The Do's and Don'ts of Facebook Live: What to embrace, what to avoid when livestreaming

As you get comfortable with Facebook Live, it's time to start experimenting with streaming at different times, locations and events! Below are a few of our top "do's" and "don'ts" so you stay ahead of the curve without turning off your audience (or missing a big deal).

Do: Set your phone on airplane mode, but keep wifi on

Make sure you won't be interrupted by a call or the Ding! Ding! Ding! of emails and text messages by setting your phone to airplane mode. In this mode, your wifi will be automatically disabled, so reset your connection before opening Facebook to start streaming.

Don't: Livestream when you're expecting an important call

Of course, if you're in multiple offers or waiting to hear back from an inspector, you shouldn't be in airplane mode. Look at your inbox and assess your day's schedule to ensure that you won't miss a critical call by turning off your inbound calls for 10-15 minutes.

Do: Look at the lens on the camera

Don't: Look at yourself

This is critical! Make sure you follow "selfie rules" when live streaming. That is to say, look at the camera lens and not at yourself. It may seem weird at first, but it will appear best for your viewers on the other side of the screen.

Do: Say hi to people who join the broadcast

Once you're live, you'll see who is watching your stream. Be sure to welcome them so they continue watching or leave a comment.

Don't: Welcome your audience mid-sentence

Your audience is paying attention to YOU, not your growing audience. So while it's great to greet new viewers, it can be distracting to the audience who has already tuned in. Strive to finish each thought, then greet new viewers as you switch topics.

Do: Ask for questions from your audience

Livestreaming doesn't have to be a monologue, and it's great to engage with your viewers to keep them interested and better informed. When giving a virtual tour, consider asking them to guess the listing's price in the comments, or to offer ideas on where they'd put a home office. Before signing off, ask if there is a room they'd like to see again.

Don't: Rely only on audience questions

Even if you're hosting a live stream Q&A, it's important to come armed with content that takes up a few minutes of the initial broadcast. It will take a few minutes for people to tune in and engage, so have a few questions at the ready that you can answer until your audience is warmed up.

Do: Host a virtual open house

For years, agents and technologists have been preparing for the day when virtual open houses would trump live open houses. Despite the introduction of automated listing video tours and even 3D video tours, in-person open houses remain as popular as ever.

However, livestreamed open houses are fast becoming en vogue, and mega-agent Leigh Brown recently proved their worth by hosting a live broadcast of a foreclosure listing that was viewed more than 7,000 times. Try out the trend, then check your metrics 1-2 days later to see if your network responded to this tactic.

Don't: Livestream during an open house

It's fine to arrive early and advertise an open house taking place later that day, but you should never live stream during a live open house. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and it's silly to turn off in-person attendees by livestreaming to people who aren't there. (Also, there's that not-so-little issue of needing permission to broadcast people's faces on the internet.)

What are your top tips?

At this point, you're an old pro at Facebook Live, so please tell us what has worked best for you — and what you'll avoid in the future. We'd love to see how you're engaging your online networks and building your brand with this fast growing, free tool.

To view the original article, visit the Tech Savvy Agent blog.