Facebook has long been the king of the social media camp. Whether it’s active users, or sheer innovation, social media marketing lives and dies by Facebook’s decisions. It’s no surprise then, that live video didn’t become a mainstream marketing tactic until Facebook Live was ushered into the playing field.
Now that it’s out in the wild and everyone can use it, businesses are scrambling to find out how they can take advantage of this new technology. Today we’re going to look at five ways Facebook Live is changing the world of marketing.
5 Ways Facebook Live is a Game Changer For Marketers
The concept is simple: create videos on your phone or connected device and stream them live to your fans and followers on Facebook. Simple concept, but the implications are wide and far-reaching.
Let’s take a look at a few ways Facebook’s live video is changing the world of social media marketing.
1. Constant Accessibility
Perhaps the greatest appeal of live video, is the ability to have it ready at a moment’s notice. Facebook Live makes this a reality with the ease and simplicity of the tool. Before, you had to plan a video, script it, and hire people to film. Now, when something happens that’s worthy of a video, you can be ready with smartphone in hand.
While blogging can be a huge boon for your website’s success, trying to pump out timely content when something happens is difficult. The accessibility of Facebook Live only places a button between you and your audience.
2. Wider Reach
It’s no secret that organic reach on Facebook is all but dead. Paid advertisements work, but every budget runs out sooner or later. Right now, Facebook Live is huge and its potential for reach is beyond anything we’ve ever seen in the field of social media marketing.
Anything that can achieve reach without the need for paid advertising is something that marketers can and will jump on.
3. Future Proof
It’s Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s opinion that Facebook will be almost entirely video by 2019. While it’s difficult to predict the future of social media, it seems thus far that he’s correct. Currently, results show that people are watching 3 times as many live videos than pre-recorded ones.
In addition, while a live video reaches 6,000 people, a text article reaches 36 by comparison. Eventually, live video will taper off when it comes to organic reach, but businesses can get into the game now and reap the benefits. In the future, it will still be a very valid way of doing marketing as Facebook leans towards video.
4. Brand Development
Taking into account the organic reach that Facebook Live offers, which is 135% more effective than images, the potential for brand development using this medium of content is almost limitless. Brands use social media to grow and flourish, but until now it has been difficult to make consistent results.
By utilizing live video to give users a glimpse behind the scenes or into the culture of the company, brands can develop much quicker than ever before. Today’s Chicago SEO services in the USA are looking at Facebook Live to help their clients develop and grow their brands, and you should too.
5. Cost-Effective Advertising
Advertising is great for businesses with a budget, but sometimes they need to rely on cost-free options. The phenomenal exposure that Facebook Live videos currently enjoy means that businesses can creatively stream live content and advertise their brand all at the same time.
Things like product demonstrations or experiential marketing campaigns can be done with a much smaller budget, with live video being the catalyst that propels them into the public eye.
Final Thoughts
Facebook live is the future of video, much in the way that Facebook Messenger redefined how we communicate and sell on social media. Looking at these changes, there are plenty of opportunities for businesses to capitalize on the potential of this new technology.
How do you harness Facebook Live? Let us know in the comments!
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