engaging that watching someone who is bored or monotone. Viewers are looking for something that will be positive, upbeat, and entertaining.

When we train our professional speaking clients, we always teach them that to be a great speaker, you must be willing and able to carry the audience along with your energy. While, this can be more difficult in an online setting, it is still important to empower and encourage your audience along the way.

Talk to the Camera

Every device you use will have the camera in one place and the playback of your face in the screen below. It is tempting to stare at your own face while streaming but we urge you not to do this! Train yourself to look at the camera instead, because this is where your audience is located! You will engage your audience better if you look them in the “eye” instead of looking at yourself.

Focus on Content, Not On Selling

If you’re spending your time marketing on Facebook Live, chances are you have a product or service you are trying to sell. While this is true, be careful not to spend too much selling. This is not what Facebook Live streaming is about. Its purpose is to connect with the audience while providing them with quality content. Spending too much time pitching a product is the equivalent of putting up a TV commercial. And, what do most audiences do when commercials are on? They change the channel.

The rule of thumb for pitching over live, content based videos is that you can spend 1 second pitching for every 1 minute of video. Therefore, if you have a video that is 20 minutes long, you can pitch for 20 seconds. Anything longer than that and you will lose your audience, often breaking the relationship you’ve attempted to build with them in the process.

This article is based on a video from Dawn's Facebook Live Stream. Check out playback from the original video below!

Do you think you're ready to Go Live? What is preventing you from getting started today?

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