“Broadcast to the largest audience in the world with the camera in your pocket.” That’s the official Facebook Live video sales pitch.
For marketers, though, the benefits go way beyond its ease of use.
In this guide we’ll teach you everything you need to know Facebook Live—why it matters and how to use it to grow and engage your audience.
Table of contents
Benefits of Facebook Live for marketers
While video has always been popular online, the dominance of social media and the rise of mobile usage has all but ensured social video’s position as the reigning monarch of content.
Users continue to produce—and watch—more video than ever before. In fact, online video streaming will grow to more than 80 percent of all consumer internet traffic by 2020, according to predictions from tech company Cisco.
Even back in 2015 adults in the U.S. were watching an average of one hour and 16 minutes of video on digital devices every day (out of 5.5 total hours spent watching video content), according to eMarketer—up significantly from only 21 minutes watching video on digital devices in 2011.
Beyond the popularity of social video in general, Facebook Live brings with it specific benefits.
Helps drive engagement
People comment 10 times more on Facebook Live videos than on regular videos, according to the network. Meanwhile, the average time people spend watching Live videos is more than three times longer than video that isn’t live.
Is a good experience for the user
Facebook Live is fast.
For the final 2016 presidential debate, a study by media streaming service provider Wowza found that Facebook’s live stream had the lowest latency, beating out satellite and cable for some viewers and delivering its stream at an average 13-second delay (as low as seven seconds for some viewers)
Boosts organic reach
Texas woman Candace Payne currently holds the record for most-watched Facebook Live video. The clip, which features Payne wearing a Chewbacca mask and laughing, has been watched more than 160 million times. It was one of the fastest growing viral videos in history, hitting 100 million views in only three days.
And of course, when it comes to that most critical of Facebook marketing elements—organic reach—live video can be a huge help.
Facebook considers Live video a distinct content type from other video shared on the platform. This distinction is important for brands because it means that the Facebook algorithm treats native video and Live video differently, with Live videos more likely to appear higher in News Feed while they’re live.
After the broadcast, the video can still be discovered and viewed, but once it’s no longer live, Facebook will treat it like any other video.
Facebook Live video also has its own notification system. When someone goes Live, people who frequently engage with or have recently interacted with a person or Page going Live may receive a notification.
This gives greater prominence to Live videos and helps keep brands who broadcast top-of-mind.
And let’s not forget expectations for Live video. While viewers expect social video to be polished, audiences often enjoy the opposite in Live video. Production value tends to be less professional and more raw, which many viewers perceive as more authentic, a trait that an increasing number of consumers are looking for in brands.
In other words, there are plenty of good reasons to give Facebook Live video a try.
Facebook Live features
Not only does Facebook Live give brands access to an immense audience—potentially the entirety of Facebook, which currently boasts 1.32 daily active users—it also offers a range of features.
Notifications
Because Facebook Live is considered a distinct content type (and one that Facebook is actively encouraging), it has its own notification system. By default, users’ Live video notifications are set to ‘on’.
The network explained that when someone goes Live: “People who frequently engage with or have recently interacted with a person or Page going Live may receive a notification.”
If a user is particularly interested in Live video from a particular broadcaster, they can choose to subscribe, which means they’ll be notified any time that broadcaster goes Live.
Invite friends
When a user is watching a broadcast, they can choose to send an invitation to a friend to watch with them. This option is available from within the Live video. To send an invite, simply tap on the invite icon and select the friend you’d like to invite. That person will receive a push notification.
Maps
For users interested in discovering new content, there’s the Facebook Live Map, which is available on desktop. Facebook users in more than 60 countries have the ability to begin a live broadcast, so the Facebook Live Map provides a way for people to discover those videos more easily.
The map displays all live broadcasts currently happening around the world, each one represented by a blue dot, with larger dots indicating more popular broadcasts. Hovering over a dot pulls up a preview of the stream, including a counter showing how many people are currently watching it, and a timer showing how long the broadcast has been playing. Users can choose to zoom in to explore broadcasts in more specific areas.
Additionally, a panel to on the left side of the screen features a list of the most popular current live broadcasts. As with the dots, hovering over one shows both where the broadcast originated and where people are streaming it from.
Live Reactions
Facebook users can, of course, react to any post on the platform using the six emoji-like Reactions to highlight their response. But Facebook Live takes things one step further by allowing a broadcast’s audience to react to the video stream in real-time, with Reactions appearing on the video itself as they’re clicked by the audience.
Filters
Broadcasters have the option to add a filter to their live stream. There are five options to choose from. While Facebook announced on April 6, 2016—the same day they introduced filters—that they would soon add the ability for broadcasters to draw or doodle on their video while live, this feature is not yet available.
How to add a filter to live video
- Begin recording a broadcast
- Tap the magic wand icon
- Scroll left to view all filter options
- Tap a filter to select it
It’s important to note that you will be live while selecting a filter.
Masks
In addition to filters, broadcasters can now also experiment with Snapchat-like masks during their live-stream. Introduced on October 27, 2016, masks are available on iOS to broadcasters in the U.S., U.K., and New Zealand.
How to use a mask in Live video
- Tap the Live video icon to begin recording a broadcast
- Once live, tap the magic wand icon
- Select the masks icon in the creative tools tray at the bottom of the screen
- Scroll through the options and tap on masks to have them automatically appear on your face
- To remove the mask, scroll to the far left and tap the no mask option
It’s important to note that you will be live while selecting a mask.
Facebook Live API
The Facebook Live API allows broadcasters to “seamlessly incorporate Live into their existing broadcast setup.” This means that publishers who have more sophisticated equipment have the option to broadcast from a professional camera and audio setup rather than streaming Live video from a mobile device.
The Live API also enables features like camera switching, instant replay, on-screen graphics, and special effects. Using the API, publishers also have the ability to stream other sources, like games or screencasts.
For example, video game company Blizzard Entertainment used the Live API to enable gamers to live-stream their gameplay directly to Facebook from within the game.
Continuous Live streaming
Through the Facebook Live API, it’s possible to broadcast continuous live video. This is a tad more complex to set up than the average Live video broadcast, but offers a great option for users who may want to showcase a constant Live feed, such as a museum or zoo.
Schedule Live broadcasts
Using the Facebook Live API, publishers can schedule Live broadcasts in order to build up an audience before they begin streaming. When a publisher schedules a Live video, an announcement will be posted to News Feed letting their fans know the broadcast is coming.
Users who see the post can choose to receive a one-time notification that will remind them shortly before the broadcast begins. Fans can then join a pre-broadcast lobby where they can connect and interact with other viewers before the Live video starts.
Publishers can schedule Live broadcasts up to one week in advance and audiences can join a lobby three minutes prior to the start of the broadcast. Another bonus? Once publishers have…
