Have you started to use Facebook Live for your business yet?  If not, why not? What’s stopping you?

A quick zoom in on the map and look how many people are live. Every single one of those dots represent an account Live at the moment. It’s a Wednesday morning, just after 11am. Look in the North East of England – we’re missing a trick here! So how are you going to incorporate it in to your marketing?

Facebook Live For Business

The idea of live streaming is that it really connects you with your audience. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s un-rehearsed. Things can go wrong, but so what? We’re only human. Use it to truly connect with your audience. Talk about things you believe will interest them.  Offer a Q&A session.  Teach them something they might find useful. Give them an insight in to your personal life.  The choice is yours. But one thing is for sure – don’t OVER THINK it!

As you may know already, Facebook are giving priority to posts that contain video – particularly Facebook Live!  When you stream, your Live stream will appear in the newsfeed of your connections, so they can click on the video and join in.

Top Tips for Facebook Live For Business

1. First of all tell people – let them know you are going to be doing a Live stream. Yes Facebook will push the post and ensure more people will see it in their news feeds, but it will be even more effective if you let people know first.

How to tell them? Email them, put a post on Facebook, send out lots of tweets stating that you are going to be Live at whatever time on such a day.  The more you tell, the more will join you

2. Secondly make sure your title is exciting, attention grabbing. Status updates like “I’m going live now” isn’t exactly going to attract that audience. Choose a title that will make people really want to tune in to your stream.

3. Pick the right time to post – check those insights.  When are the people online who have liked your page?

4. Plan to speak for at least 5 minutes and up to around 20.  Having said that if your interaction is excellent keep it going, which brings me on to my last tip….

5. Interact, Interact, Interact. Invite questions, read the comments, reply to them through your stream and don’t forget to go back and revisit the stream on your Business Page afterwards.  The video will stay there as a status update. People may watch the video afterwards and you will want to respond.

Good Luck!

By all means let me know you are going Live and if I am about I will certainly tune in – infact I most certainly will if I am training to show people how well you are doing!  Most of all, I know it’s business, but have fun. Yes Facebook Live can be fun. Just remember it is Social Media, you are representing your business and Social Media is ALL about engagement.

Pokemon Go Marketing for North East Businesses

Here was me, thinking I was going to have a quiet morning in the office, but oh no, visitors kept on popping in.  Here’s a couple of them – Pidgey and Weedle.

No doubt, by now, you have heard about the game Pokemon Go – the app that not only children, plenty of adults too, are downloading and playing.  The game itself works in conjunction with your mobile’s camera and GPS system, so it tracks where you are walking and when there are Pokemon about up pops your camera and it appears there is a Pokemon in front of you.

To save me giving you a big long tutorial on how to play the game, here’s the first trailer, released over a year ago, explaining how the game works and there are plenty more now where that came from!  Have a look on YouTube if you need any help playing the game.

Now I’m not suggesting you and all your employees download the Pokemon Go up and start to play at work – that could be a nightmare and nothing would get done, however there are ways you can use Pokemon Go in your marketing.

Using Pokemon Go for Marketing

Think about it.  The demographic for people using this app is HUGE.  First of all find out if your building is Pokestop or Gym – if it is you’re laughing.  You will have a stream of people coming to your venue / office to stock up on eggs and energy all things to extend your gameplay. If this is the case make sure you have some signage up. Why not get people to upload a screen capture of the Pokemon they are catching outside your venue (with your signage in the background) – offer an incentive to people who post their images on your Facebook page, or tag their location whilst uploading their image to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Look at some of these fab local North East posts on Twitter

Visitors using our car park are reminded to be careful of the low flying Zubats. #PokemonGOuk #Pokestop pic.twitter.com/BHCUL8IyKB

— The Glasshouse International Centre for Music (@glasshouseicm) July 15, 2016

The @tynesidecinema is a #Pokestop – come and stock up on your #Pokeballs and catch a great film while you're at it. pic.twitter.com/tkTyOE2ooI

— Tyneside Cinema (@tynesidecinema) July 15, 2016

If you aren’t lucky enough to be a Pokestop or Pokegym – there’s still no reason not to join in. Think of other ways you can include the hashtags in your post. Find the nearest point to you and tweet to people, if your visiting the “named” Pokestop today, why not pop in and get “something nice”, we’re only around the corner.

You could always use one of your Lures – they encourage Pokemon in the area to come to you for a period of time! If you are going to use this method, plan it, promote it, make sure everyone knows about it. (You can earn Lures ~ or buy them!)

So, what do you need to think about when coming up with ways of bring this in to your marketing strategy? You need to weigh up the pro’s and cons and really think about this.

1. How are you going to turn the players in to customers?
2. What are you going to offer?
3. Is it safe for your to do this where you are based?  (Businesses on a busy road – potentially attracting children – have a think about it)
4. Will Pokemon players coming to your premises be welcomed or disruptive (have a think about your neighbours)

Pokemon Go Hashtags

#Gottacatchemall #PokemonGo #Pokeballs #Pokestop  and of course if you want to connect with Pokemon users of Twitter near you, search for these hashtags, click on more and then choose “everyone” “near you” and all their tweets will come up.

Good luck with Pokemon Training!