Facebook Live represents an excellent opportunity for businesses to engage with their target audience in real time. However, with recent changes Facebook has made regarding the sale of certain products, some businesses are wondering if they can still leverage Facebook Live to drive sales.
What are the Facebook Live policies regarding sales?
Facebook’s Commerce Policies prohibit the sale or promotion of some products through Facebook Live, including:
- Illegal, prescription, or recreational drugs
- tobacco products and related paraphernalia
- Unsafe supplements
- Weapons, ammunition, or explosives
- Animals
Facebook also has rules about how you can promote and facilitate sales of other products on Facebook Live:
- You must comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding your business and the products you wish to sell.
- You may promote products, services, events and more on Facebook Live.
- You can tag products and enable viewers to contact you to purchase.
- You can mention pricing details like sales, discounts, or promotional offers.
- You can include links to off-Facebook sites where viewers can purchase products.
So in summary, while there are restrictions around certain products, you generally can promote and facilitate sales through Facebook Live streams as long as you follow the platform’s policies.
What types of businesses leverage Facebook Live to drive sales?
Many types of businesses and brands use Facebook Live to connect with customers and boost sales, including:
- Ecommerce brands – Live unboxings, product demos, limited deals
- Retailers – Virtual shopping events, flash sales, new product launches
- Restaurants – Cooking demos, specials, coupon giveaways
- Service providers – Q&As, free consultations, promo codes
- Coaches/consultants – Free classes, challenges, discounted offers
- Nonprofits – Fundraising campaigns, donor appreciation events
The interactive nature of live video allows businesses to engage viewers, demonstrate products, create excitement around offerings, and ultimately motivate sales.
What are some best practices for driving sales with Facebook Live?
If you want to boost sales with Facebook Live streams, keep these best practices in mind:
- Promote your live videos in advance across channels to drive viewership
- Keep streams short and focused on key products/offers
- Interact with viewers through comments and bring them “behind the scenes”
- Offer limited-time promotions to create urgency
- Make call-to-action and next steps very clear
- Have a solid post-live strategy to keep sales momentum going
- Analyze results and refine approach for future streams
| Live Video Type | Best Practices |
|---|---|
| Product Demo | – Show product in use step-by-step – Highlight key features/benefits – Offer promo code for viewers |
| Virtual Shopping Event | – Showcase new arrivals – Model different looks – Enable instant checkout |
| Q&A/Consultation | – Ask for questions upfront – Provide tailored solutions – Offer booking incentives |
Tailoring your live selling approach based on your business and products can help maximize results.
How can you enable instant checkout during a Facebook Live stream?
To enable viewers to purchase your products instantly during a live video without leaving Facebook, you need to set up Facebook Live Shopping. Here are the key steps:
- In Facebook Commerce Manager, open the Shopping on Instagram tab. Select “Get Started” under Product Tagging for Facebook Live.
- Connect your Facebook Page and Instagram business account. This allows you to tag products across both platforms.
- Upload and tag products you want to showcase in Live Shopping events. You can tag products manually or via product catalogs.
- When going Live, select “Tag Products” and choose products you want viewers to be able to instantly purchase.
- As you show and discuss products during your Live video, viewers can tap tagged products and complete the checkout process right on Facebook without interrupting the stream.
Facebook Live Shopping requires some setup but can create more seamless selling opportunities right within your live videos.
What tools can help maximize live selling on Facebook?
The right tools can streamline and enhance your ability to drive sales through Facebook Live. Useful tools include:
- Streamyard – Multi-stream service that allows you to overlay graphics, add co-hosts, and go live simultaneously across platforms.
- Switcher Studio – Mobile live production app to switch easily between multiple camera angles and add overlays.
- Streamlabs – Suite of live streaming tools for graphic overlays, alerts, chats, and integrations.
- Restream – Platform to manage and broadcast live streams to 30+ platforms.
- Be.Live – Production platform that makes interactive Facebook Live videos easy to create.
The right live streaming tools allow you to create more polished, engaging viewer experiences to ultimately drive higher sales. Test out different options to see which best suit your business needs and live selling strategies.
What rules does Facebook have regarding contests, giveaways and raffles?
If you want to incorporate contests, giveaways or raffles into your Facebook Live selling strategy, be aware Facebook has rules around promotions to comply with laws and regulations. Key requirements include:
- Must publish official rules making terms and eligibility clear.
- No purchase can be required to enter or win.
- Winners must be chosen at random or based on skill.
- Promotions must be open to the general public.
- Requirements apply to any promotion awarding a prize value of $500+.
Also note Facebook prohibits promoting some types of contests, giveaways and sweepstakes, including:
- Lotteries or games of chance
- Giveaways promoting the sale of certain products like tobacco, weapons, prescription drugs
- Promotions requiring an entry fee payment
Review Facebook’s promotions policy thoroughly before running any contests or giveaways tied to your live sales videos.
What are some creative examples of businesses using Facebook Live to drive sales?
Brands are constantly getting more creative with leveraging Facebook Live to connect with customers and boost purchases. Some innovative examples include:
- Benefit Cosmetics: Virtual makeovers and makeup tutorials to showcase products. Viewers can tap to shop featured makeup as the video happens live.
- Goldbelly: Weekly cooking shows featuring dishes available for purchase on their site. Viewers place orders seamlessly without leaving the Live video.
- Nike: Streamed behind-the-scenes look at their headquarters featuring new product launches. Viewers tapped on featured products to add them to their wishlist or shopping cart.
- Goodwill: Hosted thrift haul videos showing pre-viewed clothing and accessories available for auction. Viewers bid in real-time in the comments.
Think creatively about how you can align live video concepts with your own products and services to engage your target audience and drive more sales.
What should you do to ensure compliance with Facebook’s commerce policies?
To keep your Facebook Live selling efforts compliant:
- Review Facebook’s Commerce Policies and Community Standards thoroughly and regularly.
- Avoid promoting banned products like tobacco, weapons, prescription drugs.
- Be transparent about any terms, conditions, or eligibility rules around promotions.
- Disclose affiliate relationships if recommending other brands’ products.
- Ensure proper business licensing, tax compliance, and legal compliance for any products sold.
- Train any staff assisting with Live videos on policy requirements.
- Add commerce policy
compliance checks to your pre-live video planning.
Keeping up to date with any changes to Facebook’s requirements and integrating compliance into your standard processes can help avoid issues.
Conclusion
Facebook Live remains a highly effective way for all types of businesses to engage customers and drive sales in real time. While certain products are restricted, you generally have flexibility to promote offerings, highlight deals, and facilitate transactions through live video. Utilizing best practices, creative strategies, and the right tools can help businesses maximize results and growth. As always, ensuring compliance with Facebook’s commerce policies is critical. With the right approach, Facebook Live can become a core sales channel and lead to tangible ROI.