Everyone is on social media for a reason. Whether it’s for personal enjoyment or to grow your business, it’s likely that we all have a goal. Sometimes, in pursuit of a goal, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters the most. Lucky for all of you trying to grow your business and develop your brand online, what matters most is exactly what will help you achieve your goals. So, what matters most? According to Lou Mongello, and backed by research, it’s community.
In his talk at Social Media Marketing World, Mongello outlined how you can build a community, brand, and business online – particularly through Facebook Live. This feature uniquely positions marketers to connect with their audience and effectively reach their goals. It’s nearly impossible to host an ingenuine, fabricated, or entirely planned out Facebook Live event, and that’s exactly why this platform works in your favor.
Still, Mongello emphasized throughout his talk that it’s not the platform or place that you foster your community that matters. Rather, it’s the people. The faces, names, and stories behind the number of viewers. Key in leveraging success on Facebook Live is recognizing this. Thus, one of his tips on Lives is to make viewers feel special. Address them by name when possible, remember their stories, encourage them to comment and then respond to those comments. Most importantly, thank them for their most valuable commodity: their time.
Live videos are also unique because they can be tweaked and tailored to fit nearly every business model. There’s no shortage of ways that you can utilize Facebook Live, but Mongello pointed out a few of the best ways. Hold webinars and educate your audience, do question and answer sessions where you’re vulnerable and transparent, give tours of the office, collaborate with others. The list could go on for ages. One thing all these methods of utilizing a Livestream have in common is that they build trust between your audience members and you. Mongello noted that viewers won’t support your business because they fall in love with a brand or a logo, they’ll support it because they fall in love with you.
However, in order to gain the many benefits of going Live, you have to strategize. Mongello gave his audience a few critical pieces of advice that he employs in preparing for his own Facebook Live events. First, he emphasized consistency. Pick a time you’re going to go Live, create a Facebook Event for it, and commit to that time. Share the event and encourage others to share it, too. Additionally, know your “why” before you plan the Live. In other words, why should people tune in? Why are you broadcasting?
More technically, strategizing before going Live may include enabling a few different third party tools to help maximize your success. Mongello suggests enabling auto syndication to a Facebook Group, auto posting to Youtube via repurpose.io, and auto posting to your website or blog via SimpleSocialPress. These tools will help you get a wider reach and allow you to pop up in search results.
Mongello spent less time discussing how to build a business and brand using Facebook Live, almost entirely because the community aspect is so vital. With a strong community, your audience will want to follow you and support you in all your endeavors. With their support, you can leverage tools like Patreon, do sponsored Live events, market your products, and more. They’ll have fallen in love with you, they’ll trust you, and they’ll be the ones to grow your business and brand.