Grow and Engage Your Followers With Instagram Live
Instagram allows its users to stream live videos using Instagram Live. Users can find the option right where they go to create Instagram Stories. It is an excellent tool to boost your audience engagement, connect with your followers directly, share news and announcements, and build your brand.
But if you are wondering that maybe going live is just a fading craze, then you must know this isn’t really true. According to a recent report, the majority of the social media users admitted that they would prefer watching a live video over reading a blog or seeing a social media post. Moreover, most people who watched a live video purchased tickets to a similar event the next time it took place.
Live Videos are not just a fad; they are very popular and definitely here to stay, which makes it even more crucial for your brand to realize its value and utilize it properly for your audience.
In this blog, we will explore the ways you can start using Instagram Live, a few tips for the same, and some creative ideas that will help you stream a successful live video today!
3 Simple Steps to Go Live on Instagram
Streaming a live video on Instagram is really easy. All you need to have is a well Instagram account, an internet connection, and a smartphone (since most of its features are available on mobile only). And then dive straight into the first step!
- Tap the camera
Launch the app, and on the top left corner of your screen, you’ll see the camera button. Tap on it. Doing so will open your camera where you can click, record, or upload a photo or video from your phone gallery to make an Instagram Story.
- Swipe left
You’ll be able to see three options there at the bottom – Live, Camera, and Reels. Swipe left or simply tap on the Live option.
- Go Live
Tap on the button appearing on your screen to go live. The app will first check your phone’s internet connection properly to make sure your live streaming isn’t interrupted in between.
Well, that’s pretty much it, just like we said, three simple and easy steps!
Pro Tip: You can see the number of people viewing your live on the top right corner of your screen. Plus, the comments will also be displayed there as your viewers send them.
However, don’t let those flying hearts on your screen distract you. That’s just your audience showering their love and telling you that you’re doing amazing.
At the bottom, you can see several features available that you can use in your live video to make it more interesting. These features include:
- Questions – Before going live, you can conduct a Q&A session and ask a question from your followers. When you go live, you can answer these responses by tapping on the “?” button.
- Send – You can also forward your live video to any of your followers or Instagram users during the streaming session.
- Invite a guest – This feature lets you invite another user to join your live video by tapping the two faces icon. When you add a guest, you both will appear in the live video on a split-screen.
- Filters – You can also choose different filters during your live to pepper it with more fun.
- Switch Camera – This feature lets you go from selfie to normal mode.
Once you are done with your live streaming, you can tap the “End” button available on the top right corner of your screen. Well, there you go, you just did your first Instagram live!
3 Hacks for Using Instagram Live
If you genuinely want to step up your game, implement these hacks during your next Instagram live stream.
- Set a SMART Goal
When it comes to social media, knowing how to set the right goals is vital to success, and this goes for your Instagram Live goals too.
There is a huge difference between diving into a live video without any plan or goals and going live, knowing exactly what you want to achieve and how you are going to do it.
And if you want to be in the latter category, you need to set a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely) goal.
- Specific – Your goal needs to be specific. For instance, a poor goal would be “I want to stream a good live video” because it’s unclear. On the other hand, a good goal would be “I want 25% more viewers in my next live video” because it’s definite and focused.
- Measurable – Your goal should be measurable. For instance, “I want to acquire 50 new followers on my Instagram account” is a good goal because you have a benchmark for success, and you can measure the number of followers you have gained.
- Achievable – Your goal needs to be doable for you or your brand. For instance, “I want to become the most followed person on Instagram” is most likely not possible (unless, of course, you are the legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo). On the other hand, “I want to have 10K followers” is totally achievable.
- Relevant – Your goal has to be relevant. Ask yourself, “Is this goal important for my brand and me right now?” If the answer is no, then leave it then and there and chase the one that really matters.
- Timely – Setting a deadline for your goal is mentally vital. Not only does it help you stay more focused, but it also gives you more motivation and push to chase your goal. For example, “I want to host two live videos with guests by the end of this month” is an excellent and timely goal.
So, sit down to determine SMART Instagram Live goals for your brand that will help you grow and engage your followers.
- Build a Video Map
Consider your Instagram Live Streams as a little daycation. You must know all the pit stops you’d like to make as you travel to your final destination.
Similarly, it’s crucial to build a map of your live videos. Jot down all the points or topics you want to cover in your live video and how much time you want to spend on each of them.
Are you interviewing an influencer or thought leader in your industry? Prepare all the questions; you want to ask them when you would like to make an introduction, and when you will accept questions from the viewers.
Are you launching a new product/service via live streaming? Write down all the features and benefits of your product that you want to convey to your audience.
By doing so, you will be able to keep your live video focused and on the course. Or else there’s a good chance that it will easily go off the tracks.
- Engage Your Audience
Instagram provides you with an ideal platform to interact with your target audience in real-time via Live Streaming. When you go live, you need to build a relationship, a connection, and trust with your audience – which are all essential factors for a flourishing brand.
Just like any other relationship in the world, engaging and establishing a strong relationship with your followers will take time, effort, and energy, actually lots of them. Answering a few of their questions during your live stream is not enough. You have to hear your audience, understand what they want, and give it to them.
That’s the only way you can win their trust.
7 Creative Ideas to Inspire Your Next Instagram Live Stream
Just like we promised, here are seven great ideas that will help you host an engaging Instagram live stream for your followers. So, next time you run out of ideas, you know where to look!
- Collaboration With an Industry Influencer
Collaborating with an influencer or thought leader in your industry is the best tried and tested way to increase your brand awareness and gain more followers easily.
These influencers are the people that your followers most probably are very well familiar with and respect. When you partner up with them, they bring more power and influence to your brand and expand your audience by introducing your brand to more other prospects.
Instagram Live presents you with a perfect place for such collaborations. Using the “Add a guest” feature, users can invite influencers for an interview, do Q&A sessions with the audience, or just to have a normal chat with them.
- Go Live at an Event
If you are attending an industry event that you or somebody else is hosting, then it’s time to hit that “Go Live” button.
Or perhaps your company is receiving an award? Well, there’s no better place to go live then. This is something your audience should and would love to see.
It might as well be a corporate party or a fundraiser event that your brand is hosting. Again, this will be an excellent opportunity to show your audience your brand’s human and jolly side.
Going live at events will help increase that omnipotent FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) factor, which further helps in creating intensive publicity and excitement for your upcoming events. This would be amazing if you want your audience to join your next event.
- Host Your Workshop or Tutorial
Hosting a ‘how-to’ workshop is another great thing you can do via your Instagram Live. Due to the platform’s global nature, it lets you connect with users from all around the world and also provides you with the opportunity to answer their questions, if any, in real-time. Influencers, celebrities, and businesses are increasingly using live streaming to host tutorials and workshops for their audiences.
Such live videos are usually very engaging, amusing, and fun. They are very effective in keeping the viewers hooked to their seats till the end.
For example, famous models and fashion influencers often create live makeup tutorials for their audience so that they can see how these celebrities get those stunning photos all the time!
Even if you are not a world-famous star, there are still numerous ways you can offer useful lessons to your audience too.
- Q&As
Answering your audience’s questions is an excellent way to build a good relationship with them. Not only does this make them feel noticed, but it also sends out the message that you care for them. This will be especially effective if there are thought leaders within your company.
Simply go to your Instagram Live and ask your audience to ask away whatever they like. Their questions can be regarding anything starting from the latest industry news to your business’s internal operations.
However, just make sure to announce beforehand on your story or post that you will hold a Q&A session for your audience so that when you go live, they will come with their questions prepared. Moreover, this will also help in creating hype for your live video in advance.
- Interview a Colleague
Build transparency with your audience and introduce them to your brand’s human side by interviewing a colleague in your live video.
This is an excellent way to put a face to your business and shower the employees with some love and admiration.
However, you don’t need to make it tough-minded and businesslike. Just ask a few generic questions like their role in the company, their everyday activities, and how they contribute to helping the audience being a part of the organization.
However, it would be great if you can just give your colleague a heads up about your whole plan first instead of barging in with a camera or phone pointed at their face like a paparazzi.
- Talk to a Customer
It doesn’t necessarily have to be an influencer or thought leader or a famous personality every time to give your brand a boost. You would be pretty surprised how effective talking to one of your loyal customers about their love for your product/service can be for your brand. Honestly, it will do you just as good a job at engaging your audience as any industry influencer. Plus, it will be much less expensive!
Does your brand offer health and fitness coaching? Interview a consumer who was able to successfully lose weight and get back in shape because of your services.
Does your brand offer financial advice? Talk to one of your clients who were able to clear off their debts with your help!
These are only examples. The bottom line is if your customers have a positive experience with your company, they make the perfect candidates to join you on your Instagram Live Stream. Moreover, the app lets you save the live video, which means you can keep it forever on your profile as a video testimonial! See, it’s a win-win for you!
- Give Your Reviews
This one’s a bit related to the second idea.
You can use Instagram Live to give your reviews about any recent show you watched, an event you attended, a book you read, a lecture you heard, or anything you like as long as it is relevant to your industry or it’s about a topic that you think your audience will take an interest in, it’s good to go.
For example, if you just finished watching a recent book related to your industry, you can hop on to your Instagram, start your live streaming, and share your instant thoughts about it.
If you saw a recent show regarding any industry-related or trending topic, and have a flaming hot view on it unlike anybody else, then don’t waste time. Go live immediately and share your take with your audience.
However, be sure not to say anything in the heat of the moment that you might regret later.
Moreover, you can also give your reviews on different products or services you have been using lately. Got a new laptop for your business? Share your experience! Bought a new smartphone? Spill the beans on your Instagram Live. Sharing your positive experiences about other brand’s products will help you in building good relationships!
Instagram Live FAQs
How can I save my Instagram Live Videos?
Once you end your live streaming, the app gives you the option to share it on your story. You can watch your video there, and you will find the option to save your story there itself. So, you can click on the “save’ icon to save your Instagram Live Video on your device from there.
Can I limit people from viewing my live videos?
Yes, you can!
Instagram allows its users to restrict who views their live videos. The setting is just the same as you do for your Instagram Stories since that’s where you go to stream your live videos.
From the top left corner of your screen, tap the Camera icon, and then tap the Settings icon from the top left corner again.
Then find and tap on the ‘Hide Story From” option and select the users who you want to restrict from seeing your Instagram live videos.
However, if you want to share your live videos with limited people only, then instead of hiding, you can go to the “Close Friends” option and instead select the users with whom you want to share your Instagram Live Streaming, simple!
How can I turn off the comments on my Instagram Live Streaming?
You can find the option to turn off comments on your live videos by tapping on the three dots icon available in the comment box itself. Then tap “Turn Off Commenting.”
How can I answer questions on Instagram Live?
You can ask your followers to ask you questions for a Q&A session through your Instagram Story.
Create a story with the Questions sticker along with the topic you want to discuss or simply “Ask me anything,” which is there by default.
Then, when you go live on Instagram, you can access all the responses from your followers by tapping the “?” icon available at the bottom beside the comment box. On tapping the icon, a drawer will show up displaying all the replies or questions from your audience that you can answer on your Instagram Live Streaming.
Pick whichever response you’d like to answer, and it will appear on your live video so that the viewers can also see it. Then go on and answer as many as you want!
Conclusion
Instagram Live is an amazing tool to boost and engage your followers in real-time. With the numerous features that the platform offers to its users, Instagram Live Streaming has become a great opportunity to establish a relationship with your audience.
The next time you decide to go live on Instagram, keep the tips in mind, and well if you feel confused about what you should do in your stream this time, we have provided you solutions for that too. So go on, leverage this incredibly powerful tool to increase your reach and accomplish your goals successfully.