Is Facebook Live Streaming a Way to Boost Your Social Engagement Rates?

Live streaming isn’t something new. There are several online platforms that allow you to stream a live video, such as YouTube, Livestream, or Twitch.

Last year, live streaming became all the rage when every marketer, small business owners, and regular people discovered Periscope. The platform grew to one million users just ten days after the launch and hit the 10 million users mark at the end of its first year.

Talk about impressive!

But, Periscope has become the subject of a gradual downfall in the latest months. Not only that the spam, trolls, and bugs that have never been fixed annoy user, but there’s a new sheriff in town that excites the digital marketing community: Facebook Live.

Is Facebook Live about to become the new go-to live streaming platform? Can it help you build up your social media engagement?

Let’s find out!

The Problem with Periscope

Periscope was a major hit when it was first launched. So much so that it was named the best app by Apple in 2015. That’s huge. But, due to its numerous problems, Periscope is on the verge of collapsing.

Here are just some of the technical problems users encountered on Periscope:

• Trolls: According to an article from Business Insider, trolls are one of the biggest problems on Periscope. From sexual comments to racist slurs, many users were driven from the platform because of trolls.

• Freezing: Periscope tends to freeze a lot, frustrating users who are trying to engage with their audience.

• Bugs: There are numerous bugs that cause the platform to freeze, malfunction, and provide a poor user experience.

While Periscope has helped marketers improve their online digital strategy and reach more prospects, these problems have led many to give up the platform entirely. Aware of the major impact video has, Facebook has entered the game with a live streaming service.

Facebook Live Might Change the Way You Do Social Media

The dynamics of social media engagement are about to change to the proliferation of live streaming. Nowadays, you will see more companies, whether they are big or local, whether they are doctors or lawyers, become more transparent with their followers. And, as one might expect, Facebook Live is going to be a crucial part of any small business’s social media plan.

Not only that Facebook Live makes it easier to connect with your prospects and promote your small business, but it also provides a more fun and personal way to do it.

But, what makes Facebook Live such a great choice?

Consider this: your audience is already on Facebook. That means that when you go live, they are already there, ready to engage with you. They don’t have to access a link, leave the platform or download an app for the sole purpose of watching you live stream.

While Periscope is a simple live streaming app that connects to Twitter, Facebook Live is integrated into the social media platform inside. It goes without saying that the level of engagement is significantly higher than on other live-stream platforms. After all, we’re talking about the biggest social media platforms in the world.

Here’s another great thing: when you use Facebook Live for the first time, the social network will send a notification to your followers to let them know that you will be going live in 3,2,1… That’s a lot of exposure you get for free!

4 Ways Facebook Live Can Boost Your Social Media Engagement

If you still can’t decide whether joining the Facebook Live bandwagon is good for your small business, here are four reasons you should start using it.

1. You Can Target Followers

Facebook allows audience targeting, which is a great way to ensure that the right people see your message. When you create a live-stream, you’ll have the opportunity to target the audience you want to reach based on a combination of options. So, if you are satisfied with the results you are getting from Facebook Ads, you will definitely like Facebook Live.

2. It Encourages Interaction

Without a doubt, the strongest feature Facebook Live provides to marketers is that it encourages tons of interaction. According to Facebook, people comment up to ten more times on a live video than a regular one. That’s a lot more interaction that you get on regular videos (like 1000% more!)

More than that, people watching your live videos can invite their friends to join them. Viewers can also chat with you via comments while they are watching you live stream. That way, you can answer their questions in real time, showing them that you are interested in their needs and want to help them find a solution.

3. It’s Easily Accessible

Another strong feature of Facebook Live is that it doesn’t force users to leave the platform or download an app to benefit from the service. Contrary to popular belief, users don’t enjoy having several different apps installed on their phones and a social network that covers all of their needs, from updates to video and live streaming, is very much welcomed. Facebook does exactly that.

More than that, Facebook is already huge – recent reports show that the average person spends 40 minutes each day on Facebook. As a result, you won’t have to struggle to drive prospects on a new platform. You can simply adapt your digital marketing strategy to include live streaming, as well.

4. It’s Available to Everyone

Facebook Live is available to everyone. For small business owners, it can be a huge opportunity to humanize their company and give prospects a glimpse at who they are as a brand. You can use FB Live to give followers a sneak peek at what it means to craft your products, to share useful tips, or just to entertain your audience. The possibilities are endless.

On the surface, both Facebook and Periscope provide the same service: live streaming. But, while Periscope is riddled with bugs and trolls, Facebook has created a space that can help you achieve your goal: to improve your social media engagement.