The Latest Trend in Instagram Live

The good thing about Instagram Live is it allows everyone an equal opportunity to reach the target audiences. Small business owners can advertise to anyone by presenting the products on the platform. Instagram Live is now a staple among businesses trying to reach a significant chunk of the market. If you’re one of them, it pays to know the latest trends. Here are some of them. 

You can now use it for much longer

When this feature started, users only had an hour at most. It’s much longer today. You can use the live feature for four hours. It means that you can use it to entertain more questions, present more products, or discuss more company details. It brings your business closer to the audience. While an hour seems long, it’s not enough when your goal is to reach out to many people. Hence, extending the available time is good news.

Notify the viewers

Even before you go live, you can inform the possible viewers about the schedule. Unless they turn it off, there will be a notification on the upcoming live session. The good thing about it is it allows an increase in potential viewers. They can also invite their friends to come over and tune in as you go live. Others might even throw questions even before you begin. Hence, you will have time to prepare the responses. You can even tweak your planned segments to accommodate the overwhelming questions. 

Use the question sticker

Once you go live, questions will keep popping up on your screen. It may also include messages from your loyal followers. Since everything moves quickly, you will have a hard time reading all of them. The good thing is you can now use the question sticker feature. It automatically sifts through all the messages and highlights the top questions, so it's easier to answer them. Even when the session is over, the sticker can stay up for those who missed it.

Follow a format

Back then, abutting went with Instagram Live. You don't even have to plan anything since you have the entire hour to keep talking. The problem is that most people don't have time to waste, so they need to know what you plan to do even before you go live. Besides, without a format, there will be tons of dead air. No one wants it. You might even lose your loyal viewers because of it.

The most common formats are question and answer sessions, product launch, behind the scene, and collaboration with other companies or influencers. Let everyone know what will happen during the session, and the most interested viewers will be there.

Maximize other platforms

While notifications help, they’re not enough to maximize the number of viewers. Don’t wait for people to come. The trend is to use whatever platform is available to ask everyone to come and see what you have to offer. Be creative in advertising the upcoming live session. Remember crediting content creators, could adversely affect your company's reputation. Your future live sessions will also have fewer viewers. New features allow you to connect with your Facebook followers automatically. If they're not yet following your Instagram account, it helps in extending the information to them.

Try switching the camera views

Another strategy, when you want to go live, is to switch the camera views. You can show what's happening around you if necessary. If you wish to show your face and continue the discussion, you can also do it. Switching up the views makes things more interesting. 

Go Instagram Live with a friend

Collaborations are a huge deal these days. On Instagram live, it means that you can talk to an influencer. When you combine your followers, it could lead to massive views. You may even work on an actual collaboration of products and services. It boosts your online presence and expands your potential market. Of course, you must inform the other person about your plan. It’s embarrassing if you end up getting declined when you press the call button. 

Use the face filters

Face filters aren’t something new. They’ve been around for a while. However, they’re usually for pictures. Today, you can use filters to add humor and excitement when doing Instagram live. It also makes you feel comfortable with your appearance. There are times when you wish to go live even if you didn’t put on makeup. With the filters, it won’t be an issue anymore. 

Hopefully, you reach more people with this platform and convert them into loyal customers.