Before delving into what the title refers, let’s first know what digital marketing is and what a livestream is.
Digital Marketing (or Online Marketing) is a set of marketing techniques that are executed in Internet media and channels. It is about making the most of online resources and opportunities to boost a business or brand efficiently.
In other words, Digital Marketing is a system to sell products and services to a specific target that uses the Internet through online channels and tools in a strategic way and congruent with the company’s general Marketing strategy.
On the other hand, Livestream is a streaming video that is sent online, with a compressed format but it arrives in real time for users.
It is not necessary for the user to download the video since it is decompressed and displayed at the same time for the viewer.
For Live Streaming to be carried out, it is necessary to have a medium that captures the content, encoding it when publishing it and making the transmission live. In addition, a distribution network is necessary for viewers to see the transmission.
For users, the media are usually their own mobile phones and the networks are the same social networks as Facebook, Instagram, among others. Although Periscope has more experience in this.
For brands, Live Streaming has become a valuable opportunity to get a lot of engagement without having to make large investments. It is a way to obtain audiences online with the help of free applications that allow them to do so.
We are going to review a few aspects, which are what determine the importance of Livestreams in Digital Marketing.
Why does my business need a livestreaming strategy?
Technology has pushed us into an automated world, which is great when you’re looking for a TV show to watch, and Netflix can offer something based on your preferences. But at the end of the day, we are human. We need personal interaction, recognition, and connection. That’s where events and experiential marketing really come into contact.
While events may seem like fleeting moments to a finite number of people, companies are expanding the scope and duration of those … how? With live streaming video.
According to studies, a large percentage of users assure that brands that publish live content generate more trust in them. So, as incredible as it may sound, using live video for business can pay off big for business.
Among the benefits that this brings we can find:
– Give your brand an identity, since it will be important for your clients to identify it with defined faces and personalities.
– Solve all kinds of doubts, which you will answer in real time, without detours. This in turn will make your audience trust your company more.
– Increase conversions, which is one of the most interesting aspects of this technique. Indeed, a live event can capture more leads than you can imagine, which can lead to having a lot more customers.
– More engagement: Making live videos enhances your engagement because it generates more trust among your audiences and, on the other hand, some platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube “reward”, so to speak, this type of content. These social platforms prioritize people and brands using live broadcasts over any other post. So to attract customers and increase sales, Live Streaming looks like an excellent alternative.
– Increased conversion rate. Leads will be able to see, through live broadcasts, that there are normal people like them behind the posts. Once that trust is gained, it is easier to convince them. With a live video you can show your users the behind-the-scenes look at how your products are made, for example.
What tools or apps can I use to make Livestreams?
Facebook Live:
It will help you jump straight into online event streaming. First of all, it avoids the complexities of traditional live streaming platforms that require strong hardware configuration and complex video rendering capabilities. Then take advantage of an existing audience base: Facebook friends or Facebook page followers.
Facebook Live are ranked first in the Facebook feed, and, on the other hand, users receive notifications of new content. Mark Zuckerberg’s company had implemented Facebook Live only for certain verified accounts, but for a while now, it has allowed users to make their broadcasts live.
Instagram Live:
It is a feature of Instagram Stories that can be used to broadcast events to a digital audience and interact with them in real time. It is quite similar to Facebook Live in its functionalities and user experience, the bad thing is that it only allows users to launch in the mobile version of the tool and not in the desktop version, and it will only allow live transmission and once it is finished, it will be deleted forever without the possibility of retransmitting it.
The limit of this transmission is one hour, but it has great advantages such as the possibility of notifying your followers during the duration of the transmission, as well as making comments and obtaining feedback on the transmission through the characteristic hearts of the social platform.
YouTube Live:
It’s a live streaming feature on the popular YouTube video-sharing platform. It offers a wide range of streaming features, suitable for anyone and event complete with announcements and promotions. YouTube put this new technology to the test to broadcast live video at events such as: a U2 concert, a Barack Obama speech, and the Cricket League.
The disadvantage with these live broadcasts is that you have to be there for the current event, that is, there will be no notifications, unless you schedule a reminder in the app or from tools that allow you to schedule the streaming you want to see such as iCal, Outlook or Google Calendar.
Periscope:
It was the main application to implement Live Streaming, with only four months on the market, this application already had more than 10 million active users per month. Its launch was in March 2015 and it is the Twitter app with which many brands have just begun to notice the opportunities they had to interact live with their audiences through this medium. One of its functions is that, of course, you will be able to watch an event live but you will also have the possibility to watch it about 24 hours after it ends.
Periscope also offers many advantages, being the pioneer platform, among them we can find:
• Alerts Periscope followers with an automatically generated notification each time a broadcast begins.
• Increase the virality of events by allowing viewers to share the live broadcast on Twitter and Periscope, as well as share a link to the broadcast elsewhere.
• Store event broadcasts to replay and allow them to appear in your Periscope and Twitter followers’ feeds.
• Access streaming statistics such as live viewers, players, and watch time to better understand your audience.
• Allow all viewers to comment on live broadcasts or “like”, or limit this functionality to people you follow.
It is definitely a suitable tool for events of any size. For those with personal or business profiles on Twitter, the tool takes advantage of the existing audience and generates interest from unconnected Twitter and Periscope users who might be interested in the event.
Twitch:
It is a platform that allows live broadcasts owned by Amazon, Inc., one of its main functions being the broadcasting of live video games, having YouTube as its main competitor. Presented as a by-product of another general-interest streaming platform, the site primarily focuses on video games, including “playthroughs” of games played by users, eSports broadcasts, and other video game-related events. Site content can be viewed live or on demand.
There are several options that you can try in your Livestreams to reach more people and have more views, such as:
Interviews with influencers:
Social media influencers will attract the attention of your audience who is looking to hear directly what they have to say. A 15, 20, 30 or 60 minute interview with an influencer related to your branch will reach audiences of all kinds and will be an excellent promotion for your brand.
Plan this event properly, according to the following tips:
- Make a list of questions, which will serve as a script to conduct the event.
- Make sure you know perfectly well the work of the influencer, to avoid surprises live. The public will know immediately if you hesitate to provide any important information related to it.
- Converse with the influential personality, before the broadcast, to reach a common point in some aspects, such as using good humor, asking certain questions that may be uncomfortable, as well as the general tone of the interview.
Product testing:
The best way to demonstrate the quality of the products your brand offers is through a live video. You will generate more trust among your users and this can translate into more conversions. It will also increase the interaction with the customer by explaining and teaching them how the product should be used, thus bringing more closeness. This will be a unique way of ensuring that doubts related to the use of your products and services are fully resolved. Therefore, follow these tips:
- List all the elements that will be part of your transmission, among which you will include equipment, product samples and any other technical resources you need.
- Make sure that the person who will carry out the tutorial is really an expert, since the public will trust your brand when listening to someone who shows a total command of the subject.
- The language should be simple. Also, the examples should be understandable for all types of audiences, since perhaps a sector of your audience is not familiar with the technology of your product or service.
- Take advantage of this type of content, How-to, to include it in your corporate blog, with the Live Streaming transcript. In this way, you will multiply the scope of your campaign and contribute to a better web positioning of your company.
Live special events:
Among the main ones are the launch of products, opening of branches, collaboration of your brand in a commercial event at the local or national level and in general any other event that generates attention and interest in the digital space.
-Announce your special event well in advance on the different digital platforms, from your blog to the official social networks of your brand.
-This type of transmission requires having really charismatic and dynamic personalities, so entrust the mission to the ideal elements to win the attention of your audience.
-Use the resources that are necessary to capture the attention of your audience, such as reviews and opinions of third parties during the transmission, recounting of past events, a discreet but attractive soundtrack, as well as inviting your audience to actively participate in the event with your comments.
Streaming is a tool that allows you to send videos online and in real time to your audience. This type of tool offers many advantages for your brand: it increases your chances of engagement, improves the SEO of your website, improves the conversion rate and much more.
Live Streaming is undoubtedly the best tool for digital marketing. Take advantage of this resource to generate new prospects and followers on social networks, as well as to arouse genuine interest in your brand. All you have to do is schedule your event and address your audience in a friendly and compelling way. Remember that practice makes perfect, so very soon you will become an expert in high-quality live broadcasts.
There is much to like about doing livestreams and it can lead to a lot of very positive experiences, especially when it comes to marketing purposes. It is also worth pointing out that this is a marketing strategy that is still growing and developing and we can still see more developments in the coming years, so the future is actually quite bright in that regard.
