How to Use Live Streaming to Connect With Your Audience
People love live videos. For proof, look no further than streamer and sports commentator Casimiro. Also known as CazéTV, he broke the record for most concurrent viewers on a YouTube livestream. At his video’s peak, CazéTV had over six million captive audience members. For perspective, the premiere of Game of Thrones had only 2.2 million viewers.
While news and sports are the most common live-streaming categories, they’re far from the only ones. Many of the top channels on the live-stream platform Twitch are about specific video games. There’s even a wildly popular “Just Chatting” channel. In fact, according to Statista, nearly a third of Internet users watch live streamsweekly.
It probably goes without saying, but if your brand hasn’t considered streaming live video content, you may want to start now.
Why Viewers Find Live Streams Valuable
Sure, it’s a popular content marketing tactic, but why do so many people tune in to livestreams? They provide clear value to both the brand and the viewer. Here are our top three reasons why livestreams just work.
1. They are easy to start and consume.
Let’s pretend you want to know what’s going on at the Olympics. Which would you rather do: jump into the middle of an ongoing video or start at the top of a blog post? That’s not even a real question because of course you’d choose the live video. Blog posts are great, but not for everything. Livestreams cut out the hassle of wading through opening paragraphs and complex context you don’t want or need. You get right to the point and stay as long as you need—and you can do other things while you’re at it. Live video allows you to consume content passively whereas most other content demands your full attention.
2. You create a real-time connection.
Nothing compares to authentic face-to-face interaction. For those brands that can’t afford to host a ton of events, livestreams are the next best thing. There’s nothing to hide in a live video, so audiences can trust that brands are genuine. In return, brands can use live-streaming platforms to solicit live feedback and see real-time reactions to their products, services, brand or messaging. At a time and in a market where building relationships with customers is pivotal to beating out the competition, livestreams can be your marketing team’s best friend.
3. Social networks give them priority.
In 2018, Facebook reported that live videos get six times the engagement as regular videos due to their potential for real-time discussion. And we all know what social platforms do with high-engaging content: put it at the top of the feed. You may have noticed that Instagram loves to put live videos not only above the static feed but also before the row of stories at the top of your device. If you knew your brand could record a low-production-value video that would appeal to most of your audience and be served above all of their other content, why wouldn’t you?
🚨 Here comes the caveat. 🚨
It’s possible to produce content that (a) is easy to consume, (b) creates real-time connection and (c) gets priority placement on social media that nobody gives a shit about. Live-streaming is a great way to get engagement, but if you go live just to say you did—or to meet your marketing goals without providing value to your audience—then you may find that your engagement is negative and your next video’s viewership will suffer. Center your audience’s needs in all of the content you produce.
Where to Live Stream Content
When you want to live stream content, you need to know where to start. There are several popular platforms, each with its advantages and disadvantages:
- YouTube is great for a wide range of long-form content like reviews, tutorials and events because it has built-in tools for livestream management and engagement.
- Facebook Live is another. It lets you share your livestream to various pages and groups. Be sure that your audience demographic is here before you choose Facebook.
- Instagram is where lots of younger generations spend their time. It has similar features and benefits to Facebook but with a different population of users.
- Twitch is the place for gamers, esports enthusiasts and interactive creators. Twitch is mostly known as a platform for individuals, but brands can be successful there too.
- TikTok may or may not exist depending on when you read this, thanks to its recurring impending ban, but it’s perfect for short, fun livestreams.
- LinkedIn allows some users to broadcast video in real time, making it a superb option for B2B brands who want to build relationships with their clients.
There are numerous others out there, like Wowza (best for business-critical applications like live video monitoring, surveillance and OTT streaming) and Crowdcast (best for educational webinar replacements), but the social networks above are by far the go-to options.
How to Prepare to Live Stream
Brands should never start a livestream willy-nilly. You need to have a reason to go live, and that reason requires a plan backed by a smart marketing strategy. As video experts who support clients’ livestreams all the time, these are our top four tips.
1. Set Your Goals
As we said before, you have to provide value to your audience first and foremost, but you also have to ensure your livestream is mutually beneficial. Before you hit that "Go Live" button, decide on your marketing goals. Know who you are talking to and what you hope to achieve, whether that’s a view count, donation amount, poll responses, anecdotal feedback in the comments, etc. Then, while your video is live, you’re going to want to repeat your goals and intentions several times. As new viewers come in, you don’t want them to be lost.
2. Secure Your Equipment
You need a camera; audio equipment such as a USB Microphone, an XLR Microphone, a Lapel or Lavalier Microphone; and accessories like pop filters and shock mounts that reduce noise and improve overall clarity. We recommend also having an encoder to compress and convert raw video and audio sources into a streamable format. If you don’t have great natural lighting, try ring lights, softboxes, key lights or ambient lighting to ensure you and your brand look its best.
3. Test Your Setup
Using your streaming equipment for the first (or even second) time on your actual livestream is a bad idea. Nothing is more embarrassing than running into problems in real time in front of a group of people—especially new people. Make sure your equipment and Internet connection are properly connected and functional, and always watch your test videos with headphones in so you’re confident in the sound quality. And please check that your recording space is clean and free from distractions. No one wants to see your dirty dishes in the background or hear your roommates arguing.
4. Generate Your Questions
As soon as your audience gets bored, they’re likely to dip. It’s important to remember that your viewers almost always have a hundred other things they could be doing; honor that by engaging them the entire livestream. One strategy to achieve constant engagement is to generate questions and prompts in advance. Consider the theme of your video content and what you want to accomplish. Then, write plenty of poll-friendly and open-ended questions so you can engage in multiple ways. Nothing gets people yawning faster than a bunch of "yes" and "no" questions. Even better, plan for interactive elements such as contests, giveaways, Q&A sessions and behind-the-scenes sneak peeks.
Who to Call for Livestream Support
We’ll be honest: going live can be scary. So many things can go wrong, even when you’ve tested and tested and tested again, and if you’re not a tech-savvy marketer, you may not know how to correct the course in real time. If you’re thinking, “That’s so me,” you may want to consider bringing in a livestream marketing team to be safe.
At Elevate My Brand, we are experts at helping teams and businesses connect with their audience. For more info, let’s hop on a live call today to discuss your marketing goals and live video needs.
Cody H. Owens,
Content Director