Should You Go Live? A Guide to the Latest Social Media Trend

Earlier this week we were browsing through Instagram and a notification popped up – ‘you can now go live with a friend’. Instagram has just raised the bar on this ‘Live’ trend, where you can broadcast yourself simultaneously with a friend, shown through a split-screen. What does this mean for your marketing strategies, though? This new ‘Live’ feature got us thinking about how big this area of social media is getting, so we thought we would go back to basics and put together a short guide on what ‘Live’ is and how you can add it to your marketing toolbox.

Facebook Live

Facebook Live video is one of their latest major features that they have added to the giant social media platform. Facebook initially released live video with the aim to set a higher standard for the videos which are streamed which should result in less ‘noise’ in people’s newsfeeds.

Facebook Live vs. Instagram Live

Facebook Live is very different from Instagram Live – even though both social platform giants are owned by Facebook, their live video features are unique. Whilst both give push notifications to notify followers that a person/brand they are following is going live, give real-time updates on the number of viewers and comments engaging with the video, and are actual real-time videos, there are important differences.

Once you have finished a Live video on Facebook, you have the option to then save this video and have it as a permanent post on your page, therefore the content that you show to your audience will be available for the long-term future and there is no time limit on when they can view it. Comments and likes can also be added after the video has ended therefore giving you increased opportunities to receive engagement.

A good option would always be to post your video straight after you have broadcasted; perhaps a viewer had to stop watching halfway through but wanted to catch up – if your content is instantly available that means they will get to stream it at their earliest convenience. You should also give a catchy headline and description of your video. You could even download the video from Facebook and then share it on your other social media platforms – repurposing at its finest.

On the other hand, with Instagram Live, they have played on the ‘watch now or never’ tactic where the story will disappear after 24 hours. Use this sense of urgency to your advantage!

A key difference is the explore section of Instagram, where, if you have gone live, your video will be given top priority and will be at the forefront of everyone’s stories, therefore you may be able to connect with new users who were not previously engaging with you. One top tip would be to actually make your followers aware that you are planning on going live by sharing a quick post on Instagram.

Later this week, we will discuss how you can use Facebook and Instagram Live video features to drive organic traffic and engagement for your brand.