5 Types of Facebook Live Videos All Retailers Should Use

In a previous post, we reviewed the importance of using Facebook Live videos to promote your brand. We’ve also discussed what equipment you should use and offered step-by-step instructions for making them.

Today we’ll talk about how your ecommerce company can use Facebook Live videos to reach your goals.

Want to increase sales, brand awareness, or interaction with your customers? Read on.

Q&A

Q&A videos can be a fun way to connect with customers. They can also be an efficient way to answer frequently asked product questions. You can also educate your audience about a topic/issue related to your product.

Onnit is a supplement and fitness equipment company. They recently hosted a Facebook Live Q&A and answered viewers’ questions about health and fitness. As an incentive, Onnit offered to give prizes to three people who asked questions.

Providing prizes can be a great way to draw viewers in and introduce people to your product. Giving out promotions or making a special announcement at the end of the video can also help hook people in. If you decide to offer promotions in your video, remember to track how many people took advantage of them. Afterward, you can assess if it was a successful strategy.

Product Demos and Tutorials

One of the most effective ways ecommerce companies can use Facebook Live is by making product demos or tutorials.

Livestream is a particularly effective platform for these types of videos. It allows people to follow along in real time and ask questions if they get confused. If your ecommerce company sells products or services that can be difficult to understand at first, a live stream video explaining how to use the product could be really helpful.

Beauty companies can also have a lot of fun with Facebook Live. It Cosmetics made a live stream showing viewers how to do their eyebrows with It Cosmetic products. In the video, Shannon gave viewers advice on how to figure out what eyebrow shape and It Cosmetics brow products are best for them.

Facebook Live videos like these give your company the opportunity to:

• Promote your products
• Offer customers ideas on how to use them
• Provide an opportunity to connect with your audience
• Address any questions or concerns

In the comments section, It Cosmetics answered viewers’ beauty questions and attached links to It Cosmetics products as suggestions when relevant.

After you post your Facebook Live video, make sure to promptly answer questions and concerns in the comments section. Be sure to also thank posters for praise. This is not only great customer service and a way to promote your products but also an opportunity to connect with viewers on a more personal level.

Watch Parties

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If you have a group page associated with your brand, you can take advantage of a new Facebook feature: Watch Party. Watch Party is where members of a Facebook group watch a live or pre-recorded video together at the same time.

While the video is playing, the members can comment, react, and interact with each other. The videos selected for Watch Parties are selected by admins and moderators of the group.

If your company doesn’t personally run a group page, but there are fan group pages for your brand, then you would have to talk to whoever runs the group about setting up a Watch Party for your video.

The purpose of a Watch Party is to foster community and interaction through a shared viewing experience. This makes it a great opportunity to form a close connection with customers.

Product Announcements

Another way companies can use Facebook Live is to make product announcements, such as this one from Ryobi Power Tools:

This can help drum up interest in a product before it’s officially released. These videos can answer customers’ questions about the product, such as when and where it will be released, price, etc., and by showing them how it is used.

Direct Sales

Facebook Live can be used as a company’s own “mini QVC” to show off its products and boost sales. For instance, Page 3’s Game Zone posted a Facebook Live video showing specific items at reduced prices during its Father’s Day sale:

For viewers to be eligible to purchase products on the live stream, they had to like Page 3’s Game Zone’s Facebook page and Facebook live video. Viewers then had to state what item they were interested in purchasing by the game title and price.

The first person to claim the product in the comments section is given 24 hours to contact the company via Facebook private message to arrange payment and shipping. Otherwise, the second commenter is given a chance to claim the product. This could be an effective strategy for companies that have Facebook stores or want to expand who they are reaching.

Next Steps

Hopefully, these ideas have inspired you to make your own Facebook Live content. When coming up with Facebook Live video ideas, remember to not only keep in mind how to best highlight your products, but also what will engage viewers and generate conversation. Engagement will be key for companies thriving on Facebook whether through posts or live videos.