By Leticia Remauro
The world of marketing is changing because the largest generation inhabiting the Earth – the Millennials – are starting to call the shots.
If you haven’t noticed, Millennials look at marketing differently than the generations before them. For Millennials, the phrase “bigger and better” means that the product is wasteful, and “new and improved” means you didn’t get it right the first time. “Crazy Eddie” type commercials are a turn off to Millennials who prefer their marketing to be engaging rather than loud and over the top.
Millennials are the most educated generation so if you want them to buy your product, you have to be smart about it – and what smarter way to market to a Millennial than by speaking to them in a language they understand?
Millennials are visual. They photograph and videotape everything then post it to social media sites such as SnapChat, Facebook and Instagram. Contrary to popular belief, even though Millennials are the only generation to have been born with technology, when it comes to shopping they prefer to see and touch the product than to purchase on-line. They will use the internet to do their research, but when it comes to the actual purchase they want to hop on their bicycles and go somewhere to buy something rather than sit at home and wait for it to be delivered.
Now that I gave you a bit of background about how Millennials want to receive information, let me tell you how you can deliver your message to them in the way they want to receive it at no cost to you. That’s right – I said Free.
Facebook Live is a exactly what the name indicates – a live video broadcast from your page to your audience. It is simple to use and great for connecting with the generation that traded reading for video watching.
All you need to do is access your Facebook page via your smart phone, click the Live icon located just under the “What’s on your mind?” question then hold it up so that your whole face appears in the screen and start talking.
Everything you do from that point on will be broadcast to your viewers until you click the end button. Once your broadcast is finished you can upload your video to your Facebook page or download it to post on your website.
Facebook live is a powerful marketing tool because your audience is ready and waiting to receive your message. You don’t have to purchase air time on certain television shows and pray that the viewer doesn’t fast forward through your costly commercial. With Facebook Live, so long as your audience is on Facebook they will be able to see your live stream.
What’s even better is that the live stream is interactive so viewers can give you feedback as you are broadcasting so you will know whether or not they enjoyed your message and that interaction is recorded on the video once you upload it.
If you aren’t using Facebook Live, you are missing out on a serious marketing opportunity. If you do go live just remember these tips:
- Make sure that you and your product look good. Don’t broadcast unless the space around you looks neat and tidy;
- Keep your broadcast interesting. Long segments of silence and inactivity will put your viewer to sleep;
- Don’t forget to announce yourself and your product. Branding is important so make sure your product is in the shot;
- How to videos are the most watched. People like to learn so teach them something about your product and what it can do.
If you want to know more about Facebook Live or how to take full advantage of social media marketing, give me a call at 718 873-4004 or email me at [email protected].