By now, most of us have heard (or seen) social media platforms shift towards favouring video over any other form of content. We’ve seen it with the introduction of Instagram Reels, more advanced video insights being available in Facebook Creator Studio and the latest algorithm push for users to go live. Let’s face it – video content and in particular, live videos, generally spark more engagement than an image share anyway. So if you’re wanting to use live videos to your advantage to reach new customers and increase your engagement, keep reading!

What Does Going ‘Live’ Mean?

When you go live on social media you are producing a livestreamed, real-time video broadcast. As soon as you hit ‘live’ your viewers can tune in and watch your video while you record it. All you need is a phone with a camera and you can start your first live video. Your viewers will be able to leave comments, questions and reactions in real-time, throughout the duration of your livestream. You will also be able to engage with your viewers by reading and responding to their comments and questions as soon as they are posted.

How Can Going ‘Live’ Benefit My Dive Shop?

As the title of this blog suggests, one of the main benefits of going live is to beat social media algorithms. If you have a social media page it’s likely you have experienced the constant restructure of the algorithm and the frustration of your posts not being seen by your followers. However, the moment you go live on your page this all changes. When you go live your online followers will receive an in-app notification letting them know about your live broadcast. Furthermore, when you go live on Instagram, your page will automatically be displayed at the front of the story line with the word ‘live’ under your profile. Not only will you beat the algorithm, but you will also receive great visibility within each social platform. While beating social media algorithms is an extremely convincing benefit in itself, going live will also help humanise your dive shop and allow you to engage with your audience in a more personal setting.

How to Go Live on Facebook

You can go live on Facebook three different ways. You can use the Facebook app, the Facebook Pages Manager app or you can log into Facebook on your computer.

Here’s how you can go live by using the Facebook app on your phone:

1. Go to your dive shop’s Facebook Page.
2. Select ‘live’ under ‘create a post’.
3. Write a compelling description about your video.
4. Choose your privacy settings. If you don’t have a preferred audience, leave this as ‘public’.
5. Decide where your live video will be posted once it’s completed. If you’d like the video to be automatically published to your Facebook page select ‘post’.
6. Choose your location.
7. Set your camera’s orientation. Be sure your camera is pointing in the direction you want to film before you start the video.
8. Select ‘start live video’ and start broadcasting.
9. Interact with your viewers and respond to comments as they’re posted.
10. Select ‘finish’ to end your live broadcast.
11. Post the finished video on your Facebook page so it can continue to be seen by your followers.

How to Go Live on Instagram

To go live on Instagram you will need to go to the Instagram app and follow these steps:

1. Login to your dive shop’s Instagram page.
2. Open the Instagram Stories camera and swipe across to ‘live’
3. Adjust your Instagram live settings by tapping the wheel icon. Here you can make sure your video is shown publicly and that it is saved to your video archive once completed.
4. Write a compelling description about your video.
5. Set your camera’s orientation. Be sure your camera is pointing in the direction you want to film before you start the video.
6. Tap the ‘live’ icon and start broadcasting.
7. Interact with your viewers and respond to comments as they’re posted.
8. Select ‘end’ to stop your live broadcast.
9. Post the finished video to your IGTV channel and share a snippet of it on your Instagram Stories with a swipe up link to your IGTV video.

5 Tips to Make Your Live Video Successful

1. Promote your live broadcast in advance. Try sharing the details of your live by creating a Facebook or Instagram story with a countdown sticker.
2. Go live when your audience are most active online. Use your audience insights to determine your most popular days and times when your followers are online and organise to go live during these times.
3. Consider your location and lighting. Instead of broadcasting in a dark room, why not go live at your local dive site?
4. Engage with your audience. Ask your audience questions and respond to their comments.
5. Share your livestream to your page. Ensure your live video lives on by sharing it to your Facebook Page or as an IGTV video on your Instagram page.

Examples of How Your Dive Shop Can Go Live

• Review the latest scuba equipment.
• Provide live updates on the conditions of your local dive sites.
• Interview a PADI Pro or a newly certified diver.
• Broadcast from one of your next beach clean-ups or Dive Against Debris

Now that you know the benefits of going live on Facebook and Instagram, it’s time to start planning your first real-time broadcast. Once you have a clear vision of what you’re going to cover, choose a time when your followers are most active and start recording!

If you have any questions, please contact PADI Marketing.

The post Go Live to Beat the Facebook and Instagram Algorithm appeared first on PADI Pros.

Marketing & Social Media, Facebook, instagram, Live Video, marketing, Social MediaPADI Pros