Facebook Live gets the BEST reach and engagement than any other type of content. Bar none. But, you can’t just do one Facebook Live and expect your reach, interactions and results to suddenly go through the roof.

There’s a real art and science to working with Facebook’s algorithms so that you maximize every ounce of value from your efforts. And, even more importantly, to ensure you’re actually driving real results from each broadcast. That is, motivating and inspiring your audience to take the action you want them to take in a natural, non-pushy, non-salesy way!

Initially, engagement metrics are all incredibly important to monitor, e.g. reach, video views, comments, shares and reactions. Most people stop there. But, your ultimate goal is traffic, leads and sales. I designed this "GO LIVE with Mari Smith" program to be laser focused on how to consistently generate revenue from your stunning, professional Facebook Live broadcasts!!

Facebook Live first launched in August 2015 via mobile only. I remember exactly where I was at the time. I was on stage in Dallas, Texas giving a talk on Facebook marketing to a group of dynamic women business owners. I pulled out my phone and did a short demo from the stage of a Facebook Live video on my business Page. The entire audience watched the live stream on their phones. Everyone was enthralled and wanted to know how to use the feature to help their businesses.

Fast forward five+ years and it is truly magical that we now have the ability to broadcast professional, television-quality live video and connect with our audiences real-time. This arena of LIVE video + LIVE selling is only going to grow bigger and bigger and bigger in the coming months and years. Especially now that the entire world has had to massively shift to predominantly virtual events in every way possible.

Plus, Facebook and Instagram are currently rolling out the ability to connect Shops with live streaming so viewers can purchase real-time. Just like QVC or HSN (Home Shopping Network) where television viewers purchase real-time. This alone is a total game changer!

And, the feature is not just for product-based online retailers; Instagram confirmed live-shopping will be coming for all types of businesses, including information product creators and service based businesses.

In January 2018, Mark Zuckerberg overhauled the News Feed algorithms (yet again!) to favor meaningful social interactions. This pivot was to ensure that the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent. (Experts speculated this was very likely a nod to the Center for Humane Technology, formerly known as Time Well Spent, founded by Tristan Harris and one of the leading featured experts in the recent documentary The Social Dilemma). This is a very good thing. It was basically a mental health play, which I fully support.

In fact, Facebook has a separate mission statement for video, and that is to:

“Create shared experiences and a sense of belonging through video.”

Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, on stage at Facebook's first ever Communities Summit (held in Chicago, IL on June 22, 2017) unveiling his company's new mission statement. [Image credit: Facebook/Getty Images] Facebook's video mission statement superimposed by Mari Smith.

Facebook does not want users to passively consume video as this can lead to lowered sentiment: people not feeling good about themselves or about Facebook. By integrating as many social features into the video watching experience, this is how Facebook strives to differentiate. That’s why Facebook Live gets as much as 6x the engagement as non-live videos.

• Only using your phone to broadcast with Facebook Live (because you think it’s way too complicated and expensive to stream from your computer). 📲
• Only going live on your Facebook personal profile or in a private Facebook group, and avoiding live video on your public Facebook business Page (because you believe organic reach is dead on business pages).
• Rarely streaming live on your Facebook business Page at all, or only very sporadically (because it feels like too much effort, or you just can’t find the time).
• Not thinking clearly about the audience you're speaking to and your message for them when you do go live.

• Broadcasting without a clear plan; just turning on the camera and blabbing away with no structure or end game. 🤪
• Never spending a dime on Facebook Ads (either the Boost button or in Ads Manager) because you’re unsure how to invest in Facebook ads, or are afraid of wasting your money.
• Omitting critical calls-to-action. (Specifically, feeling reluctant to ask for the sale, which is an extremely common mistake, especially in certain industries!)
• Broadcasting via Instagram Live but rarely ever with Facebook Live (which means you’re missing out on a big segment of your audience).

If you're making even ONE of the above mistakes, let me help you finally SIMPLIFY all the crazy complexities of Facebook marketing and focus on the exact components you need to move the needle to accomplish REAL results! And, you can ignore all the rest of the noise out there.

GEAR: Exactly what video hardware you need to set up a stunning home studio.

This will allow you to livestream beautifully and professionally every time, whether you’re hosting your own show (Facebook Live broadcasts) and/or you’re a guest on other shows. Don’t worry, the gear won’t break the bank. I have suggestions for every budget and a path to clear improvement, from immediate increases in quality right on up to your dream studio. Remember, having stunning livestreams makes you jump off the screen and people literally take you more seriously.

SOFTWARE: Which livestreaming programs fit your needs.

There is a vast array of choices out there including Facebook’s own Live Producer. The type of software you need is governed by many decisions, such as whether you use a Mac or PC computer, you plan to do interviews with one or more guests on your broadcasts; you want to share your screen, share your phone, put comments up on the screen, have graphics/lower thirds on the screen, etc. etc. I’ll walk you through the myriad choices with my simple checklists to help you get the right (affordable!) solution for your needs.

FEARS: How to overcome the four big ones.

Is it any wonder you might be struggling to embrace streaming live when there are several fears stopping you? The four big ones I’ve identified that people have are:

• The fear of being on camera, which is an extremely close cousin of the #1 fear: public speaking. In fact, being live on camera can be even more scary than being live on a stage in person because now you’re dealing with all that tech, too. 
• The fear of tech. Not knowing what ‘button to press,’ or fear of something going wrong and you won’t know how to handle it.
• The fear of what to say. This is very much related to #1 because, even if you did manage to turn on the camera and now you’re live, you might feel like a deer in the headlights wondering how to get your message across. 
• The fear of asking for the sale. Maybe you didn’t even realize you have this fear?! So many clients and students I’ve worked with over the years are really good at producing content and engaging, too. But, what’s so often missing is the most important component, which is conversion. You must be able to convert all this effort into actual traffic, leads and sales. 

I’ll help you address these four common fears and provide my proven ways to overcome them!

REACH: How to increase the reach of your live videos using my proven organic and paid methods. 

We'll go through exactly what Facebook is looking for with both live and recorded videos and how to set yourself up for success to play into Facebook’s goals and algorithms. There's a lot of confusion out there just now with many small business owners thinking that Facebook pages are 'dead' and it's only groups that can work. This is simply not true!

OPTIMIZE: Ensure you plan for perfect performance of each livestream.

Which Facebook Live features you need to know and what is simply superfluous. I'll walk you through my checklists for what to do before, during and after every single live video broadcast to ensure maximum performance... every time! We'll be covering everything from planning, scheduling, promoting, engaging, converting, along with post-production such as trim, clips, series, playlists, captions, Watch Parties and more!

REVENUE: How to make money from each Facebook Live you do.

This module will be the one you'll want to pay most attention to! I'll show you the exact steps to generating consistent revenue from your own offers, whether you're a product based or service based business. And, whether you have a physical store/business or you're entirely online. Whether you do e-commerce or not.

COLLABS: How to get partners, sponsors and brand ambassador deals.

Along with making money from your own offers, this module will really open your eyes to some incredible revenue-generating opportunities that you may not have identified before. In fact, this area alone has been one of my biggest and most consistent money-makers for many years now, generating multiple six-figure contracts from several brands alone!

MONETIZATION: Which Facebook features are right for you?

Facebook continues to come up with ways to empower creators to monetize their efforts. Some of these tools are (marginally!) worth it, some are a waste of time. We'll definitely review these various features and see which ones might be a fit for you, including the new Paid Online Events (POE), Stars (for both Live and uploaded videos), in-stream ads rev-share, and real-time Shopping while livestreaming on Facebook or Instagram.

METRICS: How to measure real results.

This part is absolutely key, because you have to know the difference between ‘proxy’ social media metrics and actual business metrics. We'll go into how to set and measure your own benchmarks and KPIs, along with understanding Facebook’s vast array of video metrics for all videos and for Live: which ones to hone in on and which ones to ignore.

IMAGE: Pro tips on style, makeup, lighting and more.

I've been blessed to work with a personal stylist/image consultant since 2012. My stylist has made a huge difference to my on-stage and on-camera appearance. She taught me very key distinctions that make all the difference and I'll happily share them with you. (As some of my longtime friends and fans know, I used to only ever wear shades of blue, which was a super-fun way to establish my branding in the early days of focusing on Facebook starting in 2007. However, my stylist helped me to completely overhaul my wardrobe that really expanded my personal branding and market positioning).

INSTAGRAM: How to maximize your livestreams and video on IG as well.

We will also briefly touch on Instagram Live video + IGTV and Reels, along with the same/similar Instagram monetization options. You can make money on Instagram with your own offers, affiliate offers, Brand Ambassador partnerships, Badges (limited to some users), and coming in 2021 is IGTV ad rev-share.

By the end of this program, you'll be able to...

• Enjoy your fully operational upgraded live streaming studio
• Look and sound your absolute best on camera - every time, even for your Zoom meetings
• Increase your confidence significantly on camera
• Deliver rock solid live streams that yield real results
• Know how to negotiate collaborations and potential Brand Ambassador deals
• Generate traffic, leads and sales from your Facebook Live videos
• Understand exactly how to fully optimize each broadcast
• Get the best reach for all your videos, whether organic or paid