Make your social media come alive by going “live”

Incorporating live video in your social media strategy is key to making it more successful. Live video streaming is growing in popularity year on year and it’s suggested that by 2021, live video streaming will be an industry that’s worth $70.5 billion. Surveys have also suggested that around 80% of those active in our current social media space much prefer to watch live streaming than any other form of social media content. So the message is: ignore it at your peril!

Of course, this means that social media platforms have reacted to the growing trend by making it much more simple and accessible to live stream. First seen in 2011 with the app called YouNow. Snapchat followed in 2014, then Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube in 2016, live streaming is everywhere, and it’s time to jump on board.

Why is it so popular?

Quite simply, it’s a great way to view real-time experience. As a business, you too can live stream to engage your audience and keep them interested in what you’re doing. However, when you haven’t done any live-streaming before, it can seem a little daunting. So don’t miss our top tips on how to get the very best out of this marketing tool.

  1. Plan – yes live streaming is live. But that doesn’t mean you can’t at least have a plan. For example, if you’re filming yourself talking about a particular product of yours then make a note of the key points you’d like to get across. Make sure you have them nearby when you start filming so you can glance at them while you’re speaking. Likewise if you’re asking a client to talk about one of your products then run through a briefing with them beforehand so they’re aware of what you’re hoping to get across. Having an idea of some content before you start will help you feel more comfortable with the whole process, especially if you’re just starting out.
  2. Become a story teller – this will be sure to make the live stream more interesting. If you’re a clothing retailer for example, you can follow a new product arriving in store, taking it out of the box, showing it on the rail and even a customer trying it on. If you’re a restaurant, show your best selling dish being created in the kitchen and served to a happy customer.
  3. Plan again – even before you start filming, plan on getting your audience hooked. This means planning ahead before the day itself to drop in teasers, telling your audience that it’s coming. You could even ask them to send in questions that you can answer as part of the live stream. This all helps boost your audience engagement.
  4. Choose the right social media platform – think about where your audience is and what platform they’re using (you should be doing this within your overall social media strategy anyway). Use this platform for your live stream to achieve the highest audience and get the most interaction.
  5. Know the difference between push/pull notifications – this may feel all very technical but really it’s just about understanding how the content will come across to your audience. When you get those standard notifications telling you there’s been some activity on your social media platform of choice, this is a “pull” notification, pulled by your phone at certain intervals. You’ll be able to access that notification when it next suits you. Live streaming relies on a “push” notification that tells your audience you’re live NOW. If your audience isn’t on the social media platform at the time they won’t see the notification, and consequently the live stream. It means you need to plan carefully around when your audience might be able to watch and give them plenty of notice to plan to be available at the right time.
  6. Two’s company – a great way to make your live stream session more engaging is to rope somebody else in! This will certainly help with the nerves in the early stages and works especially well if you have a rapport with that person. It also means you can do a live Q&A very easily.
  7. Test before you go live – you can play with various formats and work out which is best for your particular purpose. Facebook for example allows you to use both vertical and horizontal camera angles so film a short test run to see which one is most appealing.
  8. Talk about your live stream on other platforms – whichever platform you decide is the best one to use, there’s no need to limit yourself when it comes to promoting it on the other platforms on which you’re active. It’s the best way to get maximum promotion – tell all your followers on all your social media accounts what you’re up to and when.

In the rapidly changing world of social media it’s important to keep up to date with the latest trends and make sure you’re utilising them to maximise your social media investment. Speak to us at SocialBee Social Media if you need some extra help with your social media today.