The Brief History that you Might want to Know but not really

 

So, I’m sure you’re already aware of Facebook Live. Its initial launch was around August 2015. After nine months, April 2016, it was finally available to everyone! And yes, also for pages. And what do pages mean? Businesses.

Since its launch, Facebook live has met problems and issues such as the content of the videos that will be displayed. All kinds of contents can and will be posted live. Another one for a cause of concern was where would Facebook ads be placed? Such was a concern for businesses and business owners alike. Stopping a live video for an ad isn’t really a good idea.

 

However despite the concerns, one can argue that Facebook Live was a huge success. Especially for businesses. It has been used as a platform for showcasing, promoting, and selling your products. You know, it’s just really different when it’s live. It’s like your actually interacting with your customers, but through videos.

 

Here comes the New Feature

 

You know Facebook Live right? Good. You always do shopping right? Probably, depending on your gender (calm down, I’m only joking). You’re a business owner potentially looking to sell your product or service right? Good. And finally, you’re always on the internet right? Definitely! If you agree to all of the above mentioned statements, then Facebook Live’s new feature will surely excite you!

Here’s the gist of it. Facebook Live will be implementing to businesses a feature to showcase and sell their products live on video. But one might say “can’t you do this already?” Well, yes. Since people have definitely showcased and sold their products using Facebook Live before, this is nothing new. However, this new feature will makes it easier for potential customers and sellers alike to purchase and sell. How?

What I noticed thus far is that, this is not a single feature. But rather, multiple features that are treated as one. From what I can gather, potential customers will be able to screenshot the shown product of their choosing. Of course, it’s hard to take a screenshot of a live video. That’s why Facebook Live will have a designated button for you to click in order to take a screenshot with ease. However, that is only according to what I’ve researched. This may very well not become true. But when it does, it will certainly be much easier. Another convenient thing, the payment can be made directly through the app itself. Your customers won’t have to use third party sites to pay. Just think how convenient is that! But as I’ve said, this is only from what I have gathered.

 

Facebook has been testing out this new feature in a select few pages. I hear the majority (or even all) of these pages are from Thailand since Facebook Live has been a platform there to sell one’s product. Since videos are very important in the marketing world, if this is made available through businesses, just imagine the potential it has! A cause for concern though is that, Facebook said that it doesn’t have any plans to expand on this feature. However, it’s highly possible that this feature will surely be implemented. Afterall, we live in the age of digital marketing.

 

Those are the only informations I can give out, for now at least. It’s likely that there will be more features to come while Facebook is testing this new idea of theirs. Until then, we can only hope that this feature will come true and be further improved upon by Facebook.

The Build Up To The Potential

 

Videos have been rising in popularity, especially in the marketing department. Just look at the statistics that videos bring! It’s almost ridiculous how well videos do. Why are online videos doing so well? It’s because they are an evolution. An evolution of what you say? Television. We humans are visual creatures. Our vision is our most dominant sense. That’s why we love (or loved) television so much. It offered us endless amounts of visual satisfaction. However, when online videos started to gain track, television started to lose its momentum. Why? Because online videos were the new television. They’re the evolution of television. And what’s next after online pre-recorder videos? You guessed it. Live online videos.

 

There’s one thing that seperates pre-recorded videos and live videos. And that’s interaction. Interaction is very important to your audience. But why, you ask? Because it shows that you’re human. You’re not just a brand. You’re not just a business. You’re a human who has feelings, who cares for people, who wants what’s best for his audience. And when people see this, they look at you not as a business. They look at you as a person. That’s what’s important.

 

The Actual Potential

Moving past the overly inspirational and moving speech, let’s now get to the actual information you’re looking for. The question is what can live videos do for you right? Wrong! Your question should be what can live videos do for your audience. Keep that in mind guys.

More Customers
– People want convenience. Us human beings, want the easiest way to accomplish something. That’s just the nature of us humans. Even our brain is wired that way. Have you ever had that feeling when you want to buy something but it’s not worth it to go all through the trouble to buy it? If you ever had that feeling, you’re not the only one. Many or even all of us experience that on a somewhat consistent basis. If this new feature makes it more easier to buy, then naturally, more people would be inclined to buy.Thus, you can expect more people to buy from your business.

Facebook is putting time
– Facebook is a huge company to say the least. Every move it makes, people are watching, staying tuned just to observe. The slightest mistake Facebook could make can lead up to a huge loss for them. That’s why if Facebook is taking the time and effort to do a project, it’s likely that they’ll commit it. And when they commit, expect the current features to even better than before. They’ll also likely to add more features, attracting even more of your target audience. That’s not too bad.

Live Videos are the next step

– As I’ve said before, live videos are the next step. Just look at the statistics! Live videos since 2016 have taken the world by storm. People of all ages live stream. 80% of people would rather watch a live video from a brand rather than read a blog (credits to livestream.com). Live videos specifically. And Facebook is betting that live videos are the next thing. That’s why they’re implementing these features to Facebook Live. So jump in the band wagon before it’s too late. This is the next step not only in terms of entertainment, but in marketing as well.

 

Conclusion

All that’s said and done, this is still not yet a thing. The feature is still being tested. Even though we have high hopes for this, it may come to us as a dissapointment. Worst case scenario, it’s a dead on arrival. So don’t just invest everything you have in Facebook Live. Invest the time and money that you can afford.