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Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media networks allow users to stream live videos to their followers and the public. If your business or brand is considering going live on social media as part of a larger marketing strategy, keep these tips in mind.

Have a Plan

While candid live videos work well for personal social media accounts, brands must have a polished appearance when going live on social media. To accomplish this, you need to have a live video plan organized and be ready to execute.

Your live video strategy should cover:

• What the video is about
• Who will be in the video
• When the video will go live
• Which social media platform(s) to leverage
• A rough schedule of events prior to, during, and after the live video

Since brands must portray a put-together image, especially on live video, ensure that your plan is as detailed as possible. The last thing you want is a missed step or live video malfunction!

Use the Right Equipment

While going live on social media is as easy as picking up your iPhone and pressing the right button, brands must use the right equipment to maintain a professional reputation. For the best live videos, Social Chefs recommends having the following equipment:

• Facebook Business Pages Manager
• Tripod
• R1 Pro by Shoulderpod (to stabilize video)
• Tripod mount
• Portable lighting
• External microphone
• Portable battery charger

Other top tools include a WiFi signal extender. You want your Internet connection to be strong during the entirety of your video. This allows you to execute your strategy flawlessly without worrying about video lag or connection issues.

Find a Quiet Space

Since your live video is planned rather than spontaneous, you will need a quiet space to broadcast from. Many brand teams use individual offices, meeting rooms, or other areas of an office to broadcast their live videos.

When choosing a space, keep these tips in mind:

• Look for a space with natural lighting.
• Don’t choose a cluttered room or area.
• Test out the acoustics and noise level of the area prior to going live.
• Make sure you have permission to use the area.

Alert Your Team

If broadcasting from an office space, you must let your entire team know of the broadcast time, date, and space. You don’t want Tom from accounting accidentally interrupting the broadcast.

Send out a company-wide email or Slack message a few days, hours, and even minutes before the broadcast to ensure that your live video is not interrupted.

Practice Beforehand

When you are preparing to give a speech, what do you do? You recite and practice the speech until you feel confident presenting it. The same concept applies to going live on social media. To avoid any mistakes, confusion, or embarrassing errors, have the whole team practice before you officially broadcast.

This allows the team working on the video to ask any questions, go through the motions, and ensure a quality video for users.

Promote Your Live Video

Since you have a plan drawn out, you know exactly when your brand plans to go live. Draw in an interested audience by promoting your live video. Let your fans and followers know when you plan to go live and what the video will be about. If you have the advertising budget, put a few dollars behind your social media posts and reach a wider audience!

Save Your Video

When all is said and done, and your live video went smoothly, be sure to save it for future marketing endeavors. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook allow you to save your live videos. Depending on their context and success, you can use these videos for future social media posts, landing pages, email marketing campaigns, and more.

With these tips in mind, you’ll be all set for a seamless live video on social media. Be sure to give us a shout out when you go live!