17 Ways To Get Facebook Live Really WRONG

21 Nov 2016 How to

17 ways to get Facebook Live really WRONG

Facebook live is a really effective marketing tool and can be hugely valuable for your business. Here’s 17 very common mistakes and pitfalls that you should and can avoid making, in order to get the best out of you video marketing efforts.

Don’t plan it

”I’ll just wing it”. Yeah, that almost never works out. Plan your content and you’ll produce a video that people actually want to watch. Plan out what you are going to say and what you are going to film. It sounds really obvious but we’ve all seen those FB live films that kinda of just ramble off into waffle or make you slightly nauseated as the broadcaster scrambles around to the next location desperately trying to find something interesting to film or say. Seriously. Plan your film before hand and you will deliver some great content that people will enjoy and share.

Provide really poor content

A Facebook live video needs to have an exciting element or an interesting hook in order to differentiate it from either, other videos on the platform or from the Snapchat style, ‘here’s what I’m doing today, look at my Starbucks’, kind of content. Have something interesting you want to say or have something visually awesome, that you want to show off immediately. Facebook Live videos are great for showcasing an idea or experience to viewers who couldn’t see them otherwise.

Make it really short

No one watches videos over 2 minutes right? Wrong. Facebook live videos perform better when they are longer. This comes back to the first two points though. To ensure your Facebook live video is over 5 minutes, you’ll need to PLAN and create GOOD content. I think the reason behind why longer Facebook live videos perform better, is because the viewer thinks, well if it was something worth filming for nearly 10 minutes, it’s probably something worth watching. So make sure you don’t disappoint. The other reason you’ll need to shoot longer is because it gives people a chance to tune in and engage. The longer you broadcast (to an extent), the more people will have an opportunity to watch your video live as oppose to just on your timeline.

Use really poor camera work

We don’t need you to be a professional DOP on the iPhone. But we do need the basics to be right.

Make sure you camera is focused on the subject

Make sure your shot is steady and the movement of the camera isn’t too erratic

Keep an eye on your framing. Is the subject in shot? Can the audience see what they are supposed to see? Use the rule of 1/3s if you want to act fancy.

Film in landscape on your phone

You’ll end up with a vertical video, that is sideways. Just film it vertically if you’re doing it from your phone please.

Don’t engage with the audience

Viewers can interact with your video through the comment section and with reaction buttons. It’s important to keep interacting with your viewers to create a dialogue if you can. This will help increase engagement, retain the viewers for a longer time and also leave an overall better impression with the audience. Facebook Live is a conversational tool so treat it that way.

Don’t promote your video before hand

Speaking of conversations. They aren’t much if there’s no one to talk to. So make sure you get out there and promote your Facebook Live video across your social platforms. Tell people what to expect and when. By drumming up interest before you go live, your video will perform much better and it’s a great way to reach even more people.

Use a really bad title

Facebook will ask you to write a descriptive title. Your title should be something that explains what you’re doing but also leaves out the details so your reader feels intrigued to watch. A good example is, ‘Checkout this view from a helicopter!”. We know there’s a helicopter involved but view of what? I want to watch that because I don’t regularly take trips in helicopters! Picking a boring title that doesn’t spark curiosity or conversely is too ambiguous will have a huge affect on your videos reach and engagement levels. Draw them in with your title and keep them there with your content.

Connect to weak Wifi

Facebook live will demand a good internet connection. If you’ve got a brilliant mobile data plan and some good 4G coverage you’ll be fine. Otherwise, your best bet is to connect to some wifi. However, tech is tech and wifi can be dodgy, so it wouldn’t hurt to do some testing before hand. If your internet connection is really bad, Facebook won’t let you go live. That is why I’d recommend testing, because you don’t want to do all the planning and promoting only to realise you can’t go live in that particular location anyway.

Go live when no one is online

When are your target audience, fans and followers using Facebook? There may be certain bits of content that obviously can’t be filmed at any other time, hence why you’re shooting it live! But there may also be Facebook Live videos, that you can create at a set time. If you do have this option, time your video wisely. There’s plenty of things out there that can tell you optimal posting times but you can always just check your Facebook insights. Head to insights > Posts, then you’ll see a tab at the top that says, ‘when your fans are online’.

Make sure you audience can barely hear you

You want to make sure your audio is clear. Think about your environment, think about where your phone is in relation to you and if you’re doing a lot of talking, think about your delivery and pace. Poor quality audio will make the viewer switch off pretty quickly because we are lazy creatures that can’t be bothered to strain.

Make sure nothing is lit properly

Can we see the subject properly? This is the question you need to ask yourself. You don’t need to worry too much about lighting set ups or creating some sort of movie look but you/your subject does need to be well lit, in order for the audience to fully engage with the video. No one is going to watch a video if they can’t see what’s going on.

End the video with no warning or farewell

As we’ve mentioned, this is a conversational tool. Therefore, you’ll need to intro and outro yourself and your content properly. Don’t just end the video abruptly. You want to impress your audience not confuse or even offend them.

Don’t remind people what you’re doing/talking about

Viewers will be tuning in throughout the broadcast so it’s good to constantly remind the viewers, what you’re doing, where you are and what’s happening. Keep them informed and they’ll stay engaged.

You don’t ever need permission, so don’t worry about it

Are you even allowed to film here? Are you at a particular event which may need permission? Are they other people in your video that need permission? Are there kids present? Just use your common sense and make sure you have the right permissions before you start filming. No one wants a Facebook Live video of you getting escorted out of a building by security.

Provide no call to action whatsoever

What do you want viewers to do once they’ve finished watching your video? Head to a website? Share the video? Sign a petition? Like your page? Make sure you know what it is and make sure you implement it during the video.

Don’t look at the insights and statistics of your Facebook live video

Take a look at your insights after. See the drop off rates, when people stopped watching, how many viewers you had etc. Then go back and analyse your video to see what went well and what you could have done better. By constantly reviewing things like posting times, length, content, interaction etc you’ll be able to improve your Facebook Live videos and figure out what works for you and your target audience.

Have you liked us on Facebook yet? Do it, then you can tag us in your Facebook Live video!

Hope this was helpful, if you want to know how to optimise your videos for Facebook, then read this!

p.s. One tip I didn’t include because it might just be a bit too obvious. But don’t drive and Facebook live. It’s not very safe and probably borderline illegal! I have actually seen this done though…đŸ™ˆ