The rise of live video is no secret--especially within today’s tense political and social climate. However, if you’re not a politician, renowned craft beer brewer, or reality celebrity, but instead a business owner or marketer, should your brand be going live? Our short answer: your brand should start leveraging Facebook Live. Our long answer: you should never accept a short answer without understanding the reason why--so we’ve listed them below.
Facebook Live > Other Live Channels
If your business decides to hop onto the live video wagon, Facebook is the way to go. Our recent Q4 2016 State of Facebook Blog Post detailed the true strength of this network’s mobile powerhouse. Can you say a billion mobile-only users? If you want maximum visibility for your live video, turn to mobile AKA Facebook.Aside from its mobile klout, Facebook is a pioneer within the social video movement. Facebook completed its roll-out of a dedicated video tab within its official mobile app during Q4, which puts video even further front-and-center. Mark Zuckerberg clearly spelled out Facebook’s plans for video in 2017, and they’re big. These are the types of videos that are featured on Facebook’s new video tab; don’t you want your fans to be looking at yours?
More Exciting & Useful Live Features Are Coming
If you’re a media publisher on Facebook (count yourself in if you run or have access to a Facebook business page), there are some new & exciting Facebook Live features coming your way:
- Go Live From A Desktop or Browser: Even though mobile rules Facebook, the option to go live from a desktop computer or browser is extremely beneficial for brands that would like to leverage the steady, stable filming angles offered by computer camera--think interviews, demos, etc.
- Live Contributors For Pages: Facebook Live may feel like an overwhelming responsibility if you’re one of few admins who can contribute live videos to your Business’ page. Now admins can grant Live Contributor access to their business page so more individuals can source more high-quality live content--without compromising page security or access control.
- Facebook Live Comment Pinning: Live Contributors can pin user comments during a live broadcast in order to attract more attention to them. It might not seem like a big deal, but if you consider the fact that Facebook has seen more than 10x the number of comments on live videos over regular videos, it is.
- Video Permalink for Pages: Soon, your business page will have a dedicated url that will point to Facebook Live videos as they’re being broadcasted. In addition, all your business’ past live and non-live videos will live here. This will be a tremendous resource for sending Facebook users who don’t follow your brand to your Facebook Live video via other marketing channels.
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Hopes For Video Insights
Although there is no promise of Facebook Live Video Insights for Business Pages, Facebook did announce the introduction of Video Insights for Facebook Live videos broadcasted by a profile with over 5,000 followers. Both individual & aggregate viewing metrics will be available.If total minutes viewed, total number of views, and total engagement (reactions, comments and shares) sound like appealing insights for your brand’s videos, we suggest you get your Facebook Live strategy in place and cross your fingers that Facebook will open up Video Insights to Brand Pages as well.
Facebook Live Is Not Exempt From Content Marketing Standards
Remember, like any content you put before your followers, fans, or prospects, quality is king. Don’t go live for the sake of going live. A lack or preparation or purpose may do more harm than good for your brand and may be rather, er, embarrassing for the broadcaster. We’ve got some ideas for your live content if you need a strategic springboard.Also don’t be afraid to go live, unplanned in the moment. If an unexpected and powerful moment presents itself, that holds meaning for your brand or its values, that’s what live video is for.Natalie CullingsMarketing Analyst[cta]
What’s a Rich Text element?
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
Static and dynamic content editing
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
How to customize formatting for each rich text
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
