Why Live Streaming

Live streaming has been around for a while, but now more than ever the industry is booming! In an environment ever-evolving and with the current uncertainty due to Covid19, more and more businesses are turning to live streaming - in fact between March and April 2020 the industry observed a growth of 45% and here are some of the reason why:

Connect with your audience

A simple video is good, live streaming is better! Whether it is for a product launch, a webinar, a conference or an event, live streaming will keep your audience alert and entertained. It is a real-time experience, which means that your audience will be exclusively watching it first. Your audience will feel connected to your message and it is easier for them to related and give a more human feel to your brand image. Besides that, when a user knows that other people with the same interests are also watching the same live stream at the exact same time there is a feeling of community which also adds more weight to your message/brand.

Live streaming allows you to interact with your audience and create engagement by giving them the possibility to ask their questions directly via a chat and have it answered instantly. In a world where people tend to lose their focus and patience after a few seconds, live streaming offers an opportunity to have all their queries answered directly.

It is also easier to monitor the effectiveness of your content as live streaming allows you to see how many viewers are connected to your different platforms and the time they spending on your streaming.

Reach out a wider audience

While a face-to-face event requires your audience to travel and limit your geographic reach, live streaming can allow you to connect with your audience around the world and increase the visibility of your brand. This allows many businesses to raise brand awareness but also to convert more potential customers into buyers, particularly if a communication plan is well considered and involves a call to action.

Moreover, for multinational companies, live streaming is a great way to communicate with international staff and stakeholders directly at a low coast, instead of organising a traditional conference involving international travel, which raises costs and is also detrimental to the environment.

Stay in touch and keep your audience safe!

As mentioned earlier, the Covid-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the live streaming industry. While lockdowns and travel bans are in place, safety is the priority of governments, businesses and everyone in general. More and more people are now working from home, and we have seen a rise of the use of Zoom in order to organise meetings and allow staff members to stay connected while continuing to work on projects in different environments. Live streaming has an important role to play, allowing businesses to stay connected with employees by allowing them to work from home in a safe environment.

As more people stay at home they also spend more time on social media. According to this article on Hubspot, 57% of consumers now watch at least three live streams a week - what a fantastic time to get on to it!

Different platforms for different audiences

The landscape of social media allows live streaming as never before. From Facebook live to YouTube live, Instagram, Periscope (from Twitter), Live.ly (from Music.ly) or Twitch, users can create live content from anywhere. It is important for your brand to know your target audience and what the ultimate goal is of your live streaming. If you want to give your audience a feel of the ‘behind the scenes’ of the business then a quick story on Facebook or Instagram can be enough. However, if the message is about your products, services, showcasing your event and your goal is to deliver quality content and to give the image of experts in the industry of your business, then it is far better to get the help from professionals in the live streaming industry.

Your brand and message have more credibility if you offer quality content. Also getting professional can mean multiple cameras to shoot different angles and great sound quality. YES, SOUND! As much as it is important to have a quality vision, the sound MUST be of great quality. Don’t neglect the value of audio as most of the time this is the component that will make the difference between keeping your audience watching or losing their attention after a few seconds. And after all, if they cannot hear your message clearly and without interruption, there is not much chance that they will engage with you.

Cost-effectiveness

Your budget for your live streaming will vary according to your project. Whether it is a webinar filmed from your house or a live event showcasing multiple bands, guest speakers or performers, multiple cameras and technicians can make the cost triple. That is why before planning your live streaming you need to make sure you establish clearly who your target is, what your goals are and to keep in mind the values of the company as well as your budget.

Having said that, the experts said that live streaming videos are the content with the best ROI, as users are most likely to go on your website after watching a live streaming video and the engagement created towards the brand can be priceless if well managed.