Facebook LIVE: The New Normal for Newscasters

The question is, should the millennial marketing professional of today, be concerned in any way shape or form, by the popular sociological and creative developments made in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s? Those glorious moments in time, that shaped so much of our creative heritage and gave birth to a multi dimensional, multi cultural creative renaissance, that today finds itself being repeated to such an alarming degree that someone somewhere, thought it would be a good idea to remake Ben Hur!

For the first time in the history of broadcasting, accessibility to publicly available live content platforms has become a reality. From the everyday enthusiast wanting to share their day, to corporations addressing global audiences, live streaming services provide immediate access and reaction for everyone, at both ends of the signal. Of course, this is not a new thing. Web streaming has been with us since 1994. Back then the quality was appalling, the audio did not follow the video and more often than not, if more than five people attempted to watch the same feed simultaneously, the internet would suffocate and collapse in its entirety, much to the pleasure of broadcasters the world over.

Anyone wanting to communicate with an audience now has the means to do so via a myriad of platforms but the single biggest game changer is without a doubt, Facebook Live. This solution not only provides users with the relative ease of Facebook’s uncomplicated approach to transmission, it is so easy in fact that anyone with access to a mobile phone can transmit live from the comfort of their own home.

This accessibility has spawned a plethora of new genre broadcasting phenomenons and made internet sensations of many. Nevertheless, like so many things, Facebook Live is only as good as the signal and content that you provide it. If you are intent on filming your feet for two hours, putting it on Facebook Live will not make it any better! And this has up until now been the problem with the platform. Too many amateurs making far too much content that is watched only by themselves. The same can also be said for particular publications and brands who have sailed alarmingly close presenting their followers with something almost as entertaining as a two hour foot-cast!

The only way to correctly approach a Facebook Live project, is with the very same level of attention to detail as one would were they about to broadcast live on FOX, CNN or MTV. Just because the accessibility to an audience has been made all the easier, does not mean that the quality of your content should be anything less than perfect and correspond to your brand expectations.

This meticulous approach to live transmission via Facebook does not have to be exuberantly expensive but it should correspond with the message you are delivering and the audience demographic you are attempting to communicate with. If for example you are launching a luxury car and your idea for a Facebook Live event involves people using their iPhones, then you really have missed the point and should probably reconsider your position on marketing and communications. If however you have given this some serious consideration, you may well find that you can not only talk directly to your consumer base, but also if the content is worthy and entertaining, your consumers will participate by reacting with comments and likes throughout your transmission. Ultimately this is the goal.

In days gone by, friends would gather in front of the television to watch a sporting event, or show and if the conditions were favourable, find themselves energetically berating the television or the people appearing on the screen at least. Today, that energy and desire to communicate has been fulfilled, because unlike a TV transmission, a Facebook Live event is a bi-directional event that welcomes the participation of the audience. And you need that audience to enjoy the experience because you need them to share, like, comment and stay online with you for the duration of your live event. If your production value is anything less than broadcast quality, you will probably lose your audience within a matter of seconds and most certainly fail to win over any new friends or followers.

The principles applied to content consumption are as applicable during a Facebook Live event as they are to HBO, Showtime or Disney. That your production budget maybe smaller, does not mean you are exempt from these principles. Making good quality, engaging live content is not easy and requires expertise, years of experience and a basic understanding of content consumption.

So before you take that huge step into the “live” unknown, make sure that you take someone with you that has done it before, knows where all of the trapdoors are and can help you without emptying your bank account in the process.

“Live” means “LIVE”. Everyone can see you. Make sure you, your brand, your CEO and your events manager are ready to be seen.