How to Use Facebook Live for Business: 7 Ways to Generate Leads With Live Streaming

Facebook live videos Facebook Live is a tool that not many businesses are familiar with but should take advantage of. One-fifth of all videos on Facebook is a live video, and it’s proven that live videos get 6 times more interactions than uploaded videos.Read on to find out how to use Facebook live for business; how it can help you generate more leads, get to know your audience, and spread awareness about your brand.

7 Ways to Use Facebook Live for Business Lead Generation

1. Have a Q&A session

Take time to read and review the comments and inquiries on your blog or social media page. Instead of responding to each single question, you can answer these inquiries and through a Q&A live stream session.Getting lots of questions from your audience is good for your online presence because it boosts direct engagement. You can utilize the live Q&A to exchange meaningful discussions with your audience. This builds your trustworthiness and fosters brand loyalty among your audience.It’s also good for your brand to get suggestions and feedback from your viewers during the live stream. Plus, the audience gets to feel like they’re part of a community as well, so you increase your chances of generating leads.[caption id="attachment_43331" align="alignnone" width="691"]

Source: Sprout Social[/caption]

2. Interview an industry expert or influencer

It’s a known marketing fact that consumers are more drawn to a familiar and famous face when it comes to promotions. Some of the best Facebook live examples are collaborations with known experts in particular fields and influencers with a wide reach and online presence.Aside from promoting your live stream, influencers also encourage engagement with viewers since they often already have a loyal following who trusts their recommendations.An influencer who is an expert in a particular niche or topic can also share valuable insights and thus create unique and interesting content for your live stream. Hosting an interview with experts and influencers through Facebook Live is also an educational experience for the viewers.When you use Facebook Live for business, you can share information and insights about your business with the credible recommendation of known experts. Be sure to involve your audience by allocating enough time to answer questions after the interview.[caption id="attachment_43333" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Source: Shippo founders talk about their business.[/caption]

3. Do a product demonstration

Did you know that 80% of people would rather watch a live stream from a brand than read a blog post? This means there’s no better way to promote your products than through Facebook Live where you have their attention.Tell your audience and potential customers about the features and benefits of your product. Show them actual use cases, or let them see how your product is in action. Ultimately, using Facebook Live for business is a great way to keep potential customers interested and gently lead them to a sale.People want to see a hands-on demo of a product than look at illustrations on a manual or read a blog about it. That’s also the reason why unboxing videos are so popular on streaming sites. Plus, audiences get to see that the product works in the way that it promises.

4. Conduct a virtual workshop

Speaking of hands-on experiences, you can also host a virtual workshop through Facebook Live. This method is more prescient during the time of COVID-19. It’s a chance to promote your product, demonstrate ways to use it, and foster a sense of community among your socially distanced audience.Here’s a great Facebook Live stream example: businesses selling food ingredients or kitchenware can host a Facebook Live stream of a cooking show and share step-by-step guides so the audience can take note. Dalgona coffee, for instance, was a popular quarantine trend on the internet, and food brands leveraged that to share valuable and relevant content to their audience.[caption id="attachment_43335" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Source[/caption]

5. Repurpose into a content offer

If your brand runs a private group on Facebook, you can use a live video to offer exclusive content to your loyal fans. This allows you to build brand awareness and improve loyalty among your customers.In addition, different content formats and offers can appeal to different people in your audience, so you’re increasing your chances of getting more leads through platforms and offers that resonate with them the most.For example, your Facebook Live webinar or masterclass could be repurposed into mini soundbites that you then distribute on your website or blog. Just be sure to use reliable recording software during the Live so you’re sure you get the best sound quality that can later be distributed across different channels.

6. Host a contest

Hosting a contest is another of the best Facebook Live examples ​​as it’s a great way to spread awareness about your brand. Simply because people want to participate in and get the chance to win prizes.A live contest only lasts for a set number of hours, so people feel the urgency to join. Be sure to offer interesting and valuable prizes to get more participants and increase the stakes of the contest.One way of getting more participants and expanding your reach on social media is to encourage users to like, comment, and share the video on their personal timelines. After the contest, you’ll get more than enough leads that you can nurture through other marketing channels since these leads have already expressed an interest in your brand.[caption id="attachment_43337" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Source: The Flex Company hosts a content in partnership with Dear Kate[/caption]

7. Offer a freebie

Nothing’s more effective at getting a customer’s attention than the word ‘free’.During your Live, you can offer free content like guides, manuals, or coupons to audience members who sign up using the link that you share. Simply mention the link where users can get the freebie, and pin it in your Facebook Live’s description. Just be sure to keep the link simple and easy to input manually, in case users decide to type out the link themselves.[sc name="ad1"]

How to Use Facebook Live For Business: Best Practices

Match the messaging of your landing page with your Facebook Live event

While hosting a Facebook Live event, remember to stay consistent with your branding, tone, and message on your website or social media landing page so that audiences would know that you’re a credible brand. It also helps to craft a theme if you’re considering hosting a series of live streams for your brand.

Keep your internet connection secure

Aside from having a fast and stable internet connection, you should also prioritize internet security before you host a Facebook Live stream event. The dark side to technological advancements is that some people use them for malicious cyber acts. For instance, cyber criminals have been known to hack into people's webcams and record them without knowing — remember that viral photo of Zuckerberg himself with a piece of tape covering his laptop webcam?It could be a big PR nightmare if your brand fell victim to these hacking instances, or worse, if hackers found other ways to extort your business with these hacked recordings. So be sure to keep your internet connection safe and secure, and keep everyone on your team up to speed about internet safety.

Plan out your agenda

Remember to respect your audience’s time. Plan and organize your agenda for the presentation, so audiences can remember what it’s about and not lose interest throughout.And always have a chosen topic or purpose for each live video. This way, audiences know why they ought to tune in. You might also reach more people by announcing your Live topics or agenda ahead of time.

Choose the right day and time

You should also consider when to conduct the Facebook Live event. Depending on your target audience, choose a time when you’re sure that people would be able to tune in and watch your live stream. You can also take advantage of real-world events like holidays or shopping dates to get your customers interested in your content.

How to Promote your Facebook Live event

Of course, you have to promote your Facebook Live event before it actually happens. Share creative teasers about the event and keep your audience interested enough to look forward to the event itself.[caption id="attachment_43340" align="alignnone" width="1024"]

Source: The Lumi CEO talked about her startup during a Facebook Live stream.[/caption]

Make your CTA clearly visible

You should clearly communicate your CTA to your audience throughout the live event. You can do that by attaching links and directing your audience to a registration page or product landing page on your e-commerce site as well.

Actively engage with your audience

Acknowledge your viewers as they join the live stream. And you can even conduct giveaways whenever you reach a certain viewership number to encourage more people to view your video.

Key Takeaways

Hosting a Facebook Live stream may seem like a daunting task, but you can easily learn it. Take note of these tips and best practices as you host a trendy live video, generate leads through Facebook, and grow your business.Have you tried Facebook Live for business yet? Share your experiences with the tool in the comments.

About the Author:

Kevin Payne is a content marketing consultant that helps software companies build marketing funnels and implement content marketing campaigns to increase their inbound leads.