Facebook Live & Facebook Watch
Launched five years ago in 2017, Facebook Watch is builtin into Facebook and is also an app you can download. Watch is an on-demand service that combines video sharing with on-demand content. Both formed in an app and on line through Facebook as well. It can be found on its own Watch tab, which is similar to the Marketplace and Messenger tabs. Facebook Watch has a combine sort of mixture of content from set alone users and professionally-produced content Facebook pays to have produced on the watch feature. Similar to YouTube Premium, which includes your usual ad included YouTube videos (except YouTube Premium takes that factor out) and exclusive original programming, however to separate the two, Facebook Watch is free for all. Unlike Messenger, which requires you to download an additional app, you can access Facebook Watch from within the main Facebook app. The exception is Microsoft, which has a separate Facebook Watch app for Windows. Facebook watch has three elements of parts. 1. Watch Feed: Your Watch feed is personalized and shows you a range of videos that match your interests. 2.
Watchlist: Watchlist gives you a dedicated place to keep up with the videos from Pages you follow. You can customize which Pages you want to see in your watchlist. 3. Social Enhancement: Watch is dedicated to making videos social through features like Watch Parties, Page Parties and Facebook Live.
Facebook Live is a feature of Facebook that allows its users to live broadcast where they are and what they are doing to the audience that pops in to see. It is often utilized by small businesses. With Live’s interactive tools, you can implement meaningful communication with your audience ultimately forming customer loyalty and have more control over how you engage with your fans. This includes live polls, featured links, live in Stories, live comment moderation, front row, badges just to name a few. Live can also be used to run donation pages and campaigns.
Brands’ Use of Live/Watch
Larger Brands typically use the Live/Watch feature to keep up with their status with Facebook and to promote products/services. Big brand names such as Benefit Cosmetics use Facebook Live/Watch to promote new upcoming deals, holiday events, sales, and new products. Brands don’t necessarily do “Live shopping events” however they do have live events for pop-up events, new location openings, and other location events. “Facebook Watch is a free video-on-demand service that Facebook users can use for streaming premium content, as well as sharing their own videos with the community.”
Small Businesses typically use this feature from Facebook to have “Live shopping events”. Live Shopping has not only boosted sales for small businesses but it can be fun for their audience too. (But that’s a section for another time). Small businesses use of the Facebook live feature keeps their business in, well, business. Facebook live is such a crucial feature of the way small businesses thrive it’s that piece of the puzzle that drives their sales. Oftentimes most small businesses rely on the Facebook Live feature to drive their sales and engagement.
Small businesses will utilize Facebook live in various ways and this can be utilized in a “Call to Action”. This can be expressed in the live user asking their audience “Where are you coming from?”, “Tag your friends, tell them about this limited sale during our live!”, and “Share our stream for a chance to win the live raffle!”. Another topic in the Live realm is Messenger Rooms. This feature allows you to turn your room into a co-hosted Facebook Live. In which small businesses can easily take advantage of with collaborating with other businesses and even hosting events with more known audiences. You can also go live with up to 50 people to a Facebook Profile, Page, or Group you manage.
Engagement with their Audience
As talked about before small businesses use the Live feature to engage with their audience most of the time through sales. Small businesses engage with their audience during Live sessions through not only sales but also through deals in the middle of the Live. Often times small businesses will through deals, discounts, and extra “throw-ins” into their audience’s order or to the audience, in general, to bring in more engagement. Small businesses will use the “Live” feature on Facebook to connect their staff to the live audience to promote the customer to businesses relationship by connecting with all of the staff and not just the owner. Not to mention being shown that you, a small business, are good at Facebook live will promote sales as a whole with your audience and this can be shown through knowing how to start and end the live, the transitions between live sessions, and even tagging, engaging, and sharing their live on different platforms to bring awareness to their live sessions for sales.
Brands engage with their audience through the Live feature by answering the audience’s questions during live events revolving around “pop-ups” or anything really. Brands will mostly use Facebook Live to engage with their audience on their questions to keep that viewer loyalty. The goal Facebook Watch is to help content creators and publishers to find an audience that will watch their content and build a relationship to that brand. Watch also builds a community of enthusiastic fans, and to also earn money for their work. Brands will utilize this in various ways
Summary
Small businesses and brands both utilize watch and live in their own ways catered to their set up and style of what they are and what they do.
For Facebook Live being utilized by small businesses to its maximum potential to drive engagement, reach, and sales and from brands maximizing use of Facebook Watch to gain traction on their most recent launches and upcoming events.
Overall both are fantastic to use and utilize for your branding and small business needs.
Teaching Social Media 