What’s great about going live and what’s great about going live on Instagram? Well, you are exposed to scores of people who are- both your existing customers and the would-be customers. Going live means no cuts, action retakes, and edits. It’s life- so you are raw and authentic which displays the human side of your brand. What’s more- your audience can communicate through comments making it an interactive platform.
But an unplanned session can become daunting and the inclusion of ‘umm…’ and ‘uhh…’ can create a negative reputation. So, here are 5 tips that can help your live session become a successful (and memorable) one.
Create a roadmap of your broadcast ahead of time
Going live is all about being raw and unfiltered. But a thoroughly planned broadcast is more likely to be successful and put up a positive experience. Having a plan means prevention of any awkward pauses and your message is delivered correctly. You can do this by dividing your segment into sections, for example- introduction, focal point, and conclusion, and making a note of what content you will deliver at each section. Keeping a backup plan is a good practice that can substitute any of your failed content. For example, if your broadcast is about answering the viewers’ questions and you do not receive any, you can prepare a list of questions beforehand gathered from previous Instagram stories.
Promote your broadcast ahead of time
Marketers are continually exploiting this lucrative feature and amidst the countless live broadcasts, your audience needs to know at what time they need to tune in to your broadcast. Yes, timing matters. Promote your broadcast across social media channels a few days (or few hours) before it goes live as Gucci does below. Put up countdown stickers on Instagram stories and encourage your followers to save the date and time. You can also target tailored emails to specific leads to arouse their interests.
Be authentic
In the age of social distancing, people want to meet and interact with raw content, even from the comfort of their screens. Forget perfection because it is time for being authentic. Prepare your speech but do not recite it in front of the camera. You will want to have a polished appearance in front of the online masses, but consumers will want to peek beyond the filters. So, it’s okay to laugh it off if something unexpected happens. Make sure your language and message are clear and understandable. You can share personal insights from your brand, like how the pandemic has impacted your business (consumers are more likely to talk about that) and how you have adapted to the situation.
Engage the viewers
Build content that will entertain and engage your audience and create a sense of urgency (because it is ‘live’ now and not later). Some ideas that you can include in your content plan can be:
Tutorials
Instagram Live is a great place to host tutorials and workshops on industry niche aspects. For example, if you are a cosmetic brand you can host a session on how to apply the perfect liner or how to find the perfect foundation shade. And if you are a clothing brand you can teach how to make different styles out of one suit.
Q&As
Probably the most famous content for Instagram Live. Consumers are never out of questions and to satisfy their thirst you can host an entertaining Q&A session and address their questions. This can vary from the latest news in your industry to the working of your business.
Talk to a customer
A great way to boost audience engagement. Yes, it need not be an industry expert or a professional. You can invite any of your customers to have a friendly session and discuss how they have been impacted by your products or services.
Collaborate with an industry influencer
Influencers are people your customers recognize and respect and when you work with them, they bring more consumers to your brand. You can use Instagram’s Live Room features and bring an influencer to the session for an interview, Q&A, or a simple chat.
Save the Live Session
Remember to save the video on your camera roll so that you can analyze it later and work for improvement. You can also share the session on Instagram Story so that users can have access to it for 24 hours.
Instagram Live is indeed a great tool to engage with your audience. With live videos emerging as an important tool for communication in everyday life, leveraging them to promote your business is a smart move.
In a nutshell, plan ahead of time and promote the session beforehand and do not be afraid to commit mistakes (your audience is not expecting an actor to recite a monologue), and have fun!
