Content Marketing has gone through many iterations and evolutions in the digital age, but perhaps none as revolutionary as the one happening right now: Facebook Live is ushering in a new era, and changing the content marketing game for good.
Although Facebook is by no means credited with innovating this industry-wide trend, they will certainly go down in history as the first ones to get it right. Just as with all other evolutions in marketing, this change brings chaos, disruption, and most importantly, opportunity. Some brands will sit on the sidelines, while the wise ones will adapt, adopt, and win.
So, what makes Live Video so great?
As Mark Zuckerberg puts it, “[Facebook] Live is like having a TV camera in your pocket.” No longer are we just publishing content – we’re now broadcasting it, too.
Here, I’ll discuss the key benefits to Facebook Live, spotlight one of the best Facebook Live campaigns ever, and give you some starter ideas to help your brand get some skin in the game.
First, let’s begin by defining the two key factors that inherently set live social video apart from ‘traditional’ video, its pre-recorded counterpart:
- Users can be ‘in the moment.’ We as humans love feeling like we’re “in the moment,” and live video offers that real-time sense of exclusivity. You can now be part of something as it’s happening. That’s BIG! It allows marketers to play right into the consumer psychologies of instant gratification and fear of missing out. Think product launches, sideline reporting, backstage pass, and basically any exclusive content experience or offer. #FOMO
- User engagement and instant feedback. A Facebook Live broadcast has no viewers, it has participants. Take advantage of this notion by allowing participants to contribute with questions or comments. Maybe even allow them to influence the narrative of the live video. Crowdsource a topic for your next blog post, or the prize for your next social media giveaway.
Where’s the beef?
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably looking for a couple of compelling statistics – and maybe a good ole case study to back up all this hype swirling around Facebook Live and the live video phenomenon. Alright, here we go…
- Compelling Statistic #1: People spend 3x longer watching Live video broadcasts vs. standard video posts.
- Compelling Statistic #2: Facebook Live videos rake-in over 10x more comments than regular video posts.
Ready for that good ole case study I mentioned?
If you’re wondering how to monetize this new content marketing form, look no further than “MeUndies,” startup underwear brand and Facebook Live pioneer.
MeUndies pulled off one of the most impressive Facebook Live video campaigns during America’s favorite shopping day: Black Friday. MeUndies brilliantly hosted a two-hour, invite-only Facebook Live Dance Party – complete with a live DJ and a full-blown dance contest. The dancers were sporting the brand’s newest sweatpants, undies, hoodies, and tees, and extended limited-time offers to fans throughout the live video dance party.
The beauty of the campaign is that as more people tuned into the live stream, the greater the offers became. Simple. Fun. Effective.
After hours of planning, preparing, and meticulous execution, the Facebook Live event attracted 13,300 unique viewers and tallied 5,998 engagements. Most importantly, Facebook Live participants converted at 15x their normal Facebook traffic. Those kinds of numbers will make any marketer dance around in their undies!
Let’s kick around some ideas.
- Host a Q&A to let your CEO or spokesperson directly interact with your most loyal customers. Reinforce the values of your company – its mission, vision – and humanize your brand a bit. You can start with a pre-set list of questions to get the ball rolling, but be prepared to take questions on the fly by monitoring the comments section.
- Crowd-source ideas from your audience! Are you putting together an event, or a giveaway? Have an influencer takeover your brand’s Facebook Live and draw event ideas from your audience.
- Use Facebook Live to give your Facebook fans an up-close-and-personal look at your organization’s inner workings (unless your name is Antonio Brown).
- Facebook Live is an excellent place to introduce or spotlight a new product. Brownie points if you can demonstrate it during the livestream, too. Range Rover did this successfully with their #LiveTestDrive campaign on Facebook Live and Periscope.
- Host an expert panel with partners and industry influencers – and let the viewers drive the panel discussion with their own questions and topics.
No matter what your brand sells, whether it be a product, service or experience, Facebook Live is for you. Utilize these ideas as a springboard to developing a valuable, live content experience for your brand.
Just as with all marketing efforts, strategy and implementation are everything. Live video is most effective with the right planning, promotional plan, and with seamless execution. Are you ready for your brand to try Facebook Live? Drop us a line, or message us on Twitter or Facebook and see what the digital experts at rbb can do for you.