Why Instagram Live is Brilliant for Business
What going live can do for you
This feature of the ‘gram is a huge benefit to businesses without a storefront aka “all the ladies out here trying to make it as digital entrepreneurs”. Viewers can’t walk through your doors and provide you with an opportunity to greet them and make a connection.
Putting yourself out there on live is the closest thing to opening that virtual door for your followers!
When you hit the live button on Instagram, your face shoots to the first spot in your followers long list of stories to view. Live eliminates the need for people to scroll to find you.
That alone will lend you more exposure than a story posting, solely because of the way it’s advertised. Allowing yourself to be just a tiny bit vulnerable by going live creates a respectable amount of transparency surrounding your business.
Why going live is brilliant for business
We often see hugely famous celebs on Instagram live, interacting with their fans around the world. Followers tune in because a live session allows them to feel a unique sense a closeness with their favorite celeb, almost like they’re on FaceTime.
That sense of closeness is where the money’s at for any business- big or small. Connecting with customers is an essential part of building and establishing brand identity. By allowing customers to see your face, hear your voice, and listen to your message in real time all on one platform, Instagram is providing an incredible marketing tool for any business.
A brilliant example of a boss business owner using Instagram live is Anastasia Soare, the CEO and founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills. She is a billionaire businesswoman and takes quite a bit of time out of her week to hop on Live and connect with her customers. This allows her customers to have a personal connection to her brand and her vision. When her customers see her brow products in Ulta, they might remember how she took the time to explain her process of perfecting that product on live a few days ago. In their cart her product goes!
Don’t Wing It – Here’s How to Prepare
Have a goal in mind.
Are you there to sell or explain the value of a product? Are you there to connect with customers on personal level? Or maybe to inform them of a new product, service, or blog post coming up?
Take notes, but don’t write a script.
You should try to remain on topic without sounding like an infomercial. Remember, you’re on live! This means you need to interact with the people sending comments your way.
Let people know when you’ll be on live, and hint about what you plan to discuss.
For example, if you’re restocking a product or pushing a new one, let people know you’re going live for a “big announcement.” Announcing an update on live is a more personal way to keep customers informed, while also getting immediate feedback. This gives followers time to look forward to seeing your face and let’s clear their schedule!
Q & A
If you don’t have an announcement and just want to chat, a Q&A is fun and interactive way to let followers decide what you talk about. Make a post on your page, or story, letting followers know that you’ll be going live and ask them to submit some questions!
Take down your favorite ones and let everyone know when you’ll be answering them. This shows your followers that you value their opinion and want them to feel involved!
