Gone are the days when we used to stick to our television screen to not miss out on a live event. Now we get notified for it.
Over the years, live-videos (aka live-streaming) have not only become more popular but also a more powerful tool for businesses.
Live-streaming on social media came into being in 2011 with the app YouNow. Eventually, we saw other platforms acquiring similar features. In 2015, Twitter launched its live-streaming app Periscope, followed by Facebook launching Facebook Live in 2016, and so on.
With the help of early-adopters like Gary Vaynerchuck, this type of content became even more popular among marketers and now we see almost every business planning a live-video strategy.
Various Benefits Of Live-Streaming
Real-Time
Live-streaming on social media creates a direct connection between you and your audience. This is where you can have a one-on-one conversation and get real-time engagement.
Live-streaming also provides real-time information. For example, if you read a blog or watch a video online, you are consuming content of the past. You don’t know if the information is relevant now. With live streaming, you can easily provide (or get) the latest information. So much so that the global media channels use it to deliver first-hand news via go-live feature across all social media platforms.
Cost-Effective
Thankfully you don’t have to pay any given cost to go live. You can easily join, start, or publish live-stream videos for absolutely free!
An hour-long seminar to a quick-minute hack – your live videos can be as long or as short as you want.
High-Reach
Platforms like Facebook and YouTube favour live-videos more than pre-recorded ones.
You can easily ask your audience to like and share the video to enhance reach. The more people/likes you have on your live video, the more chances are that it will appear in the search results feed. This means it will be seen by more people.
Builds Your Brand
It doesn’t matter if your business is small or large, everyone can benefit from live-videos. When you live-stream, you not only personally reach out to your audience but also provide a face to your business – which eventually humanizes your brand. People love to interact with businesses like this.
Live-Video Tips And Tricks
Live-streaming is indeed a fun and simple way to get in touch with your audience – that too in no time. But there are a few things that you need to keep in mind before you hop-on to setting up one.
Here are some tips to create a live-video that your audience will enjoy and fully engage with:
Tip #1: Pick An Interest-Grabbing Title
Before you go live, you need to mention what topic your stream will be about. It’s very important since a title can either make or break your stream. The audience makes up their mind to join a live-video after seeing the title – so make sure you pick a compelling one.
For example, a title for someone who owns a bookstore can be “10 Inspirational Books That Can Change Your Life”.
The idea is to create the title and description of your live-video as captivating and attractive as possible.
Tip #2: Create A ‘Hook’
The first 10-15 seconds of your live-video decides if your audience will stay watching the video or not. That is why it is called a ‘hook’.
A hook is nothing but the beginning sentence or two that catches people’s attention.
So, before you jump right on your topic make sure you introduce yourself to your audience. This is important because chances are new people might be joining in and they’d want to see the video from the very beginning. If they liked your content, they might also give you a follow or a ‘like’.
Tip #3: Engage!
People do not join a live-video to see a person constantly talking to themselves – they’d rather watch a pre-recorded one instead!
The whole purpose behind a live video is to engage with your audience in real-time. Make sure, you ask them questions, answer some of theirs, reply to comments, etc. Don’t forget to do that at regular intervals!
You can also ask your audience to like and share the video. As mentioned above, the more likes and comments you will have on your live-video, the more the platform will increase your reach.
Tip #4: Talk Of Something That Adds Value
Now that you have your audience’s attention with the title and the hook, it’s safe to jump on to the most important part – the content.
Your content needs to be concise, add some value, and is actionable. This is where you do justice to your title that promised your audience to click on the video.
Remember that on a live-video there are no edits or re-takes for people to not notice your mistakes. That’s why we’d suggest you take rough notes before you plan out to hit the ‘live’ button.
These quick notes or pointers will help you to not stutter in between and create a smooth live-session.
Tip #5: Add A Call-To-Action
What do you want your audience to do after watching your live video? Do you want them to visit your website? Buy the next seminar ticket? Buy your product?
Whatever it is, make sure you mention it before saying ‘Good-bye’.
A call-to-action is an opportunity you cannot miss if you are expecting your audience to do something after they exit your live-session. So, remind them!
These were just some simple tips and tricks that you need to keep in mind before you hit your next broadcast. So what are you waiting for? Your audience might be willing to see a live-video from you soon, make sure you plan one.
But what kind of live-videos can you make?
You cannot be more wrong if you think live-videos are only meant to answer questions from your audience. You can do an ample amount of things with a live video!
Live-Video Examples
Let’s take a look at some of these different examples so you can choose what may work the best for you:
Behind The Scenes
‘Behind the scene’ videos are always the best way to connect your audience to your brand.
People are curious to know how a business functions, what all goes behind, the real interaction between employees, the stories, etc. What better way than to show it through a live video?
In 2019, Amazon went live on Facebook and Twitch from one of their fulfilment centres. They toured the whole place showcasing the technology and the people that work behind the packaging process.
Q&A Sessions
Trying a Q&A format is great to get some high-level attraction and engagement in your live sessions.
People might have a lot of questions they want you to answer maybe about your business, product, or industry. This type of valuable information that people get real-time is not the same when compared to blog posts or pre-recorded videos.
Call up influencers and industry specialists from your niche and do a Q&A session with them!
For instance, Audible partnered with author Mel Robbins for an hour-long Q&A on LinkedIn to promote her new book. The live-stream generated a thousand views.
Announcements
There is no better way to announce the launch of a new product or collaboration than through a live video.
Try and tease the announcement through a post and see how you build anticipation among your audience.
Chevrolet’s live stream unveiling the all-electric 2017 Bolt EV at the CES 2016 attracted over 58,000 views. This is a perfect example of how live-stream can be leveraged effectively for a new product launch.
Cover Events
You leave a lasting and positive brand impression when you include your audience to something as special as a brand event.
But unfortunately, not everybody gets to attend it. Live streams, therefore, help you reach those people you miss out on.
This is what Apple does. All of the company’s launch events are live-streamed and published on various platforms for everybody to be a part of it.
Conclusion
Live-streaming is a great way if you are looking to boost your brand awareness and engagement.
The best way to use a live-video is to make it more interesting and compelling. Doing so, you open doors for several opportunities for your business – be it reaching new prospects, engaging current audiences, etc.
We hope we brought some clarity about the basics of something as broad as live-stream.
Do let us know your thoughts about it in the comments below! Which platforms do you use for live-streaming?
Submitted by Aayush Narang who is the founder of Spark Eighteen Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd a Digital Marketing Agency in Delhi. He is a Startup Evangelist. Entrepreneur. Business and Tech Enthusiast.
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