8 Mistakes to Avoid With Instagram Live
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. 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.
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.
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?”.
