You can live stream from almost any social media platform so you must be aware of the power of live video. If you’re on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, live streaming has not only become more popular but also more powerful when it comes to driving more traffic and more reach on to your social media platforms. So, if you’re currently not using Instagram Live within your business strategy, you’re missing out on a lot.
However, some people are petrified to do live streaming. Creating content and delivering them in real time with an active audience might seem like a tough job. So, in this article we’re also going to give you an idea on how to get started with Instagram Live.
Why Opt For Instagram Live?
Why should you bother to go live on Instagram? What is special about Instagram Live? Why should I come up with an Instagram Live strategy? If these questions are bothering you, then you’ve come to the right place.
There are live-streaming options available in other platforms as well. So if you have a customer base in any other platform, go for live videos there. But if you have most of your potential customers on Instagram, you’ll be missing out if you don’t include Instagram Live in your strategy.
Instagram has a fresher take on things and that is not unknown. Moreover, if you already have an Instagram growth strategy in place, you can reach a broader audience using Instagram Live.
As you may be aware of, Instagram prioritizes all live videos and puts them before Instagram stories. This makes them more visible and attracts more audience. Also, Instagram will send individual notifications to your followers when you stream to Instagram Live.
If you’re looking to sell your brand or product, there’s nothing better than communicating with your potential customers in real time.
Now let’s check out how to use it.
How To Use Instagram Live Effectively?
Don’t worry as going live on Instagram is pretty simple. So, if you’re not aware already, here are the steps to guide you.
Step 1: Initiate Instagram Live
Open the Instagram Stories section and at the bottom you’ll notice a few options. Select the ‘Live’ option. Notice that on the top of the screen, Instagram lets you know how many of your followers are active at the moment.
Once you’ve found your suitable time and adequate number of followers are active on the app, press the ‘Live’ button to start your live stream. Instagram will make sure you have proper connectivity and then you’re good to go. On the same screen you’ll see a notice saying that Instagram is informing your followers about the live video.
While on Instagram Live, you can still access features like DM, comment, set featured questions, co-host your live video, add filters, show photos or slides to your audience and so on.
These additional features show that Instagram is really pushing its users towards live-streaming.
Step 2: Moderate Comments In Instagram Live
Before you begin with your Instagram Live, you might want to prevent any kind of offensive comment from popping up before your audience. But it’s not possible to keep a track of all the comments that keep flowing in when you’re streaming live.
So, to prevent this, Instagram has some features for you. As you can see in the picture below, you have to go to your ‘Profile Settings’ and then tap into the ‘Comments’ section under ‘Privacy’. There you’ll notice a number of options to choose from. You can choose to block specific people from commenting, or use the automatic filter to obstruct certain offensive words to pop up on your Instagram Live. You can even manually set the terms yourself.
You even have the option of turning off commenting completely. Also, if you want, you can even pin a comment from your audience. Just press and hold the specific comment to pin it to the top of your comments feed.
Step 3: Share You Instagram Live
So, this was all about getting through the process. What next? Once you’ve finished streaming, the video automatically goes to your Story section. But what if you want to increase its shelf-life?
Instagram gives you 3 options. You can put it on IGTV, download it or delete the video. If you share it on IGTV, your live video will remain in your profile. Your followers can go back to it any time they want. If you download it, you can upload it on other social platforms to increase viewership and reach.
This was all about the technical aspect of Instagram Live. If you’re a fresher, go through the section below to know some of the best strategies before you start.
Best Instagram Live Strategies
When you’re going for live streaming, it’s better not to wing it. Even if you’re confident, have a plan of action before you dive in.
· Make Engaging Content
First and foremost, be sure to make your content engaging. Once a follower joins in your live stream, you must be able to keep them tempted enough so that they don’t leave. Instagram has added many features which you can use to add photos, videos or slide decks to your live stream. This will help you to make your content more appealing.
· Set An Objective
Make sure that your potential clients or your present followers are aware of your content type. Before jumping in to a live stream to talk about your brand/product, first, set the grounds for it. It’s also important to have a strong profile to back you up because your live audience might want to check you up. So if they visit your profile after being in your Instagram Live, make sure to have the perfect profile ready.
· Practice Before You Go Live
This is a no-brainer. Just make sure that you practice on Instagram Stories or any kind of bite-sized content pieces that won’t waste your precious time and are not necessarily live. This is crucial for people who are nervous about doing an Instagram Live. You can get used to speaking to the camera first before speaking to a real time audience.
· Promote Your Instagram Live In Advance
If you want to reach a large audience, choose your timing correctly for going live. Also, an impromptu video session might not be the ideal way to go about it. So be sure to let your audience know beforehand about your upcoming Instagram Live. Rather than leaving the promotion in the hands of Instagram altogether, leave engaging teaser materials before you start with the real thing.
· Avoid Going Live For Less Than 10 Minutes
Marketers find that longer live-streams have a more lasting impact on the audience. It tends to reach a bigger audience and if the content is engaging, longer live videos have proved to be more fruitful in the longer run. Also, if you go live for more than 10 minutes, it shows you have better content at your disposal. However, don’t go for hours-long live streams at the beginning. Dip your feet with a 15 to 20 minute video then gradually work your way up.
· Go Live On Other Platforms As Well
If you’re active on Facebook and YouTube or you have a business page there, you can stream live videos there as well. This will help you rank higher on the search-list or within the algorithm. Leveraging live video can give you the extra boost that you’re looking for.
This is all you need to know about Instagram Live analytics. Let us know if you found these useful.
