Are you ready to go live? While it may be “in the moment,” you should still use these tips to prepare.
1. Check your tech.
Make sure you have a fully charged battery and good internet connection.
2. Know the answers to these questions:
What are you going to talk about?
Why would my audience care?
Who’s going to be talking?
Who’s going to be holding the camera? (It’s not easy to hold it yourself.)
Where are you going to go live?
3. Start with a catchy, clear title.
When you go live, your followers will get notified. Make the title short so they are more likely to join.
4. Make it public.
You want to reach more than just your friends or followers. Make sure your video is set to public to reach the largest audience.
5. Take your time to Introduce yourself, your farm, and what’s happening around you.
Give people some time to join your live video. When people join, welcome them and encourage them to leave questions in the comments section.
6. Be ready to answer questions.
Live video is a great way to answer questions from your audience. Be prepared to read and answer questions as they come in.
7. Post the video to your wall.
Make sure you select the option to post the video after your live stream. This way the video lives on and collects views and questions.
Photo courtesy of Heartwood Farms
8. Block the haters (if necessary).
If you start receiving negative comments from people who don’t believe in what you do, just block and ignore.
9. Don’t just say “Bye!”
Let them know they can learn more about you and your farm business by going to your website or following your social media channels.
10. Save it to post on other channels.
Most live social media channels will allow you to post and save your video. You can then share your video with other social media channels.
11. Don’t forget about the comments.
After the live video is finished and posted, people will continue to comment and ask questions. Make sure you respond to the comments you receive.
This post was adapted from Jamie Vander Molen’s Facebook Live Training within the Dairy Hub. If you are in the dairy industry, please join us in the Dairy Hub, a private social network where you can chat with other dairy farmers and professionals, get messaging, receive training, and find positive dairy stories to spread on your social networks.
If you need more help with social media, you can reach out to me directly at don.schindler@dairy.org or connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram. I’m happy to help.
The author is a Senior Vice President of Digital Initiatives at Dairy Management Inc.
