The secret to acing a Facebook Live is… a process.

Yep, slightly anti-climatic but so true and effective.

Let’s start with facts…………..

– Live videos on Facebook are watched 3 times as long as videos that aren’t streamed.

– Live videos on Facebook get 10 times as many people commenting in comparison to videos uploaded.

-Chewbacca Mom Is Facebook Live’s Most Watched Video With 166 Million Views.

OK, so maybe the last one isn’t so relevant but the first two are mind-blowing facts and can mean so much for your business.

So why is it SMEs are still not using this huge engagement tool. It’s because people are still scared of being Live and hate the idea of there being no reshoot. But here’s the thing, your competition is thinking exactly the same so if you and your business go Live it sets you apart from your competitors.

Before we get into detail you can read our beginners guide to Facebook Live by Clicking Here

Set your Aim. This is all about your audience. You need a topic that genuinely interests your audience and gets them to engage. You could have the best equipment in the game but without relevant content, your Live will not interest your followers.

Still stuck?

Ask your audience and you can do this through all of your channels. You can do everything from Facebook and Instagram polls to surveys and even ask them in person.

Just like in business, your more likely to achieve something if you have an aim just like you’re more likely to be prepared for your Facebook Live. Having this clear aim allows you to have a good think about what you want to cover. To further this you should break down your aim into objectives. This may be 3-5 bullet points or Key learning points (KLP) you want to cover in your Live.

Take your KLPs/objectives and use them as prompts.

We refrain from going Live in case we have that dreaded brain fart.

But with some slight reminders from a prompt sheet behind the camera with our objectives of the Live on will make things a whole lot more comfortable. The best way to use your print sheet is to have a word or a small phrase which will remind you of the next talking point or KLP.

We always recommend staying away from a script as you’ll look like myself in year 4 reading out my poem I wrote in class. Not having a script allows you to be yourself and simply just being yourself allows your followers to connect with you.

Live doesn’t need to be perfect. Why do you think the stats for Live are so much greater than uploaded videos? It’s because our audiences love the idea of seeing you first hand as genuine as you get. This is because our audience resonates with us more when we’re social.

Imagine that, being social on a social media platform.

Stop trying to make everything perfect with you’re Live because your audience doesn’t expect it. The more genuine you are when going Live the greater the engagement and connection with your audience will be.

Give it a few practice runs. Some people can jump in front of a camera and be a star, but most of us can’t. Which is why we recommend to all of our course members to open their own private facebook group and invite your friends, family and even your cat… Ok, maybe not your cat.

Click Here to read more and check availability on our courses – Introduction To Making Social Media Videos

Once you’ve created your private group, hit the Live button and have as many practice runs until you feel comfortable.

After this, you’ll be ready to go Live on your business page or group. Just remember, have fun and be genuine. Your audience will love you for it and if you want more tips and tricks for going live, join James Live on our Facebook Page Visual Punch at 3:00 PM Thursday 11th October for more on acing Live Video.

If your going Live let us know how you’ve done by tagging us in the caption or comments. We’d love to see them!

[Bonus] Download our FREE Facebook Live prompt sheet below. Hope you like it!