Live video is the latest big thing to make waves in the world of social media. While video has risen in popularity on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook for some time now, live video is the latest thing that has taken off.
Live video has become so important due to:
- Rise in smartphone and tablet use
- Improved mobile devices and screens
- Better data plans
- Improvements in smartphone cameras
- New live video platforms such as Periscope and Meerkat
- Facebook’s shift in focus to video, and live video
In fact, statistics show people like live video:
- 80% of users would prefer to see a live video from a particular brand than read their blog.
- 82% of users would rather see a live video from a brand rather than another form of social posts.
The best part is, it’s simple now. Smartphones have great cameras, and it’s likely you carry one with you. Why not use it now and again to stream to your social platforms? It’s an easy way to create engaging content.
So what are the benefits of live video for businesses on social media, and what can you do with them?
Benefits of live video:
- Richer content – much richer than simply words or images
- Keeps potential customers engaged – they will keep watching to see what happens, they can’t skip ahead
- Showcases your brand as human – show the people behind the corporate logo and website
- Creates a sense of urgency – they need to watch now to be in the moment
- Grow followers – find an audience and encourage them to follow your brand
Some of the key uses include:
Live Interviews
You can interview employees, founders or head of departments to share their knowledge and know-how with your customers, and the world.
Think about what kind of things your customers would like to hear more about.
Perhaps it’s how best to utilise your products? Perhaps there’s certain pain points your product addresses, that you can address in a video?
You can use these interview formats for customers to pose their own questions.
Show behind the scenes
If you are a bigger brand, or perhaps have something exciting to show-off, many consumers love seeing behind the scenes.
Not only does this show that you’re not a faceless corporation, it emphasises that there is a human element to your business and it makes you more real to your prospects.
You can show the work that goes into whatever it is you have to offer. Whether it’s a physical product or service, you can show what your staff do behind the scenes.
This could be the manufacturing process of your product, or the design of your product. Or it could be people hard at work providing the service you offer.
Showing your team members can really help personalise your brand, and showcase the human side of things.
Tutorials or how-to’s
Show viewers a tutorial on how exactly to do certain tasks, use your products or otherwise.
Even better, show them how to make the most of your product or service. Or show them how to improve their current processes.
Whatever it is, try to add value to your customers, and show them how to be more efficient or improve the output of whatever problems you can solve.
Be sure to answer their questions during the stream, and allow time for answers.
Live events
If you’re holding or attending any events, use a live stream to broadcast what’s happening to your followers and potential customers.
This could be an industry conference, a tour, a speech, or any other kind of event. Obviously there’s exceptions, but overall anything that could prove useful or interesting to potential viewers is worth streaming.
Q&As
Connect with potential customers by answering questions they directly pose.
Announce a time that you will be holding a Q&A, and be sure to encourage users to sign-up for a reminder, or to add notifications, or to simply check out your channel at a certain time. Ask them to think of questions.
Use this time to address any questions they have. This helps to build trust, and to cement your brand as a thought leader on the particular area you cover.
It’s also useful to ask for questions in advance so you can best prepare.
