How Live Streaming Content Can Change Your Social Media Strategy

The power of NOW; that's the allure of live video. The digital landscape is always in flux, and this trend seems to have stuck with marketers and influencers alike. Incorporating live video into your strategy can reap real benefits, combining the dynamic nature of video content with the power of instant gratification and direct contact.

Does it make sense for your business? We've outlined some ways the people have used Live Streaming as a means of changing up their content, and how it can relate to your goals.

Get on Top of Trending Topics

You've likely seen trending topics on a variety of social media sites: Facebook Trends, Twitter Trending Hashtags or Reddit front page. While the exact formula for what gets a topic trending is really hard to pinpoint or replicate (because it's hard to know what will resonate with the most people at that time), it is a lot easier to find a trending topic and talk about how it relates to your business. Having a live stream of your "reaction" to a topic, or simply having that topic relate to your product in some way can be a very easy way to enter into the trending topic, and get your content noticed by effectively "riding the wave". For example, during most holidays, trends tend to center around that holiday, so if for instance you are an appliance company trying to push sales in October, you can have a live feature on your #ScaryDeals for #Halloween showcasing each product in a unique way. Live video can keep your content timely, because it's likely only available for 24 hours.

Product Demo

Sometimes, the best way to explain your product is to see it at work. Most of the time, we get tangled in the nuances of our products and bogged down with ALL of the features, rather than explaining what is relevant to the potential customer. You can easily remedy this by doing a demo video, and showcase your product for what it is, not what you want it to be. Customers seeing it's application can start to understand how the product can fulfill one of their pain points, and move that needle closer to "BUY!". In a lot of cases when people are purchasing, seeing is believing. Live video gives everyone the opportunity to see you.

Q and A

Live video has the unique ability to provide on the spot support for people who have questions about your product. Having a live Q and A is scary, because you need to know the exact specifications and ability of your products, but who better than you to show them off. It presents an opportunity to establish your team as experts in the product, and also clears up some of the common push back that can prevent you from making a sale. Most platforms that allow for live video have the built in capability to live chat simultaneously, making it the most effective way to engage with your customers first hand.

Behind the Scenes

More as a value piece, having a behind the scenes look into your company is a way to build up some value and trust in your brand. As a consumer, seeing the human side of every company is important because there are many instances where they feel no real attachment to the product that they buy. When you're proud of the company that you buy from, or their product resonates with you in a way that's more than face value, you grow "brand advocates". These are the golden geese for your brand, because they will refer you and build you more business without having to do any outward marketing. Live video offers a chance for people to see the day-to-day operations behind what you do, the water cooler chats and the company culture that makes you different from the corporate counterpart.

Live Streaming Video has so many applications, and that's what has most social media advertisers engaged and excited about the capability of live video. If you need help finding a way to make it work for your business, ask the experts. We'll help determine the right strategy for your goals.