If you are able to accept phone or online orders and ship/deliver items or gift certificates please consider daily Facebook Live Posts to engage potential customers. This will allow you to show potential customers (currently glued to their social media feeds anyway) what items are available that can be ordered over the phone and shipped/delivered. Remind customers that they don’t need to leave their home to support your small business. 

You can adjust the message to what makes the most sense for your business — for example, if you have an online store, invite them to shop online; if you are a restaurant you can show off daily specials or prepared meals available for take-out, or if you are a shop who cannot ship your actual goods you can offer the ability to order gift certificates for future use, etc. If you are a nonprofit you can discuss why your services are important at this time and donations made go to support the local community.

Facebook Live posts are just as easy as regular posts and can be edited once you have uploaded them to your page. Currently, Facebook live posts tend to have better reach and engagement than pre-recorded videos.

Facebook Live Posts

1. Open the FB app on your phone and be sure you are on your business page and not your personal page.
2. Below the “Create a post” box you will see the camcorder icon and the word “Live.” Select this option.
3. Add your description before filming OR you are able to edit and add a description once you have posted the video to your page.
4. Click “Start Live Video” to begin. Take a brief 1-3 minute video of your store, available items, etc. This does not have to be perfect but it does represent your brand so think about what you will be filming/saying prior to starting (just as you would with any post to your business’s social media pages). *You have the ability to add a Facebook Live filter, lens, or doodle but this is not necessary and may not look professional.
5. Once complete press “End” and you will be given the option to upload, delete, save etc.

Be sure to monitor the post and include a specific call-to-action such as calling or sending a direct message to place an order, etc. Some trending hashtags to consider at this time are: #SmallBusinessStrong #ShopLocal and #SupportSmallBusiness

We hope this helps a bit. Whether you choose to go live or not we do highly recommend an active online presence for your business at this time.

If you have any specific questions related to “going live” please contact us.