Now Playing: Your MSP on Facebook Live! 6 Ways to Go Live Today!

 Most of you have probably heard of Facebook Live, or even seen that someone on your personal Facebook news feed ‘is live’. When Facebook first introduced their Live post option, pretty much everyone in your newsfeed that went Live was alerted to you by a notification. Since its introduction, there are fewer notifications about those who go Live on Facebook, but there is still a considerable amount of buzz surrounding Facebook Live.

One concern that many B2B marketers have is whether Facebook Live has a place in their marketing strategy. Since they’re a business who is reaching other businesses, there is often hesitation. However, even businesses have individuals who use Facebook and often use social media when making B2B decisions. Those decision makers include those that will be considering your managed IT services.

Here are six ways that an MSP could make successful use of Facebook Live broadcasts with valuable content.

• Behind the Scenes: One way that an MSP can demonstrate their skills and ability is by showing off their technicians or network admins at work during a top-notch project. For example, give a live tour of an exceptional wire management job, as the wires tend to be colorful, and chaotic wires are something that everyone who uses computers can relate to.
• Live Question and Answer Sessions: As a business technology expert, you’re going to be presented with many opportunities to reach your target audience through responding to their questions. When would be a good time to go Live with a Q&A? Think about events like cyber-attacks like the recent outbreaks of malware that affected the globe that can present your experts with a golden opportunity: a Live Question & Answer session that covers the burning questions and concerns that most SMBs have about the effects of this cyber crime attack and ways to protect themselves from those in the future. Of course, cyber-attacks are just one example of Live Q&A potential.
• How-tos, Tips, and Tricks: One advantage that MSPs and the technology industry has when it comes to trying to think of a Facebook Live topic is the large amount of explanations like ‘how-tos’ or ‘tips and tricks’ that are available. For example, Email Security Best Practices’ is a ‘how-to’ that nearly every SMB could benefit from. Shortcuts Every Microsoft Word User Should Know’ is an example of a simple ‘Tips and Tricks’ type broadcast. Take advantage of Facebook Live to share your understanding of business technology with your target audience.
• Breaking News Reports: Because of the nature of MSPs, you’ll often find yourself in the position to share important news with your clients. Take the recent ‘NotPetya’ malware attack. It was originally thought to be ransomware but was ultimately found to be malware that was just intent on doing as much damage as possible--news that some people didn’t become aware of until days after the attack was announced. Facebook Live gives you the opportunity to get a message out very quickly, using video as a medium, improving the chances that a user will stick around to hear what you have to say.
• Live Events like Webinars: Of course, the goal of a webinar is primarily to educate your target audience. There are times when a webinar’s goal, from a marketing standpoint, is to get people to sign up and formally attend your webinar. There are also times when you’d just prefer to have your webinar seen by as many people as possible, without concern for attendee sign up. Facebook Live is a great option when you're just looking to educate as many people as possible.
• Company Culture Events: Company Culture is very important. In terms of marketing, showing off who you are as a whole is something that humanizes your organization, making you more than just a faceless person on the other side of a help desk call. Some events that you do as a company might be a good opportunity to show your culture off, live. As mentioned below, this type of event, that tends to be unscripted, should be considered carefully before making the decision to go Facebook Live.

As a bonus, here’s a few ways that you can improve your Facebook live event.

1. Advertise Ahead of Time - Just because you are live doesn’t mean that your event wasn’t planned ahead of time. Think about it, when you host a webinar live, you invite people to attend week’s ahead of time. It’s wise to take a similar approach with any pre-planned Facebook Live broadcast. Also, since Facebook Live was very much promoted by Facebook, many people have turned off the notifications stating that a friend or website is going Live. Ask your followers to view your broadcast live along with you, and opt to receive future notices that you’re going Live.
2. Choose Content Wisely - It might seem like a great idea to ‘Go Live’ during the 3rd hour of your annual Holiday Party, but that might not play out as favorable as you would like, especially if your team has been enjoying an open bar and has begun using choice language. When you make the decision to use your Business Page to Go Live on Facebook - make sure that your content is most likely to represent your business in a manner you approve of. Of course, nothing goes as planned when things are ‘Live’ - but choosing the type of content should be carefully considered.
3. Broadcast Quality Live Post - Especially because you’re a managed IT service provider, make sure that your recording and Internet quality are as close to perfect as possible. This might be seen as obvious but is a pretty easy way to lose viewers, now and in the future, and waste your Facebook Live opportunity.
4. Share a Recording of Your Facebook Live - Imagine, you’ve just gone Live and delivered a how-to for SMB employee email security that may go down as the top best practices guide of your professional career. The business owners who saw your short presentation will undoubtedly want to share it with their employees to help them secure their use of email. They will only be able to do that if you have shared a recording of your Facebook Live post!

At first, the idea of using Facebook Live for your MSP might be a bit intimidating. However, by planning, promoting and sharing your Facebook Live event - and not giving up after the first one doesn’t perform the way you had hoped, Facebook Live will be a great way to get your message out while standing out from the crowd. Would you like to learn more about making social media work for you? Contact our marketing team today!