Skip to main content

Facebook Live for Advisors: 5 Mistakes to Avoid

By July 18, 2018September 11th, 2023Featured, Marketing, Speaking

When you interview other service providers who target the same niche that you do, you can bring value to your audience and extend your reach at the same time.  This is a practice I have used for years with my Implement Now Virtual Summit and countless webinars.  Take the same concept and leverage social media like your Facebook page to educate your audience in real time, and you can take your marketing to a whole new level!

On Air Sign

Enter Facebook Live

A cooler, more relevant way to connect with prospects and clients.  Talk about meeting people where they are!  With the push of a button and your laptop’s or mobile phone’s camera, you are broadcasting your message live!  And, if you’ve planned it well, people are even watching!

Have you tried this yet? No?

Phew, I have caught you in time.

5 Mistakes You Can Prevent

Sharing your message live makes you accessible, approachable, and helps you start to form that trust that is essential for financial advisors to build with prospective and current clients.  It also opens up the risk that something could go wrong.  This does not mean you should skip it, but if you prepare in advance (and do a few practice runs when no one is tuned in) you can avoid these five broadcasting mistakes:

1. Forget to check your microphone settings.

If you’re using a quality microphone such as a Yeti Blu (which I highly recommend), you have to switch your microphone setting from your internal mic to the external connection.  This way you improve your sound quality, eliminate the ‘echo’ or hollow chamber effect, and diminish unwanted ambient sound.

adorable toddler boy child crying from temper tantrum

2.  Give the dog walker or the sitter the day off.

You decide to work from home.  You think, “Hey, I’ll save a few bucks and walk the dog myself today.” Or, “No need for the babysitter, I will be home.”  That’s fine…unless you’re hosting a live broadcast.  Bark! Bark! Bark! is inevitable even from a normally quiet pup.  Same goes for kids, too.  Make sure they’re occupied and know the rules of no interruption.  While you want a quiet spot to host a broadcast, don’t let outside noises fluster you.  Simply carry on and deliver your message.  A good mic (from #1) will help!

3.  Assume you can add your interview guest from your Facebook page when you go live.

Facebook allows this functionality, but the directions are rather convoluted and have specific requirements.  Some people do not yet have access to this feature and only certain operating systems support it.  This may change over time to work better.  But, if you and your guest don’t meet the latest requirements, or you can’t be bothers sorting that out, you can use a service such as BeLive.  This easy-to- use platform allows you to interview a guest, switch from your face to theirs, change up the broadcast as you go and make the video much more intriguing.   This is particularly important if you will be live for more than a few minutes so your audience does not get bored.  (You can go live for up to 4 hours!).  With BeLive you can also do a ‘talk show’ format that has multiple speakers.  Great for a panel discussion!

countdown

4.  Don’t know what you’ll say first when you go live.

Even the most experienced speakers rehearse and memorize the first sentence they will speak, especially when going live!  Practice your welcome message OUT LOUD so you are ready when you hit the Go Live button and the 3-2-1 countdown begins. Confidence out of the gate makes a positive impression and keeps you energized for the content you want to share.

5.  Fail to try because you’re afraid you’ll mess up.

Take it from me (yes, I’ve done a few of these — with plenty of errors!) you will probably make mistakes when you go live the first time.  Don’t let this prevent you from participating!  Sharing a live message where you can teach a concept your audience doesn’t understand, announce a workshop you’re hosting, or converse with another expert who can help your clients is a powerful marketing channel where you can add real value.  The reality is when you go live, it is quite possible no one is watching.  What a perfect time to give it a go!  Wait until you’re comfortable to make the grand announcements to your list or share on social media that you’re going live.  Once you get in the groove, you’ll have videos recorded on your Facebook page that serves as content for your visitors to watch.

Plus, the downside risk is small; if you don’t like your recording, you can always click “delete.”  Your followers have moved on to the video of their grandkids or the latest Trump commentary anyway.

Have you tried out Facebook Live?  Do you have tips to make great content?  Share below in the comments.  

 

Schedule A Call
415-251-5941 | [email protected] | + posts

Kristin is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. Managing her own firm, she grew it from zero to six figures in less than three years, completely from scratch. In 2014 Kristin transitioned full time into training and coaching, where she now helps independent financial advisors to grow their firms.

Leave a Reply

Grow faster and do more of what you love.