To live or not to live?

No, not live… LIVE! You know, Facebook and Instagram LIVE?

Jeez… What a terrible way to open a blog post, right? I’m just keepin’ it real, yo.

Last week I was chatting with my friends on a Facebook LIVE video and Jill asked:

“I know you’ve mentioned that you get higher value on the algorithm if you do video. Does this apply to only live or if you record yourself and then put it in stories. I’m trying to get the courage to do this but would like to be able to redo my videos if I mess up.”

Oh Jill, I totally understand your fear. About one year ago, I vowed to go live every single week on Facebook. It was awkward, hardly anyone watched them, and I was so embarrassed.

But I showed up every single week, kept my promise to myself and you know what happened?

I got better.

>>Over time, my engagement went up and my audience was becoming receptive to the live videos. It quite simply “worked.”<<

It didn’t happen overnight, boo! But I can undoubtedly attribute live video to my social media growth over the last 1-2 years.

Let’s talk about how the Facebook algorithm indexes content:

1. Live video
2. Recorded video
3. Post with a photo
4. Text-only post

Of course, text-only posts get the lowest amount of engagement because social platforms are highly visual.

Basically you’re getting extra credit if you throw in a visual for your audience. 😉

But that number one engagement-driver? The thing that will drive more traffic to your page and business? The one piece of content Facebook favors the most?

That’s right: live video.

>>Buttercup, I hate to break it to you, but you need to go live.<<

• Do I know it’s scary? Yes, of course.
• But do I know the more you do it, the less scary it will be? Yes, of course.

If you’re really struggling with getting on live video and you want to tip-toe into it, Instagram stories are a beautiful gateway into live videos.

Try these out for size since you are able to record and re-do the videos as much as you’d like, and then eventually you will feel more comfortable going live.

>>I’ll leave you with one final thought, my friend: There isn’t a magical equation.<<

We’ve all seen posts that are unicorns—the long posts that are well written, witty, value-packed and go viral. We’ve seen live videos in a loud area with bad audio and really awkward storytelling that don’t get any engagement.

The lesson learned from this is that good content in any way, shape or form always wins.

Create value-driven content you ideal client will resonate with, and you’re well on your way to building a business that allows you to live a life you love.

*Yes live, not LIVE* 😉