Every time a new product, platform, or feature is introduced in today’s tech-focused society, it may be frightening and bewildering.
Marketers must quickly adapt and alter their strategies, decide whether the new item is suitable for them, and then identify the best method to employ it.
While many projected that video content would be on the rise in 2016, the visually appealing strategy moved a step further with live-streaming capabilities on sites such as Facebook and YouTube.
When you hear the statement “…people spend 3x longer viewing live video compared to a pre-recorded video,” you can’t afford to overlook live-streaming video as a social media marketing opportunity.
Here’s why Live Streaming can help to grow your business.
Develop trust in your brand
Creating polished, professionally edited video with live footage is really difficult. But that’s OK! Viewers are aware of this.
Indeed, for many viewers, this unedited, unexpected, and unbroken approach to video has a certain allure since it exposes the on-screen talent in a true and genuine manner.
This genuineness increases trust in the talent and, by extension, in the brand they represent.
With increased audience trust, your company has greater clout in your industry. Your suggestions become more useful. You may expect people to return and seek assistance from you if you share your experience live on a frequent basis.
Show behind-the-scenes content
According to one poll, 87 percent of respondents believe that behind-the-scenes access is a big pull for video content and that they would choose to watch online rather than traditional TV if it meant more BTS content.
Live streaming allows companies to be more honest with their audiences, allowing them to be more genuine and authentic. As a result, customers feel more engaged and trust is built.
Never-before-seen material, such as films of items being manufactured or events being planned, is popular with viewers who want to witness the labor that goes into businesses. Clips of day-to-day living and workplace visits may also provide viewers with an understanding of the people and culture behind the company.
This form of content is an excellent method to expand your audience and increase traffic since consumers enjoy seeing the people behind a company.
Hold interviews
Conduct brief, live interviews to reveal the human aspect of your brand.
Speaking with staff will provide you with an inside look at your firm and its culture, whilst interviewing clients will provide you with another avenue for testimonials or case studies.
You may also wow your audience by inviting leaders to speak on topical subjects in your sector.
Bon Appetit is an excellent example of a company utilizing live streaming channels to engage with their customers during the pandemic.
Using Instagram and YouTube to stage live programs and interviews, the food and drink magazine has been able to effectively build on their already large community and following, and has leveraged this to collect funds for charity throughout the epidemic.
The magazine presented a live ‘Variety Show’ on YouTube, with its team participating in several game show-style parts, as well as Instagram live interviews with a slew of celebs. Even in the face of the epidemic, Bon Appetit was able to sustain and build its brand by creating this amusing and engaging content.
Encourage genuine engagement
The content developed through live streaming is always one-of-a-kind. Every video clip is unique, never before seen, and one-of-a-kind.
The instantaneous and unpredictable aspect of live video captures viewers’ attention and drives them to connect with the material, whether through a “like,” a remark, or a share. The word about the live event travels from here, and as more people tune in, your business will expand.
Live video also enables for real-time engagement, allowing you and your audience to ask each other questions and express ideas in real time. This link contributes to a stronger interaction between your company and its customers.
Furthermore, live video has a far better percentage of viewer retention than video on demand (VOD) material.
People watch live videos for up to ten times longer than they do VOD stuff! In today’s world of continual struggle for customer attention, a tripling of the amount of time spent interacting with your content is rather substantial.
Get feedback from the audience
Have you released a new product recently?
To get input from a big audience, use live-streaming videos. Keep track of their remarks as they arrive and even reply to them in real time. Alternatively, have people tweet or post with a specific hashtag so you can look for their input both during and after the event.
You may be hesitant because you fear it would expose your brand to unfavorable criticism; nevertheless, clients who have had a bad experience may be blogging about it somewhere online anyhow.
You may also reply to all remarks in real-time if you receive input in real-time.
Live-streaming content is easy to create
Setting up and running a live streaming session for the first time might be frightening. After all, it might be unpredictable, there could be a lot of people watching – and so many things can go wrong!
However, live broadcasting becomes easier with time. After you’ve mastered the fundamentals of live streaming, the procedure becomes second nature. It is much simpler to work when you have a fixed studio setup. After a time, the most difficult aspect becomes coming up with fresh episode ideas.
Another advantage of live streaming is that it does not need extensive post-production. (You may need to cut heads and tails to remove pre- and post-show noise, but that’s about it.) You will save both time and money as a result of this.
When a live broadcast concludes, it is also usually instantly converted into VOD material that you may re-use.
Provide Customer Support or Troubleshooting
Do you have a bug or a widespread problem that all of your customers might use some assistance with?
Consider live-streaming video to diagnose the problem or lead folks through the solution.
This lets your audience know that you’ve heard their problems and that a real person is working on a solution.
This type of live broadcasting also allows your consumers to interact with a real person rather than a machine or sitting in a help line queue. This can also help to make your brand more transparent and provide a more personal connection with present and future customers.