Facebook is an ever changing landscape and one of the biggest innovations that the platform added lately is a live streaming tool, which allows any person or page using the app to go live and talk to people following them. From a brand standpoint, there are positives and negatives that go with a tool like this and here are some to know about.
1. PRO: You can talk directly with fans and/or consumers
With Facebook Live, you will be able to talk directly to the audience that already follows your page. With the live streaming option, brands can discuss upcoming products as well as make a personal connection to their audience by engaging in the comments section of a live stream.
2. CON: Facebook Live is not the first tool of this kind
While Facebook Live is growing to become one of the biggest live streaming services just because of the popularity of the app already, it is not the first social media company to integrate live streaming in their app. Twitter recently bought Periscope, a social media app that focuses only on live streaming and started the trend of web bloggers and social media influencers going live on apps. Even before that, services like Youtube and Twitch allowed users to go live on the internet. Due to other services already providing this gateway, Facebook Live is joining a saturated market where people already engage with other live streaming services and may not be interested in another.
3. PRO: More potential users to engage with on Facebook Live
While it’s not the only live streaming app, Facebook still has the largest numbers of users on social media, which means, there is always a chance to target people who may never use apps like Instagram and Periscope. As noted in another blog on Meeman 901, Facebook will prioritize live streams in a news feed, reaching even more potential viewers. There is also the chance that someone may feel more inclined to click on a live stream than sit through a premade video.
4. CON: Problems may always arise in a live stream
With any live streaming service, there is always the potential for a live broadcast to not turn out the way things are planned. These type of problems can range from a camera not working properly to someone invading a stream with their own message that isn’t expected. While you can plan a lot for a live stream, unexpected events may always arise that can bring out a potential PR crisis.
5. PRO: Facebook Live makes it easy to archive streams
A problem that other live streaming services has is the fact that you are not able to save live streams. Facebook took of note of this and enabled users to archive live streams on the app. This is a key component a brand would like to have in order to show past engagement with audiences. Archived livestreams can also make a person be more inclined to catch a future live stream by seeing how engaging a past stream was. If a live stream is not satisfactory to whoever was streaming it, Facebook will also allow you to delete the stream as well.
These are just a few reasons why Facebook Live is beneficial to use, but also something to be wary of using. What do you think of Facebook Live as a service, do you agree with these pros and cons? Do you see something else interesting about the service not mentioned here? Tell us in the comments!