Reporting live from…everywhere. Can your business incorporate live video to reach your audience?

By: Allison Barnes, Account Assistant, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

Social media is constantly updating to incorporate new features and compete with other social media platforms. The latest trend seems to be offering live video to show your followers what you’re doing in real time. Facebook now lets users share live video when they launched Facebook Live in 2016 and Twitter lets users rewatch live videos that were made with their live video app Periscope at any time. Instagram is the latest to join in on the craze, offering a live video stream after their November 2016 update. Instagram alerts followers that you are posting live on Instagram story, similar to a Snapchat story, but the live video can only be seen when the video is live and is immediately deleted.

Celebrities and social media users have been using live videos to show followers what they are doing and to talk about their lives. But how can you incorporate Facebook Live or live video into your businesses social media? Here are a few ideas:

• Set up a demonstration of a new product. Let viewers watch how the product works and learn how to use it from the people who created it. Viewers can comment with questions about the product that could also be answered during the live video. Why not show off a cool feature of the product that viewers may not have known about?
• Go live at an event that few people can attend, but might be interested in seeing. Sharing a live feed at an athletic event, groundbreaking or a special guest speaker lets the audience feel like they are there even if the event is states away. Offering a sneak peek of a display or new project would be fun to show to followers too.  
• Post a live interview, question and answer session or news conference. Let followers get to know your company from the CEO and employees. Followers with questions can have them answered immediately and they can learn what is new to your organization.  

Have you or your business tried live video on social media? We would love to hear what you thought!