Previously, we answered the question "should I be live streaming video for my business?" Spoiler alert: the answer is YES!
Live streaming video is becoming the latest marketing/communications tool adopted by businesses seeking a competitive edge with consumers. Companies now have an inexpensive and easy way to interact with potential customers in this real-time medium, allowing access to live events and creating feeds that include communications with employees that are dispersed across the globe.
Video already makes up 64% of internet traffic and is only continuing to grow, so now is the time to bring video to your digital strategy. Like the Periscope website says, “A picture may be worth a thousand words, but live video can take you someplace and show you around.”
Live Video Marketing Strategies and Trends
Everyone agrees: 2016 is a hot year for live video feed. Companies across the country are adopting live streaming video as part of their annual brand management strategy. According to Cisco, by 2017, visual content and video marketing will account for 69 percent of all customer Internet traffic. With content marketing still one of the most important techniques you can use to build your business, the question is — how can live video reinforce and strengthen the content you’re sharing with consumers?
What’s Hot: Interactivity
Your customers, whether they are retail consumers or B-to-B prospects, want interaction. The information age has ushered us into engaging and interactive marketing models that are integrated across digital platforms. Further, they are personalized to the user, creating tailored online experiences that help increase customer loyalty — and sales.
Classic static advertising, while not totally dead, may be on life support through 2016 and into the future.
Consumer behavior is increasingly focused on live video content. Consumers want the immediacy and community found in a live video experience. The question is — how will your business prepare and adapt to these trends?
Once you've decided to "go live" with your video, how should you do it? Here are some tips and tricks.
How-To’s for Using Live Streaming
Here are some suggestions for using live video:
- Broadcast a company event and do a live Q&A with questions posted on Twitter. Engage viewers by walking around, letting the audience see what the speaker sees, shifting the perspective from the one-dimensional traditional TEDx speaker-on-a-stage formatting. Make sure your Q&A has specific topics for the Q&As instead of making them random. Then pick and choose the ones you respond to.
- Use Mashable to hold on-the-spot interviews with consumers using your product. Meerkat has the ability to add custom images, so why not add a “buy it now” button during the interview to add an e-commerce element.
- Conduct live video educational sessions offering advice and support to customers. Afterwards, extend the life of the event by posting it on your company web page. Encourage viewers to post their own Periscope videos on your website in the comments section. In fact, offer them a product discount if they do!
- Instead of having a written “About Us” page on your website, why not encourage your employees to talk about what they enjoy about working there. Use live video to show what their job consists of and how they make your product.
- Instead of written testimonials about the efficacy of your services, consider video snippet reviews.
- Share panel discussions on Facebook Livestream. At the end, add a Q&A to answer viewers’ questions in real-time.
- Set up a YouTube channel to post all your videos for added exposure.
Need Help Going Live?
We’d like you to consider Artisan Talent as a resource to help you stay current on the latest in video trends. We offer both short- and long-term creative talent experts who can help you develop your company’s content marketing strategies — and implement them. From Digital Strategists to Videographers, contact us today to find out how we can help!
