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Did you know that videos might be your best secret weapon for dominating on Instagram? In fact, reports show that videos get 38% more engagement compared to images. People love watching videos, and Instagram Live’s increasing popularity is proof of it. If you’re a brand aiming to catch your target audience’s attention, then Instagram Live is something that you have to take advantage of. We’re listing down 10 tips for going live on Instagram.
Why You Need to Utilize Instagram Live
Right now, Instagram is saturated by countless brands vying for people’s attention. If you want your target market to notice you, then you have to work on your Instagram strategy. Although videos are a popular type of content for engagement, just creating, editing, and uploading them isn’t enough.
You have to find the most effective ways to showcase them to your audience, and going live on Instagram is one way to do it. IG live should be apart of your content strategy for instagram! Here's why.
Live Videos Allow You to Connect to Your Audience
Most already know that Instagram schedule posts to reach a wide audience. But their live videos let you connect on a more personal level!
Although you can engage with your followers by responding to their comments and direct messages, nothing beats personally talking to them live – and that’s what Instagram Live offers. It helps you build a more intimate connection with your audience.
Live Videos Show Up in the Feed
There are a lot of brands (and users) creating Instagram Stories. So, it can sometimes be hard to get your brand’s image in one of the limited visible slots showing up at the top of your followers’ feeds. However, if you go live, your content gets bumped into the top list in Stories, increasing your brand’s visibility.
Your Audience Will Be Notified When You Go Live
Another awesome advantage of going live on Instagram is that followers (who allow notifications) will get an alert informing them that you're going live. If you want to promote your brand in this saturated platform, then you have to be quick and take every opportunity that you can to get your brand noticed.
Instagram Live provides you a chance to do this. Thus, we’ve listed down some things you should keep in mind whenever you’re going live on Instagram.
Determine Your Purpose
According to Tony Robbins, any activity without a purpose is a drain on your life. You should determine the purpose of going live on Instagram before you start going live.
The way your program will flow will depend on your purpose. You can’t just jump into an Instagram Live video without a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with it. That’s a waste of time and effort.
Here are a few ideas:
Make an Announcement
Announcing upcoming product launches or other company events is a great opportunity to go live on Instagram.
Share Tutorials
Giving free live tutorials is another good way to utilize live videos. You could teach people how to use your products or show them the many ways your products can help with their daily lives.
Conduct an Interview
You could also invite someone (a popular personality or a high ranking officer from your organization) whose opinions and thoughts your followers might be interested in. Do a live interview related to your product or your brand.
Host a Q&A
Hosting Q&As is a great option when you’re doing Instagram Live. This way, you can answer your followers’ questions directly.
Share a Sneak Peek of What’s Happening Behind the Scenes
If you’re going to have an event – like a product launch – you could go live and show people what’s happening at present to entice them and make them look forward to more.
Promote, Promote, Promote
It doesn’t matter how fantastic your live video is if nobody is watching it. Just like other live events, you have to promote it to make sure that the people who you want to be present during the event know about it and can attend.
Post on Your Instagram Feed
Create promotional materials or teasers that you can post on your Instagram feed. Make sure to include the date, time (and time zone), and the things they’ll get if they tune into your live event.
Utilize Instagram Stories
Aside from creating an Instagram post, you can also use Instagram Stories to create hype.
Share it on Your Other Social Media Accounts
Utilize your other social media accounts – like Facebook and Twitter – to let more people know about your upcoming event. You can use the same material you’re posting on your Instagram feed. Just remember to optimize the post to suit the requirements of the social media platform where you’re re-posting the content.
This is easy to do with Eclincher, which quickly resizes your photos for you.
Announce it on Your Website
It’s also good to announce the event on your official website so that your site visitors can follow you on Instagram and watch out for your live event.
Broadcast that you’re going live on Instagram to the world so your followers and other people who might be interested in what you’re offering will be made aware that something’s going on and that they have to be there to witness it.
State the Incentives
People will want to know what’s in it for them if they decide to attend your live video. Give them a reason to join you. Here are a few examples.
Offer Exclusive Deals
You can give away special coupons or discounts for your products during the time when you’re airing your live video on Instagram.
Reveal Insider Information
You can also divulge new information about your brand and other unpublished fresh news you want to share. Emphasize that those who’ll be joining your Instagram live event will be the first ones to know about the latest news.
Broadcast a Live Interview With a Popular Personality
Or, if you’re going to invite a special guest to your live event, you can hype that in your promotions. You can also allocate some time for a Q&A so your followers can participate.
Give people a good reason to look forward to and show up during your live video.
Prepare
You never know what will happen if you go live, but it always pays to be prepared. Create a loose program flow that’ll keep your audience entertained. It’s an efficient way to make sure that you don’t stray off topic, and to ensure that your purpose is relayed well.
Practice Ahead of Time
Practicing can help make your program flow run a lot more smoothly. It can also enable you to get more used to talking in front of the camera and identify the things you can improve to make the live video better.
Check Your Lighting, Audio, and Settings
To make your video look great, you have to make sure that everything’s in order. Thus, you have to check your lighting to make sure that the people watching your video can see you clearly. You also have to check your audio to ensure that your audience can hear you well. Review the background, the camera angle, and your Instagram settings to make sure that everything runs smoothly during the process.
Engage With Your Followers
Engagement is important. You have to build a connection with your audience, and Instagram Live is a great way to do this.
Add Question Stickers
Add question stickers to your Instagram Live video so your audience can send in questions that they want to ask you and you can respond to them directly during the event.
Acknowledge
It’s smart to allocate time to acknowledge the people watching your video. Let them know that you’re thankful that they’re present, and give some of them a personal shout-out.
Make Your Viewers Feel Special
If you can, try to list down the people participating in your live videos so that if you see them present the next time you go live, you can give them a shout out.
Let Your Audience Participate
Inviting a few of your audience members to participate in your live video (like an interview) is an excellent way to make it more dynamic. You can do this simply through the "add a friend" feature. To make it more exciting, offer prizes for the chosen viewer.
Additionally, think about running contests during your show.
Be creative! There are countless ways to encourage your Instagram followers to stay active during the program.
Share Your Video to Instagram Stories
To make your live video last a little longer, share a replay of your live video to your Instagram Story. That way, people who weren’t able to participate can still see the video at a later time.
Save Your Video to Your Device
Also, remember to save your video to your device. If you do this, you can share it on your other platforms, and your followers from those accounts can check it out. You can also curate the material for other content.
Follow Up
The end of your live video isn’t the end of your live video campaign. Remember, the goal is to improve your audience engagement. Thus, you have to extend your content’s reach as much as possible.
Respond to Direct Messages
If you have direct messages that you haven’t responded to, then do so after your live video. This provides you with more opportunities to connect to your target audience. Furthermore, it will make your followers feel more special.
Post Snippets of Your Video on Your Social Media Accounts
Don’t let your live video go to waste. Reuse and recycle! Cut a few short clip of your videos and post them on your social media accounts.
Let Your Audience Know How Your Instagram Live Went
Upload a video or post thanking those who joined the live video. Mention a few highlights to entice others to attend your next live project.
Provide Teasers for Your Next Project
Do you have a project planned for the next few weeks or months? Let them know what they have to look forward to in the future.
Study Your Metrics
Finally, after you’re done with your live video, study it! List down all the items you’ve done well, the things you have to improve on, and other ideas you can think of to implement on your next live video to make it more fun.
You have to take note of your metrics. Check the number of people who joined, review the comments, and ask for feedback. Data is important for you to come up with effective strategies for your brand. Make it a habit to compare the results of your latest project with your past projects to see whether or not the things that you’ve implemented so far have worked to your advantage.
Live videos are appealing, attractive, and effective in engaging your audience. If you want your brand to stand out from competitors, then you have to utilize the features that help you connect with your audience better. This means you have to find ways to showcase your content more efficiently, and live videos are one powerful way to do it.
Do you have other tips to make your Instagram live video shine? Let us know in the comments!
Frequently Asked Questions
How many followers do you need to go Live on Instagram?
You need at least 10,000 followers to go Live on Instagram. Instagram has been gradually rolling out the ability to go Live with friends, and as of February 2018, only users with accounts that have more than 10,000 followers can use this feature. This is likely because Instagram wants to make sure that only high-profile users can take advantage of the Live feature, in order to give those users an extra boost in visibility.
Why can't I get Live on Instagram?
It's possible that your phone or computer may not be compatible with the Instagram Live feature. Make sure you have the latest version of the Instagram app and that your device meets the minimum requirements.
Do you get paid for going live on Instagram?
Yes, some content creators do receive payments for going live on Instagram. Viewers can buy "badges" to support their favorite content creators, and these payments are then shared with the content creator.
Final Thoughts
As you now know, Instagram Live is a great way to connect with your audience in real-time, but it can also be nerve-wracking to go live for the first time. Whether you're a business owner, influencer, or just looking to share your thoughts and experiences with your friends and followers, here are 10 tips to help you feel more confident and make the most of your Instagram Live experience. It is worthwhile for a business to spend time preparing its content to engage with your audience, these tips will help you make the most of this powerful platform.
