Finding new ways to grow your business is tough. It gets more difficult when your competitors are trying the same things, so you need to find new ways to stay ahead of the competition and stand out from your competitors. The best way to attract potential client is through new platforms. If you are looking for new ways to boost engagement, consider live streaming. Live streaming is a good way to interact with your audience in real time.
Top 6 ways to use live streaming for your video
1. Share live events
Sharing live events with your audience can make them feel more connected to your company or industry. The most important key of this is, not just showing the viewers the event, but let them be part of it. Try not to be in one location, or else viewers will get bored and disconnect. You can walk around, be the Audiences eyes & ears. Keep an eye on comments and when you able to reply to them. Ask them What part of the event would they like to see, or who they would like to meet.
2. Host Interviews
People are the most important factor of brands & companies, In fact “people” are one of the seven “P’s” of marketing, however some companies forget this and become too promotional. You can start short interviews with employees & clients to increase engagement. These interview not only show the ‘human side’ of your company but also offer personal ideas and opinions.
3. Show how you create a product
By showing your audience how you create your product could give them a glimpse of what it really takes to go from concept to final product. You can live stream the process to keep them in the loop, also so they can ask questions.
4. Give a behind-the-scenes look
Another way to use live streaming is to show users what they don’t usually see. You can take the audience for a quick stroll around the office, show them the staff members to the coffee machines and the anchor desk.
5. Host Q&A Sessions
You can organize sessions where you can let the audience ask you questions about your products and services or areas of interest. This is a great way to increase their engagement and product knowledge. Acknowledge questions that are interesting and can provide value to your viewers. Mention their name when answering the question to increase engagement. If you get comments from abusive users, simply ignore them.
Why you need to use live video
Live videos are getting more popular by the day, fact is that it drives more engagement, views and traffic. Live views are more preferred over blog content. Here are some stats on live streaming:
- 80% would rather watch a live video from a brand than read content
- 81% of people watched more live videos in 2016 than in 2015
- 67% of people who watch a live stream video make a purchase
- 87% would prefer to watch the video if it meant more behind-the-scenes content
The most popular livestream platforms are:
- YouTube (70% users)
- Facebook Live (66% users)
- Livestream (45% users)
There are so may live-streaming platforms you can use such as Twitter live streaming, Instagram, Live Stories, Periscope and many more. Previous studies showed that Facebook & YouTube are the most popular. Live streaming is a good way to expand your audience and to engage with them more effectively.
Things to consider when building your live video
Promote before you Broadcast
It’s important to remember that live videos are more like an event than a blog post. You will need to generate interest before the video to get good viewership. Every time you remind your audience, don’t just tell them you are going to be live, try to share important tips about the video or topics you could be discussing.
Try Different Live streaming platforms
As much as Facebook & YouTube are the most popular Live streaming platforms, don’t limit yourself to them only. Try to push as much content to different platforms to reach all key segments of your audience.
Convert Facebook users to Customers
As much as you would have audience on your Facebook Live videos, the goal is to get more traffic on your website. You can turn viewers into traffic by providing content on Facebook live while encouraging them to go to your website for more information.
Prepare yourself by distracting distractions
Before you broadcast your video, take some time to prepare. You can begin with private broadcast and use that as a test for lighting, sound and other surrounding elements. Try getting a tripod to prevent a shaky-cam. Depending on the type of video you are taking maybe try having a non-distracting background that could cause viewers to loose focus on what you saying.
Formatting Decisions
While prepping for your video, take into consideration the format you want your video which would be vertical or horizontal. A vertical screen might be best for interviews as it may seem you closer to the camera. For a horizontal viewing you would be able to show more of your surroundings.
Always be Responsive
Live comments & reactions are part of the experience that make it so engaging to customers. Once of the best ways to increase engagement is responding to the comments that appear live on air. Your responses to the audience keep them in the moment.
Make sure that your likeable
The main factor is to make sure that you connect with your audience. As much as your trying to market your brand or service you need to make sure you are relaxed, smiling & feeling confident.
Give your viewers shout-outs
You can also ask for new questions and comments for additional engagement. Show appreciation to the people who view your videos whenever you can. You can tag them in responses to their additional comments or questions.
Conclusion
Finding new ways to market your business can be tough. It is important to differentiate your brand on different platforms to stand out from your competition and see growth. Live streaming video makes it fun, original and its very unique and engaging. Live video is the future of marketing, use it to your advantage and get more traffic, sales and increase the popularity of your brand.
