Instagram live is Instagram’s live-streaming video functionality. Instagram users can find out about your Insta lives in the Instagram stories section if they follow you.
Your followers will receive a notification when you go live on Instagram, and your Instagram live video will appear at the front of the Instagram stories queue.
Instagram lives are a very effective marketing tool for many reasons. First, because they appear more sincere than any other videos.
Instagram lives also enable you to build deeper relationships and trust with our Instagram followers, which will make it easier in the long run to turn viewers into leads and sales.
If you’d like to take your Instagram marketing to the next level, and increase the results you’re getting from your current Instagram marketing efforts considerably, download my FREE Instagram report, titled The Top 15 Instagram Marketing Strategies That Drive Traffic And Sales. Simply enter your name and email and I’ll instantly send you the report.
Another reason why Instagram live is a good tool to use is because Instagram highlights live videos. Organic reach is much higher for an Instagram live video than standard posts. In other words Instagram will show your live broadcast right at the top of your follower’s newsfeed, right next to the Instagram stories plus sign, which is prime real estate.
Another benefit of Instagram live streaming is that they lead to higher engagement levels which allows you to get instant feedback and shape your content marketing accordingly.
Another reason to consider using Instagram lives for your business is that not a lot of people use them as it can be daunting to go live on Instagram since so many things can go wrong.
So if you use Instagram live streaming to market your business you can really stand out. Lastly, since Instagram lives then become Instagram stories or can also be saved as IGTV videos, you get to benefit from added exposure.
However, there are many mistakes to avoid when deciding to use Instagram live video.
The first mistake to avoid is not promoting your broadcast before you go live on Instagram.
Don’t broadcast a video hoping that people will come across it and watch it. You need to build momentum and buzz around your event.
There are many ways you can advertise your Insta lives, such as sending an email invitation to your contacts, underlining the benefits of joining you live, and giving them the exact time and date they’ll have to attend.
You can also advertise your Instagram live by SMS or even publish posts on your Facebook page or profile, publish posts on your Instagram account, create Instagram stories and Instagram reels to announce your upcoming Instagram live broadcast and even create a video on IGTV.
Should you wish to promote your Instagram live video further, you could advertise your event using Facebook ads and Instagram ads.
The second mistake to avoid is not having a structure for your Instagram live.
Not being prepared and not knowing in advance what you will cover can make you come across as unprofessional and you can run the risk of umming and erring and hesitating too many times.
A clear structure will ensure you deliver your presentation in an interesting and engaging way and will also ensure it flows well.
The third mistake to avoid is not engaging with your audience. It is important that your audience feels included when you’re Instagram live streaming so make sure you mention their names and acknowledge them when they leave comments or ask questions.
Your Instagram live should never be a one-way conversation. For example, invite members of your audience to leave comments or ask them questions.
If you’d like to take your Instagram marketing to the next level, and increase the results you’re getting from your current Instagram marketing efforts considerably, download my FREE Instagram report, titled The Top 15 Instagram Marketing Strategies That Drive Traffic And Sales. Simply enter your name and email and I’ll instantly send you the report.
Another mistake to avoid is not including calls to action.
Regardless of whether you’re using Instagram live streaming for marketing purposes or not, it’s important to always include some sort of call to action. It could be a low commitment call to action such as leaving a review, sharing a testimonial or just leaving comments.
A higher level commitment call to action could be to register for something or to make a purchase. Calls to action don’t necessarily have to be mentioned only at the end of the broadcast, they can be mentioned throughout the broadcast for people who don’t watch until the end.
Another mistake to avoid with Instagram live is not creating anticipation. Anticipation is the key to making sure your audience remains engaged, attentive and keeps watching until the end.
In order to create anticipation, you could simply let your audience know that you’ll be sharing or giving them something special very soon, without revealing exactly what.
For example, if you’re in the health and fitness industry, you could say, “in a few minutes from now I’ll share with you where you can grab a complimentary copy of my brand new recipe book before it hits the book stores, to help you burn fat and build muscles”.
Or if you don’t have anything to give away, you could simply tell your audience that you’ll be revealing some very important tips.
For example, if you’re in the golf industry, you could say something like “during this Instagram live, I’ll also be revealing how professional golfers mentally prepare before a big tournament”. The process of telling people what they’re about to receive or discover creates enough anticipation for them to remain engaged and attentive.
Another mistake to avoid with Insta lives is not having a strong start to the broadcast.
In order to capture your audience’s attention right from the start, start strong and powerfully by stating who you are, welcoming your audience and stating what you’re about to share and why they should be watching with excitement and enthusiasm.
Don’t start the broadcast by saying “can you hear me, can you see me?”. Instead, you could say “Hi, this is Sam Tompson and welcome to this Instagram live video. Today I’ll be sharing with you how to dramatically improve your golf swing in 3 easy steps and at the end of the broadcast I’ll also share with you how you can secure your copy of my brand new ebook for free all about the 10 success secrets of the world’s best golfers”.
It’s important when starting an Instagram live video, to know exactly what you’ll say right at the start and avoid umming and erring or looking confused about the technology or the different tabs, or by moving around trying to find a better camera angle.
This can make you come across as unprofessional and unprepared.
The seventh mistake to avoid with Instagram live streaming, is having a shaky camera.
If you’re moving around too much or shaking your camera too much it makes it a really bad viewing experience for people and they might leave your broadcast.
It’s ok to record your Insta lives while walking but use tools that help you keep your camera steady such as a stabilizer grip tripod. If you will be standing still during your live broadcast, place your phone against a wall or another object to keep it steady.
The final mistake to avoid is not being in the right location. Make sure you’re in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted by phone calls, or people coming in and out or making noise.
Also make sure you’ve got good lighting, avoid poorly lit places that will make your video look too dark, or will make you have shadows on your face.
Also avoid places that have too much lighting as it can make you look too white. It’s also important that your set is not too cluttered as it can be quite distracting for your audience.
If you’d like to take your Instagram marketing to the next level, and increase the results you’re getting from your current Instagram marketing efforts considerably, download my FREE Instagram report, titled The Top 15 Instagram Marketing Strategies That Drive Traffic And Sales. Simply enter your name and email and I’ll instantly send you the report.
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About the Author
Corinna Essa is known internationally as the go-to person when it comes to social media marketing.
Corinna owns a social media marketing company helping businesses around the world leverage the power of social media without doing any of the legwork. Her company has been featured in many media outlets including Sky Business news, Working Women magazine, Ymagazine, Tasmanian Times, Channel 7 and 101fm.
Corinna is also the author of 2 bestselling books “Money On Demand – The 16 Fastest Ways to Becoming a Millionaire Online” and “Reach: The SECRETS to converting your social media audience into your network marketing downline fast”
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