One of the hardest things on Instagram today is keeping an engaged audience. While there is no easy answer to how you can beat the algorithm, there are many strategies that you as a social media manager can do to improve your own engagement and connection with your audience, and one of them is tuning in your audience to your own Instagram Live sessions.
Hitting the START LIVE VIDEO button on Instagram Live can be intimidating, but with the right preparation, you will be able to create Live sessions that actually make your audience listen, rather than tune out.
- Getting Started on IG Live Means Coming Ready with a Plan
The best way to be prepared when you’re getting started on IG Live is to know your goal, know your topic, and have your talking points ready. Is your IG Live meant to give your audience useful information that they can use later, is it to announce something new, or is it a quick way to chat with your audience and get to know them a little better? No matter what it is, come in with a plan, because the last thing you want to do is go on Live and have an audience that’s just watching awkward silence. A great tip is to talk about what falls into your expertise because your audience will always want to pick your brain.
- Get Rid of Your Camera-Shyness
Your camera shyness is all in your head, and the information and connection your audience want from you are much more important than how nervous you think they see you. They’re not even thinking about how nervous you think you look! Once the camera is on, and you have your talking points ready, you’re good to go and should have nothing to fear. Hone in on your expertise, and talk to your audience. With more practice, the more natural speaking on Live will come to you.
- Create a Consistent IG Live Schedule That Your Audience Will Remember
Consistency is ALWAYS KEY. Creating an engaged audience is a matter of training them to the type of great interactive content that they can expect from you, and when they can expect the opportunities to connect with you. Build an IG Live schedule that allows them to tune in, and get their input on what hours work best for them, so you’re not going live when a majority of them are driving or busy. The less consistent you are with your content, and the times you go Live, the less your audience will tune in.
- Feel Free to Bring in Guest Speakers
A great way to amplify your audience and expose yourself to potential new followers is to invite guest speakers. The best thing about Instagram Live is that you don’t have to be in the same room as a guest speaker to have them on you Live session. Pick a topic that you can both talk about, or even do a quick interview, and you’ll be exponentially diversifying your Instagram Live sessions with a much larger audience. Guest Post on our Insight page.
- Assess Your Performance
The only way you’re going to make your Instagram Live sessions better is by keeping track of your performance and progress. Our best recommendation is to keep a KPI (key performance indicator) sheet of your views for each of your sessions, along with the topics that you spoke about, whether or not you promoted your Live session ahead of time, how many comments and questions you received, or if you had a guest speaker or not. Keep track of what helped your Live sessions perform the best to replicate it for future content, but of course, also assess missed marks and understand why it didn’t perform well.
- Overall Benefits of Doing IG Live on a Consistent Basis
Doing Instagram Live works in two ways, where you can attract your audience to be more engaged with you, and also, you give them the opportunity to be involved in the brand conversation. And once your audience begins participating more by tuning in to your IG Live sessions, as well as engaging with your polls and questions on Stories, you’re also allowing your content to have an opportunity to be boosted up within Instagram’s algorithm. Plus, if you do it on a regular basis, you will only see your content improve.
With these key tips, you’re well on your way to building an even deeper more engaged connection with your Instagram audience. If you find these tips helpful, let us know how you have worked these tips in your own Instagram strategy, and how they’ve helped your Instagram grow!
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