With over 800 million active users (as of September 2017), Instagram is an essential element of social media marketing for business. Instagram Live is an incredible channel that can help drive new followers to your account while staying one step ahead of your competitors. It is easy to go live on Instagram – just swipe right from the feed and BOOM you’ve opened the camera. Just tap the ‘Start Live Video’ button and it will start to record. All your followers will receive a notification that you have started a live video – if they have notifications set up or they are on Instagram the moment you go live. But do you know how to use this engaging feature to your advantage?

How Instagram Live can benefit your business:

1. Connect with new followers

Instagram’s followers are active on the platform. It is a great platform to connect with (new) users, and build a relationship with your followers.

2. Launches and demonstrations

Using Instagram Live as a place to post teasers or make announcements to your audience. The business will need to make the announcements exciting and engaging.

3. Driving traffic to your profile

Traffic to your profile can assist in bringing new users to your profile. You can draw in a fresh audience base by announcing on your Twitter or Facebook that you have a live feed happening on your Instagram account.

4. Q and A

A popular subject to host on your Instagram Live is a Q and A session. These can be fun and you can interact directly with your followers. It can be hosted in collaboration with an influencer who can draw in an audience. Questions can be asked live or they can be sent prior to the session.

What to do before going live:

1) Set a date and time for when you will go live. Then keep your followers informed on the platform either via a post or on your Instagram Stories.
2) Provide relevant hashtags to boost visibility.
3) Briefly outline what you will be speaking about and make notes of some of the topics that you will be touching on. This is to make sure that you can keep your audience’s attention with content that is exciting.
4) Instagram Live makes use of your cellphone camera and its built-in microphone. Test them before going live to make sure that they work.
5) Choose the time that you will be going live wisely. You don’t want to be live when your audience is at work or fast asleep. Late afternoons or evenings are usually a time when most users are online.

I hope that these tips have helped you to understand Instagram Live a bit better. Comment below and tell us about your favourite Instagram Live videos.