Facebook Live secrets from Southwest to help your content take flight

In terms of content, video is quickly becoming a mainstay in PR and marketing pros’ tool belts.

Livestreaming is an especially effective tactic for those looking to jump on the video bandwagon. Eighty percent of consumers would rather watch a live video from an organization than read a blog post—and 82 percent say they want to watch a livestream rather than read a social media post.

Livestreaming can be even more effective on Facebook because the platform caters to that content type—and 78 percent of the platform’s users are already watching videos.

“Live video is enticing because in an over-filtered world, audiences feel a greater sense of authenticity,” says Brie Strickland, social business specialist for Southwest Airlines. “You never know what might happen and I think audiences really appreciate brands being vulnerable like that in lieu of the heavily produced and scripted videos that are everywhere.”

Follow these tips to take advantage of live video and help your content marketing efforts soar:

1. Focus on your viewers.

“Southwest goes live to satisfy one or more of the following areas—to celebrate, inform, and recruit,” Strickland says.