EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2016 | Page 31

BRING YOUR BUSINESS TO LIFE
with Facebook’s New Livestream Feature
by Amber Marcoux

L

ive video streaming is one of the hottest trends in social

after it occurred, but I witnessed it firsthand—as it was actually

Livestream as a free feature to its users. (To enable

seat entertainment. I didn't have to wait for evening news on

media, and social media giant, Facebook, now offers

Livestream on your Facebook account, just type “Livestream on
Facebook” in the search bar of your web browser or Facebook
page and install the app on your mobile device.) This feature

offers tremendous opportunities for businesses to engage their
customers and followers in innovative and exciting ways.

Harnessing the power of Livestream should be a consideration

for every business’s social media strategy. To illustrate, I’ll share a
couple of my recent experiences with Livestream.

A few weeks ago I watched a CNN live feed (along with 8

million other viewers) as the New York Police Department took
down the man that climbed the Trump Tower with a pair of

suction cups—all while live chatting with other viewers about

what was happening. True, news articles covered the story just

happening and in the palm of my hand. It was edge-of-your-

television, and the other viewers and I had the chance to share

opinions on why this man would think to climb the Trump Tower
with suction cups. It provided a level of interest and engagement

that just isn’t possible with traditional photos and videos or afternews commentary.

As the social media coordinator for the Halifax Humane

Society, I quickly realized that Livestream was an out-of-the-box

way to grab attention in the world of social media and would be
a great way to engage our 29,000+ Facebook followers. We use
our virtual social media relationships to promote our shelter’s
mission, showcase animals available for adoption, encourage

others to get involved, and educate the community (or even the
world) about the 36 unique programs we run in order to serve

NOVEMBER 2016 | 31 |