How to Update Your Local Facebook Ad Targeting Practices

1Apr

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already given Facebook ads a shot. How did they go? What I generally hear is that the first ads were okay but a little lackluster, and definitely not as impactful as you’d been hoping.

I hate to be the one to tell you, but the issue probably isn’t with Facebook advertising. There’s a lot that goes into making a successful Facebook ad for your local business, and if you’re not satisfied with your results, then that probably means it’s time to work on targeting.

Finding the right audience is harder than you think.
If your target audience is only X gender of Y age and Z income, you’re going too vague. What are their interests? Hobbies? Even political affiliation can make a big difference, and these are all factors that you can work into your Facebook ad targeting.

When you set up the audience for your Facebook ad, take these factors into account. If you’re still not sure what areas to include when targeting your Facebook ad, let me give you a list of the most common things your business should be considering:

Education
Zip code
Recent life events (engagement, birth of a child, graduation, etc.)
Household composition (children in-home, new teen drivers, etc.)
Net worth
Behaviors (the other ads they have/haven’t clicked on)
Pages they’ve liked
Websites they’ve visited

The list goes on and on. You don’t need (or generally even want) to target all of these areas, but consider who your buyer is and which of these factors are going to be relevant in getting them to visit your local business.

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Test out custom audiences!
You can go even more specific than regular Facebook targeting, though!

If you’re not using Facebook custom audiences, you’re potentially costing your local business a lot of money. Custom audiences allow you to put ads in front of existing customers (found by traffic to your website, your mailing list, etc.) to encourage them to buy more often, spend more, or otherwise increase their lifetime customer value.

I know that many small business owners don’t have email lists (even though they should), but you can always install the custom Facebook pixel on your website so that you can track visitors and deliver your Facebook ads directly to them!

Unlike other ads where you’re paying in the hopes that viewers will like your brand, your odds of success are much higher with custom audiences. These are people who have already shown an interest in your brand, so why not encourage them to finalize that sale?

Try using lookalike audiences…with a few changes.
Once you’ve got your custom audience established and it seems to be working for you, don’t stop there! Lookalike audiences are pretty much what they sound like—audiences that are demographically similar to your custom audience.

Even if you couldn’t use an email list to create your original custom audience, you can always use your Facebook followers as a base for your lookalike.

Why do it? Your custom audience might be great, but eventually you’ll need to expand your reach, and lookalike audiences are perfect for that. They deliver your ads to people who have similar demographic data to your target audience, meaning they’re more likely to generate clicks, conversions, or any of your other tracked metrics.

The one caveat with lookalike ads that local businesses need to be mindful of its location. Facebook ads tend to go a little broad sometimes, so make sure that your new lookalike audience is still within a suitable distance from your brick and mortar location.

Keep your Facebook ad targeting evolving.
Are you noticing a theme? There’s never a time when you can stop improving on your Facebook ad targeting! Your audience’s behaviors and interests may well change over time, so it’s important that you’re constantly renewing your targeting strategies if you want your local business’ Facebook ads to be successful!

Don’t be embarrassed if you feel a little lost—Facebook ads are complicated! Let’s discuss them during your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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Find the Right Social Platforms for Your Local Business

By Christopher Tompkins

25Mar

Social Media

Just about everyone is on social media. But that doesn’t mean they’re all on the same platforms! There are always exceptions, but different platforms tend to cater to different ages, genders, incomes, etc.

I’m here to help you find the social media platforms that your business should be marketing on. If you don’t want to waste months marketing on the wrong platform, then keep reading!

Facebook
Full disclosure: It is very, very rare that I advise a business to NOT market on Facebook.

What makes Facebook such a universal must-have for online marketing? Well, it’s got 1.74 billion active users, so you can be confident that whoever your target demographic is, they’re going to be on Facebook (unless you’re marketing to the Amish, in which case I really can’t help you).

Beyond that, Facebook has a sophisticated advertising system that too many local businesses miss out on. With this, you can target your ideal section of those 1.74 billion users and not worry about getting lost in the flood. It’s worth noting that organic reach is particularly hard to come by on Facebook, so think of an advertising budget as a necessity if you decide to go with this site.

LinkedIn
As the default professional social media platform, LinkedIn is a hotspot for online marketers, especially for those working with B2B organizations. Instead of traditional followers or friends, LinkedIn uses connections for users to track the people they’re interacting with. This name is entirely intentional: Think of LinkedIn as where you go to rub some virtual elbows, not to hang out with friends.

Beyond Professional pages (which can be advantageous if you use them to promote your business), there are Business pages where your organization can directly interact with its followers. These are good for building your brand identity and encouraging people in your industry to take you seriously, where personal profiles are better suited for showcasing your brand’s human side.

If your target audience is maybe a little older (think 50+), has a high income, and/or works in an office setting, then LinkedIn is probably where you want to be. LinkedIn can be valuable for your local business because you can search for new connections based on location, so you should seriously consider this platform if I just described your target audience.

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Instagram
No, it’s not just for teenagers and adults trying to be teenagers. With over 25 million business accounts and 200 million user visits to those pages every day, there’s a good chance that your local business can benefit from Instagram.

One of the big draws for local businesses? Instagram is one of the easiest sites for reaching people in your area. You can tag posts by location, and your hashtags should include a fair few pertaining to your store’s location (for example, if I owned a brewery in Columbus, Ohio, I might hashtag my posts with #Columbus, #ColumbusOH, #CbusOH, etc.).

This platform does tend to steer younger (mostly 18-34), but see who’s posting in your area before you rule out Instagram marketing!

Twitter
Like Facebook, Twitter appeals to a lot of different demographics, so it’s a safe platform for most local businesses. It does tend to be pretty fast-paced, so your posts will have a shorter shelf life than on other social networks. For that reason, I generally advise posting on Twitter more than once a day if at all possible. Users could blink and miss your post!

That fast-paced nature also makes it better oriented for sharing news and talking about current events. So if you’re running a beachfront restaurant, sharing news about local water quality, activities to do on the beach, etc. would be a safe bet for Twitter.

Another reason I usually recommend Twitter is that your users will use it to voice their complaints. Twitter is a popular platform for clients to engage with brands, and you don’t want to miss out on that! The age range of Twitter users is pretty evenly spread out, so most businesses should be on here if not for drawing in new sales, then at the very least for engaging with their audience!

Get Social
It’s always better to work smarter than harder, so don’t waste your time trying to reach an audience that doesn’t exist on your chosen platform. Use my advice above and I’m sure you’ll get your social media campaign off to a great start for your local business!

Are you still unsure of where your business should have social media profiles? I’ll give you some answers during your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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How to Advertise Your Local Business on Facebook

By Christopher Tompkins

6Mar

Advertising

You know more about Facebook ads than the average social media marketing bear, but how do you bring all of that together? After all, just knowing what an engagement ad does isn’t enough to get major attention on your posts!

Don’t worry, I’m here to explain what you need to do to have a successful Facebook ad campaign for your local business. Ready? Let’s work out how you’re going to grow your business with Facebook ads!

Set Goals
The mantra you’ll always hear in marketing is that your goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. What does that mean in real people speak?

You need to have a firm goal (e.g. a cost-per-click of $0.75), it needs to be something you can track, related to your business and its needs (if you’re trying to get people to visit your website, don’t waste money trying to get comments on your posts), something you can reasonably achieve, and it needs a set deadline. Of course you’ll get 100 clicks on your posts eventually, but it’s only a SMART goal if there’s a reasonable deadline attached to it.

Take a look at what you want to achieve with your ads. Do you want to talk to customers, drive traffic to your website, or something else? Whatever it is, identify exactly what results you’re after before you even think about creating an ad.

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Look Nearby
I’m sure your business is great, but very, very few people are going to drive 30 miles to go to a business they’ve never heard of before. You’re a local business, so market locally!

When you’re establishing the audience for your Facebook ad, try putting in specific zip codes or only sending the ad out to people within 15 miles of your store’s location. Yes, you’re reducing the number of people who are going to see your ad, but why would you want your money to go to putting an ad in front of someone who’s too far away to ever purchase from your visit? The beauty of social media advertising is that you can get specific and make the most of your investment, so put that to work with your Facebook ads!

Optimize Timing
Thanks to Facebook’s “Insights” tab, you can track when your followers are online. Those are the times you should be posting! If your target audience works in an office, then posting your ad while they’re working is probably a bad move. But running your ad right after they get off or when they’re on their lunch breaks has a much higher chance of being effective.

Because you’re a local business, this is especially important. There might not be that many people in your immediate area who fit your target audience, so it’s vital that you reach as many of them as possible!

Don’t limit it to specific times, either. What about days? Have you noticed a drop in social media engagement on Tuesdays? Then don’t have your ad run on those days! When I say you can (and should) customize these ads, I mean it. Don’t be so obsessed with appealing to every single person on Facebook that people who might actually like your store never see your ads.

Start Testing
You won’t get your first ad 100% right. That just isn’t a realistic expectation for somebody who’s new to Facebook advertising. But you can use this advice to skip a lot of pitfalls and make your first ad a worthy investment in your business’ future. So put a lot of thought into it, follow my advice here, and be prepared to record your results so you can make your following Facebook ad even better!

Could you use a hand with your Facebook advertising? Get started with a free consultation from The Go! Agency!

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A Guide to Facebook Ads for Your Local Business

By Christopher Tompkins

4Mar

Advertising, Facebook, Social Media

You don’t know enough about Facebook ads.

It doesn’t mean that you’re not a great business owner, but I’ve spoken to enough local businesses to know that there’s a lot of confusion out there about what exactly Facebook ads are good for. No, you don’t just put “Buy from my business!” over a stock image of your logo and no, Facebook ads are not one-size-fits-all.

That’s why I’m stepping in to clear things up for you. I’m going to talk about the different types of Facebook ads and why they’re really a must-have if you want to grow your business online!

1. Engagement Ads
Have things gone a little silent on Facebook? For better or worse, Facebook’s algorithm highly prioritizes paid content from businesses, and the landscape is very much “pay to play.” For you, that means that if you want to spark the conversation with your customers, you need to run an engagement ad and encourage people to like, comment, or share your ad!

2. Page Likes Ads
If you’re newer to Facebook, it probably won’t be long until your page likes run into a wall. You start off and they’re climbing up, up, up…and then they stagnate.

It’s normal, and investing in some page likes ads is your best bet if you’re hoping to grow your Facebook following. These ads will go to people who aren’t following your page but may be interested, based on the demographics you target (I’ll get into this in my next blog).

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3. Check-In Ads
While not its own explicit ad category, check-in ads are perfect if you’re trying to get some more people into your brick and mortar store. How do you do it?

When creating your ad, you’ll go under the “conversion” category and choose the “store visits” option. From there, your copy should incentivize viewers to check-in at your store, maybe by offering a promotional code to anyone who checks in. This way you’re increasing your sales and getting more check-ins/reviews on your page, which will in turn drive customers to your business.

4. Event Responses
Do you have an event coming up? Run an event response ad to make sure you’ve got a full house! These ads make it easier for people in your area to learn about your event, and they show responses from the people you’ve already invited. This way people see your event, see that people are looking forward to it, and are much more likely to make the effort to go!

5. Traffic Ads
If most of your business happens online or you just want to get more people on your website, a traffic ad is right up your alley. You can encourage people to visit a specific page on your website, usually to a contact or reservations page. From there, you’re more likely to see an uptick in your site traffic. If you make the ad using industry standards and target it toward your audience, this is a great way to create conversions!

Join the 21st Century
As you can see, there’s not exactly a shortage of Facebook ad options. You don’t need to run all of these at once, but take a look and see which ad is going to work for your goals. Don’t run ads optimized for page likes if what you want is engagement, be sure to create visuals and copy according to digital marketing best practices, and you’ll see why Facebook ads are a staple in social media marketing!

Are you still a little fuzzy on the nitty gritty of Facebook ads? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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How to Get Started With Facebook Ads

By Christopher Tompkins

14Jan

Advertising, Facebook, Social Media

We’ve established why Facebook ads are so effective, but what are you supposed to do now that you know? For someone who isn’t familiar, the Facebook ad interface can be a little confusing. That’s why I’m here!

My team and I have been using Facebook ads for years, and I want to use that expertise to help you get started. I’m going to break down the different types of Facebook ads and how you can find the right ad for your business!

1. Traffic Ads
Facebook Traffic Ads (AKA Link Click Ads) are ideal for getting people to visit your external website. You’ve got a headline, a visual, and 90 characters worth of ad copy. With these ads, you’ll want something quick and punchy that encourages people to visit your site while still adhering to your brand’s voice.

If you’ve got ways to sell your products on your website or want to get people reading more about your brand, this is a really simple, straightforward ad option to get your feet wet.

2. Boosted Posts
In the previous article, I talked about how your organic content can’t reach most of your audience. And that’s true—unless you’re boosting your posts.

Have a great piece of social media copy that you think could really get some attention if it landed in front of the right people? Boost it! You’ve already got the post out there, so why not put some money behind it and make sure people are actually seeing it?

Note: The quality and content of your post are very relevant here. Only boost posts that make sense to invest in. If you wrote a promotional post with a link to your online store, that’s probably worth boosting. If you wished your followers a happy Valentine’s Day, that probably isn’t worth sinking ad dollars into!

3. Carousel Ads
Do you have a variety of products you want to show off without creating a handful of individual ads? Carousel Ads showcase up to ten products and images/videos with links to the corresponding page on your website or digital store.

This ad style was literally made for eCommerce professionals who are looking to drive sales from their website. If that doesn’t sound like you, this is also a great way for marketers to test out multiple ad styles/images/headlines to see what pulls!

4. Instant Experience Ads
Instant Experience Ads, formerly known as Canvas ads, are mobile-only advertisements that fill the viewer’s screen. This interactive ad type gives viewers a comprehensive experience where they can swipe through multiple pages filled with your links, visuals, texts, or all of the above!

Instant Experience Ads are similar to Traffic Ads, except they’re a lot more involved (which often makes them more effective, too). There are elements of copywriting and graphic design that need to blend seamlessly here, so I’d recommend these ads for someone who’s looking to sell and has an experienced team behind them.

5. Leads Ads
If you’re focusing on growing your follower count or subscribers to your email list, leads ads could be a good fit. These advertisements let viewers sign up for your offer without ever leaving Facebook, which greatly increases your odds of getting sign ups. Don’t underestimate the value that people will put on convenience!

You’ll be able to view your new leads from your Facebook ads account, and from there you can transfer them wherever you need. I’d recommend Leads Ads to businesses that are starting to delve into email marketing or for new businesses that are starting to develop a following outside of Facebook.

Add Some Ads
Without Facebook ads, your social media marketing strategy is incomplete. There’s a big, wide, virtual world out there, so don’t miss out on it! Use this breakdown of the different Facebook ad types as a starting point for figuring out how Facebook ads can work for your business.

Still need some help setting up your Facebook ads? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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Why Invest in Facebook Advertising?

By Christopher Tompkins

9Jan

Advertising, Facebook, Social Media

In 2017, advertisers spent almost $300 million in Facebook ads, and I’m sure you’ve had more than a few people suggest Facebook advertising to you. But why? What makes Facebook such an appealing platform for marketers? And, more importantly, why should your business already be advertising through Facebook?

There are a number of reasons, and I’ve compiled the biggest ones to help you understand why Facebook ads are absolutely worth the investment. Let’s talk about this staple of social media marketing!

Facebook Is Kind of a Big Deal
In case you hadn’t heard, pretty much everyone is on Facebook. Your coworkers, your weird cousin, and virtually anyone else you can think of is on there. The latest numbers show that Facebook has 1.49 billion users every day. That means your target audience is definitely on there and waiting to hear from you!

Almost one and a half billion users also means that you’re definitely going to find your target audience on there. You might see that number and think, “Okay, but my local business isn’t going to be appealing to most of those people.” And while that’s true, you can set your ads to target people in your specific location with whatever identifying characteristics you want (age, gender, political views, etc.). So even if you’re only reaching out to 200 of that 1.49 billion, that’s still 200 people who are likely to love your business!

Posting Isn’t Enough
If you saw the above number and thought that your Facebook posts were already reaching those people, I’ve got some bad news for you. Most of your followers aren’t seeing your posts.

Because of recent algorithm changes, even people who have signed up to see your content aren’t going to see it on their feeds. Since Facebook is now prioritizing organic content, regular posts from your business are far less likely to actually reach your audience.

The exception? Facebook advertising. The more money you put into your content on Facebook, the more likely it’s going to be shown to your target audience! So if you’re holding out hope for getting by with just organic reach, 2019 is the time to let that dream go!

Promotion for Organic Content
Facebook ads don’t just share that specific message, either. Because more people are going to see your ads than your regular posts, you’re more likely to get shares that spread your message even further!

And yes, people do share ads on Facebook, provided they’re well-written and engaging. This way, Facebook ads are getting more people on your page in addition to the ad’s intended purpose, which will make your organic content more effective in the future!

Facebook Ads Are (Comparatively) Cheap
It may not feel like it when you’re setting up the ad, but Facebook ads are remarkably affordable. This means that small business owners have no excuse not to be using them! If you’re really strapped for cash, just set an ad budget so that your ad doesn’t go over what you can afford.

Don’t take this as an excuse to pinch pennies, though. It might feel nice to run an ad for $5, but your results are going to be much better if you put some real money into your ads. If $5 gets you 3 clicks, imagine how many more you could get with $50!

Make a Change
Just because Facebook ads are new doesn’t mean they aren’t worth starting! You know why Facebook ads are so effective and worth using, so use that knowledge to take steps forward. It’s the start of a New Year, so don’t waste time considering this marketing strategy and not acting!

It’s normal to need a little help when you get started with Facebook ads. Contact The Go! Agency and we’ll talk about your social media marketing campaign!

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The Essential Guide to Engaging With Your Audience

By Christopher Tompkins

21Nov

Social Media

You’ve got great ideas for new content and ads, but how do you know who to target? It’s safe to say that your new boat engine isn’t going to be a hit among lower-income twenty-somethings, which is why you’ll need to speak to the right audience.

But first, you’ll have to find them!

Identifying Your Audience
A tried and true method of finding the right audience is to craft a buyer persona. A buyer persona is an imaginary representation of who you’re selling to, and it makes sure your content is appealing to the right person. Here are some questions to help you create yours:

Where do they shop?
What social media platforms do they use?
What do they wear?
Where do they work?
Are they married?
Do they have kids? How many?
What’s their family situation?
Where do they live? (Think city, but also house, apartment, etc.)
What’s their financial situation?
What do they spend money on?
What’s their name? (This can help you remember that your audience has real people!)

Get as specific as you can! Once you’ve identified exactly who’s buying, you can figure out how to engage with them!

It’s important to remember that engagement best practices will vary from platform to platform, so it’s best to optimize your strategy for each social network.

Facebook
Fair warning: Facebook is one of the most difficult sites for engaging your audience. You want to have genuine, organic conversations, but Facebook’s algorithms tend to prioritize paid content. However, there are some workarounds!

Creating a Facebook group for your business is a great way to foster natural engagement. It will provide a space for your audience to interact directly with your brand, and it isn’t subject to the same algorithms that are at play in the news feed.

When people like your posts, invite them to like your page! They’ve shown that they’re interested in what you have to say, so encourage them to take that final step!

To draw in your audience, you’ll need to create Facebook ads. When writing, keep a clear idea of your buyer persona and what they expect from your brand!

Twitter
When looking for new people to engage with, search by hashtags that your buyer persona would use. It’s all about meeting your audience where they are, not trying to change them!

Another great tactic is to look at who’s following your competitors. If they like what a similar business is selling, they’ll probably like you, too!

Once you’ve found your target audience, what do you do? Like their posts, reply to them, just show them that you’re sincerely interested in what they have to say! Retweeting and quote tweeting are also some great platform-specific tools you should use!

Instagram
The strategies for finding people on Instagram are almost identical to Twitter’s plan: search hashtags and find who’s following your competitors. However, Instagram has one key advantage: location. If you have a brick and mortar store, go after people in your area!

You’ll want to like and comment on posts as always, but don’t stop there. Ask for permission to share a potential customer’s post! Decide whether it would fit best as a post or a story, then show that user you value them by sharing their visual!

LinkedIn
Join groups to find people! These are especially great because you’ll have a common interest to start a conversation. Additionally, you can search for people based on their job title and location. If someone has a job title that usually sends you referrals, then you should connect with them ASAP!

For B2B brands, consider what businesses you want to work with and search for their employees. If you were able to connect with someone, why not go ahead and send invitations to the people they work with?

Of course, there are two very different paths on LinkedIn. A company account can be a great boost for SEO, but it’s irrelevant when you’re trying to engage your audience. If you’re looking to form connections, decide who in your company will be the human face that’s attracting attention on LinkedIn.

Some Guiding Rules
There are certain principles that will serve you well on any platform. These include:

Don’t make a sale on someone else’s post.
Make comments meaningful! Don’t just reply with a thumbs up.
Respond to positive and negative interactions, whether that be via comments or messages!

And there you have it! You have everything you need to find and engage with your audience in a way that’s effective and works toward your marketing goals!

Could your visual content use some help? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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The Essential Guide to Social Media Metrics

By Christopher Tompkins

14Nov

Social Media

If you’re new to tracking the success of a social media campaign, all of the jargon can get confusing. Still, it’s important to look at these metrics to determine how you can adjust and optimize your strategy.

I’m going to walk you through the metrics that will be worth watching for you and your campaign. Of course, all of that begins with establishing a goal!

Choosing a Goal
It’s impossible to say, “Always track these metrics,” because the key performance indicators (the metrics that are relevant to your campaign, also known as KPI) will change depending on your goal. The first step in identifying your goal is to look at what you need.

Let’s say you want to see some additional revenue from your social media marketing strategy. You’re looking to increase sales, so you should focus on the metrics:

Conversions: When customers take a specific action as determined by your campaign. This can be downloading an ebook, signing up for your newsletter, making a purchase, etc. For a sales goal, tracking the number of people who click on your ad and make a purchase is absolutely vital!
Clicks: Exactly what they sound like! The number of clicks you get on ads and posts can increase your web traffic, which means more people are browsing your site and considering making purchases.

Measuring these KPIs lets you see how to improve the number of sales that your strategy generates. If you find that your posts/ads aren’t being clicked on, then you know it’s time to change things up and restructure your posts to be more inviting to your audience.

Or maybe you’re a new business. You’ve got a good product and a great team, but not many people know about you yet. For your campaign, I’d suggest tracking:

Reach: The number of people who see your post or ad. Focusing on reach will get the word out about your business and help build your follower count.
Brand Awareness: How aware the public is of your business. Can they recognize your name and logo? Brand awareness is key to developing a following for your growing business!

It can take a long time, but nobody can buy from you if they don’t know who you are! A bigger audience will also make you more credible. If a potential customer is weighing between your product and a competitor’s, the side that has a larger following will seem more trustworthy.

What about once you’ve got a large audience? Well, then it’s time to focus on quality. What good are 10,000 page likes if nobody is interacting with your posts? As you work on getting more interaction, you’ll be following this KPI:

Engagement: The number of likes/comments/shares/interactions your posts generate. A horde of followers is great to have, but a smaller audience of people who are interacting with your content and your brand is usually going to be more important.

When evaluating the quality of your audience, engagement should be a major factor. Not only does the increased interaction on your posts make your brand look better, but it shows that users are getting value from your content marketing strategy. That’s a great sign, and when you’re noticing low engagement, it may be time to reexamine how you’re appealing to your audience!

Choose Wisely
Everyone wants to have a better social media marketing strategy, but not everyone wants to put the work into finding ways to improve. You need to find the right KPIs that align with your goals and keep a close eye on them. Once you’ve identified the trends across your chosen metric, you’ll be ready to make an actionable plan to craft an even better campaign!

Do you want to talk strategy with experienced marketing experts? Set up your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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Go!TV Episode 10

By Christopher Tompkins

9Nov

GoTV, Social Media

Welcome back to another Go!TV episode recap! We’re bringing you the information you need to have a successful social media campaign!

Social Media Management Tools
Managing your business’ social media is going to be all but impossible without some extra help. Between graphic design, writing content, and scheduling your final posts, it’s just too much for one person to handle!

That’s why we’re sharing the social media management tools that you absolutely need to use. We look at scheduling softwares to let you plan an effective content posting strategy, design tools to make sure your visuals are drawing in your audience, and writing tools so you’re not wasting hours trying to come up with new ideas for content!

The Go! Agency

And that is the end of another Go!TV episode recap! As a marketer, you need to use your time as efficiently as possible! Take the initiative and check out our podcast and blog for even more useful social media guidance!

Want to see what other marketing advice we dish out? Check us out across social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter!

The Essential Guide to Facebook Live Broadcasts

By Christopher Tompkins

31Oct

Facebook, Social Media

No matter what industry you’re in, there are probably a hundred other businesses who do more or less the same thing that you do. You can tout your special features and advantages, but ultimately, convincing someone to choose your business is going to largely come down to how you connect with them.

The good news is that you can use Facebook Live broadcasts to create completely unique content that sets your business apart. Even if there are a dozen other breweries selling ales that are identical to yours, they can’t replicate your personality! Your style, your tone, your energy; those are the qualities that will draw in customers.

Your Facebook Live broadcast only works if you can create something worth watching, though. Awkwardly shuffling in front of a camera and muttering for fifteen minutes just won’t cut it. That’s why I’m giving you the complete guide to Facebook Live broadcasts!

Have a Strategy, but Don’t Over-Plan
You don’t want to go into your broadcast with no idea what to talk about. At the same time, your audience will be able to tell if you just memorized a script, so don’t be afraid to speak organically.

A good method is to go into your broadcast with a few bullet points that you want to hit. This way you can have a real conversation with your viewers without meandering onto the topic of politics in Uzbekistan during your broadcast about your new IPA.

Set Up Before You Go Live
Nobody wants to watch you orient your camera for the first three minutes. Before you even think about starting the broadcast, make sure your camera is set up so that it’s straight and you’re in the center of the shot.

Think beyond just you and your camera, though. How’s the lighting? Nobody wants to buy products from a washed out vampire, so make sure you’re brightly lit without draining the color from your face.

And what is your area like? Think of what background would best suit your brand. Are you a grungy, casual brand that can get away with a more casual backdrop, or should you be recording this in a meticulous office? Regardless, clutter and dust are probably things to clear away before you go live. If your viewer is focused on the messy space around you, they’re going to tune out your message!

Once your equipment and setup are ready to go, give yourself a test run! There will be hiccups the first time you try anything, so why make your viewers watch a subpar version of your broadcast? You can set your broadcast to be viewable by “only me,” run through your ideas, then look back at the recording. This is a great way to find and fix any awkward sections!

Be Charismatic
I said that your audience will respond to your style, tone, and energy, and that’s true, but only if you have a personality.

Meaning, don’t shift anxiously throughout the broadcast. And please, for the love of God, don’t keep promising that you’re “just about to start once a few more people join!” Nobody wants to wait for you to get to the point, and you’ll most likely end up losing viewers who got sick of watching you stare at the screen.

If you do need to wait for something, at least make it interesting. A good strategy to keep people engaged with what you’re saying is to give them a teaser for your next topic. “Okay guys, in 30 seconds I’m going to give you the micro brewing secret that nobody else will tell you.” This is also a good tactic if you notice your viewer rate is dropping off before you finish one of your points.

In that same vein, engage with your audience! Say hi to people in the beginning, and answer relevant questions as they come up. Facebook Live is a unique opportunity to speak one-on-one with your customers, so don’t waste it!

Get Filming
You can sit around and plan forever, but your best move is just to get started. Use this guide to troubleshoot any Facebook Live roadblocks you come across. Now get out there and show your audience what sets your brand apart from your competitors!

Do you want to talk specifics with planning your Facebook Live broadcasts? Set up a free consultation with The Go! Agency!

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