Getting Started with Live Streaming: Everything You Need to Know

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube are only a few of the social media sites that are starting to incorporate live streaming as an integral part of their platforms. This is because within the past year, live streaming has turned from an extra feature to a necessary feature for social media platforms to have. Live streaming has grown so much that there are even applications for your phone like Periscope or Twitch that are specifically dedicated to live streams. Since live streaming is a relatively new concept, there are a number of questions that arise such as: What is live streaming? What’s the best live streaming platform to use? How can I use live streaming to grow my brand? Lucky for you I answer all of those questions and more, so keep reading!

What is live streaming?
Live streaming is basically like watching your live local news on your tv, but for social media. Live streaming gives individuals, businesses, celebrities (basically anyone) the opportunity to go ‘live’ from the designated social media platform and broadcast it to their followers. Live streaming is a great tool to utilize because it gives the opportunity to those who are watching a chance to interact with the person who is live streaming by commenting back or asking questions. The person who is doing the live streaming is able to see these comments or questions and is able to respond in real-time.

Why is live streaming so popular?
According to an article off of Livestream.com, in a survey they conducted with New York Magazine, 80% of respondents would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog and 82% prefer live video from a brand to social posts. From these results, it seems like individuals like live streaming because it is easier to watch a quick video compared to reading a social post or reading a blog.

Live streaming is also popular because it is so instantaneous and offers users that immediate gratification that many of us desire. It helps people stay informed on the latest news and events and can make people feel more connected to the world with news, events and announcements that are happening at that moment in time.

What’s the best live streaming platform to use?
When it comes to choosing the right live streaming platform, you might be a little overwhelmed with the amount of different platforms that now offer live streaming. If you have no idea where to start, the best platform that you might want to choose would be the one that you currently utilize (like Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube) and then choosing the one that you currently have the most followers on. This would make certain that you are potentially reaching the greatest amount of people starting off.

You can also experiment with different platforms that offer live streaming and see what fits best with your company/brand. Make sure that you monitor which platform people react the best on and which platform attracts the most viewers and engagements.

How do I use live streaming to grow my brand?
Listed below are a few ways that companies can utilize live streaming to work for their business:

• Walking Customers Through Any Process: Walking your customers through a process or giving a demonstration is showing your audience how something works first hand without them actually being physically there. This might encourage customers to purchase or spread the word about your products.
• Giving Project Updates: Do you have a new product or service coming out? Giving updates or announcements might get your customers excited about what’s to come in the future.
• Giving Company Updates: Live streaming exciting company news or even having a live stream between your company and your customers is beneficial. It humanizes your company and will help build trust.
• Live Event Coverage: Utilizing live streaming for event coverage is one of the best ideas. Your company can give a behind the scenes look, live stream a small portion of a conference or tradeshow, or give exclusive Q&A’s. This will encourage those who did not sign up for your event this year, to sign up next year because they saw what they were missing out on.

Live streaming is as real, raw, and unedited as it gets. Although some live streams are not perfect, they are more personal and gives a company a new way to interact with their audience. As live streaming becomes more and more popular now is the time for companies to hop on the bandwagon and utilize this free tool.

Has your company used live streaming? I’d love to hear about what you think about live streaming for businesses. Let me know in the comments or by tweeting me at @WTWH_Anna.