Jamie Biesiada
When I last went live on Facebook, I did it all wrong.
I don't mean to complain. I got some decent results. But had I followed some tried-and-true guidelines, I could have gotten a lot more.
In recent years, Facebook Live has become popular among the agency community. It's a good way to reach an audience in a way that many view as an honest, raw approach, one that social media has largely eliminated from polished, tightly curated streams of photos and videos.
It's a tool that Claire Bilby, senior vice president of sales, services and events for Disney Destinations, sees travel advisors using effectively.
Agents have embraced certain social media channels "incredibly well," Bilby said. "I think Facebook Live has really worked well for folks, because it allows agents to actually broadcast to their clients, in many cases even from a Disney experience, whether it's one of our theme parks, whether it's on an Adventures by Disney trip, to really bring the experience to life for their clients."
I'm a volunteer on the Manasquan Tourism Commission, a group that promotes tourism to our small New Jersey shore town by holding events throughout the year. At the end of last year, our holiday celebration featured ice sculpting, and I broadcast one of the sculptors in action on our Facebook page. My goal was to drum up awareness.
We have about 4,000 Facebook fans, and we're not extraordinarily active on Facebook: we post about upcoming events and sometimes photos, but that's pretty much it. I didn't tease the video in advance. It got nearly 1,700 views.
I'm sure there are a number of videos out there by travel advisors that put my stats to shame, but for a small group with a limited fan base, I was fairly impressed. But I would have been more impressed if I had followed some simple tactics.
Hootsuite posted an article that I found particularly useful. Here's a quick synopsis of some things that I'll focus on next time:
I should have planned ahead. I didn't go in with a plan (or even intention to go live), so I limited the video to one facet of a larger event. Looking back, I should have broadcasted live from one of the hayrides with Santa, too, and maybe strolled around with carolers wandering Main Street.
I probably should have inserted myself in the video, too, by providing some commentary or otherwise injecting some more personality.
I definitely should have notified our audience in advance that I would be going live, and asked that they subscribed to live notifications so they'd know when the video was starting.
Hootsuite also recommends that you check your Internet connection before going live. I didn't have any problems there, but it's a good thing to keep in mind, especially if you're broadcasting while you travel.
The article recommended posting a compelling caption. I'll admit, "Come join us on Main Street now for Christmas in Manasquan" could have been more compelling (though as a call-to-action, it was pretty straightforward).
I should have tagged my location, and it wouldn't have hurt to pin a comment asking users about the video -- maybe I could have taken a poll of what the next ice sculpture should be.
Finally, I don't regularly go live from tourism's Facebook account. In fact, we rarely go live. It's something to think about at future events (or even just during a day at the beach).
All lessons well learned. If you're interested, you can follow along with my future efforts here.