Live streaming is a powerful way to connect with your audience, showcase your brand personality, and boost your visibility online. But how can you use it effectively to achieve your marketing goals? In this article, we'll share some tips and best practices to help you plan, produce, and promote your live streams.
Before you go live, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your live stream. Do you want to educate, entertain, inspire, or engage your viewers? Do you want to showcase a product, service, or event? Do you want to generate leads, sales, or loyalty? Having a specific purpose will help you craft your content, choose your platform, and measure your results.
A few additional recommendations: - Experiment with different visual styles like images vs videos to see what draws in your audience. - Consider boosting your best performing posts to reach a wider network. - Link posts back to your website for measurable offline actions. - Monitor hashtags and conversations in your industry to find new fans. - Adjust approach based on insights from platform analytics. Consistency with quality, relevant content is key. But also important is creativity and measurable goals.
Senior Lecturer in Marketing | Business Consultant | Growth Strategist | SFHEA
I think customers should also know the purpose of the live streaming otherwise it can reduce the attendance. So providing clear purpose in advance; actually during the marketing process can increase the number of leads.
"Live streaming" is one of those tools that in the past were only reserved for networks and big media companies. Nowadays, most organizations have the chance to "go live" and communicate with their audience. The tools are available, cheap, and simple to operate. The key is to have a strategy and to find professionals who can make your livestream look and sound great. Given the additional possibilities of going "live" customers are more savvy about good audio and decent pictures and they expect that from their brands.
Beyond content, have a plan to engage with your live audience. Respond to comments, questions, and reactions in real-time. Encourage viewers to participate and interact by asking questions, running polls, or conducting giveaways.
Live streaming is one of the free ways to increasing your brand visibility. Before you begin the live stream understand the purpose of the livestream. Ask yourself then intention of the live stream and know what to talk about. It should align with your overall digital marketing goals
There are many platforms that offer live streaming features, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitch, LinkedIn, and more. Each platform has its own advantages, disadvantages, and audience preferences. You need to research and compare the different options and select the one that suits your brand, your goals, and your audience. For example, if you want to reach a professional audience, LinkedIn might be a good choice. If you want to reach a younger and more casual audience, Instagram might be better.
Using software like Streamyard (which has a user interface that's so simple my grandmother could use it), you can stream across multiple networks at once. It also compiles all comments into one chat so you don't miss a single question. However, you may see a greater benefit by focusing on a single channel and building out a larger, more engaged audience there. Instead of speaking to an audience on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook all at once. You may find directing everyone to watch your stream on LinkedIn only will help to increase the rate of growth of your LinkedIn personal or company page.
Selecting a live-streaming platform involves considering your audience, purpose, and the features you need. Evaluate ease of use, equipment compatibility, monetisation options, and content policies. Review privacy and control settings, analytics availability, and community support. Factor in cost and conduct tests to determine the best fit for your goals. Try and focus your goals and start with a single channel where your key audiences are.
Live streams benefit from promotion and scheduling. Tease your upcoming live events through your other social channels, email newsletters, and website.
The platform you choose to go live depends on where your audience are and the features or usability function of the platform. If you want to reach out to audience in beauty, entertainment or skincare, going live on Instagram or TikTok would. If you want to unbox a new gadget or hold an event or conference consider using YouTube
A mistake I see often made here is assuming that a certain platform will work better or worse, based on just that -- assumptions. For instance, just because you want to reach a business audience, it doesn't mean LinkedIn is the only or best option. A little bit of research might show you that a surprising segment of your target audience is more active on TikTok. So, don't forget to research before letting assumptions drive your course of action!
Once you have your purpose and platform, you need to plan your content. You need to decide on the topic, the format, the duration, the frequency, and the tone of your live stream. You also need to prepare the script, the visuals, the equipment, and the location. You need to make sure that your content is relevant, valuable, and engaging for your viewers. You also need to anticipate and prepare for any technical issues, interruptions, or emergencies that might happen during the live stream.
Everyone can press a button and shared a presentation, but not everyone goes the extra length and provides the viewer or attendee with something they can USE afterwards. They can all take notes, but having something they can follow, check off, and do is going to make improvements and goal smashing results more likely.
Planning is essential for success in the digital landscape. Every activity you undertake should be targeted towards a specific niche, audience, and platform. Collaborating with high-engagement accounts can be a great way to reach a new audience and grow your own following. However, it's important to carefully plan your live streams and track your results to ensure that your efforts are paying off.
Extend the value of your live streams by repurposing the content. After the live session, edit and segment the video into shorter, more digestible clips that can be shared on social media or your website.
Comprehensive planning ensures a smooth, impactful, and engaging streaming experience. ?? Entrepreneurs should remember that spontaneity can be valuable in live streaming, but a baseline plan ensures professionalism and consistency.
Senior Lecturer in Marketing | Business Consultant | Growth Strategist | SFHEA
- You should have clear learning outcomes for attendees. - Prepare some activities such quizzes, Q&As or other activities to keep your attendees engaged. - Make sure your content is suitable for disabled attendees via captions, audio description, alternate text, sign language interpretation and provide technical support.
To attract and retain viewers, you need to promote your live stream before, during, and after it. You need to create a catchy title, a compelling description, and a captivating thumbnail for your live stream. You also need to announce it on your website, social media, email list, and other channels. You need to remind your audience when and where to watch it and encourage them to invite their friends and followers. During the live stream, you need to interact with your viewers, ask and answer questions, and solicit feedback. After the live stream, you need to thank your viewers, share the replay, and analyze the data.
One piece of promotional content is never enough. Imagine how quickly we all zoom past posts on LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. We rarely give any promotion our full attention. So post more than once. More than one today. More than once tomorrow. Whether you're sharing on social media, via email, or anywhere else; you not only need to drum up attention and anticipation in advance, you also need to remind people to tune in in the hours and minutes before you go live. Whenever our live streams are about to being, we typically send out an email reminder 15 minutes beforehand so that people have time to make a quick coffee before tuning in.
Let your audience know a couple of weeks in advance of your live stream, and consider setting reminders a day before and an hour before as well.
Active promotion maximizes reach and engagement, both pre and post-stream. ?? Brands should leverage cross-promotion. Collaboration with complementary brands or influencers can amplify reach.
No matter how good your livestream is, no one will show up if they don't know about it! So here are a few tips on how to do just that: ? Start promoting early, at least a week or two in advance. ?Promote on social media. You can also create ads too! ? Promote on your website and blog. ? Inform your subscribers about your Livestream via a newsletter. ? Reach out to other streamers in your niche and see if they would be interested in promoting each other's live streams. ? Run contests and giveaways. Offer a prize to viewers who watch your livestream, comment on your live stream, or share your live stream on social media. If you follow all these tips, at least one person will be at your live stream ??
Promoting a live stream is a multi-stage process: pre-launch, during, and post-stream. Engaging storytelling, collaborations, and interactive elements can boost viewership and retention. Post-stream engagement and analysis ensure your live streams evolve and resonate better with each iteration.
To increase your brand visibility, you need to optimize your live stream for search engines and social media algorithms. You need to use relevant keywords, hashtags, tags, and captions for your live stream. You also need to optimize the audio and video quality, the lighting, the sound, and the background. You need to make sure that your live stream is easy to find, watch, and share. You also need to repurpose your live stream into other formats, such as blog posts, podcasts, ebooks, or infographics.
SEO optimization is definitely crucial but be sure to limit your keyword list to the ones that are really relevant to the subject. MAKE THE REPLAY ACCESSIBLE — If there is an option for your audience to watch the replay, let them know about it. Share the link throughout a new post, via email, or your WhatsApp group, etc., and engage those people who missed joining the live-streaming.
To ensure that the live stream reaches a large audience, it’s important to employ tactics. - Ensure you use high-quality equipment to ensure you have clear video and audio. - Use relevant hashtags and keywords in the title, description and comments section to increase the chances of it being found when people are searching. - Repurpose and promote the live stream on other channels, like blogs, podcasts & email newsletters. Just remember, always try to deliver value to your audience and this will help drive brand growth in the long-run.
Optimize your live stream with SEO Rich titles, descriptions, and tags. Repurpose your live stream in Snippets, YT Shorts, Reels, and Blogs to reach a larger audience
Finally, you need to experiment and improve your live streaming strategy. You need to test different platforms, topics, formats, times, and styles for your live streams. You need to monitor and measure the performance, the engagement, and the feedback of your live streams. You need to identify what works and what doesn't and make adjustments accordingly. You also need to keep up with the latest trends, tools, and best practices for live streaming and learn from other successful brands and influencers.
Nobody is perfect on first try. Analyze, learn and improve. Remember your targets and brand values even if you develop what you are creating content about. Stay true to your values.
Measuring performance is something that we seem to forget. In order to know what you're audience wants, pay attention to what they consume. When you're first starting out try out some different video lengths, some different styles such as the "talking head" or the "presentation/PowerPoint." Learn from successful brands and influencers but remember the two most important metrics are what your audience will consume, and what will build the bank balance.
This is the best part: learning from your mistakes. Understand what worked for your live stream, and double down on that for your next session. Also, learn from your mistakes, take note of what went wrong, gather feedback from your team and audience, and keep improving.
Leveraging live streaming, especially on OTT platforms, is pivotal for increasing brand visibility. Daraz's example in Pakistan, live streaming events like the Cricket World Cup, demonstrates its effectiveness. OTT platforms offer access to a broad and engaged audience, and such partnerships capitalize on this captive viewership. This not only raises brand awareness but also enhances brand image by aligning with audience passions. Live streaming fosters immediate, authentic interaction, building community and providing valuable data for optimization. In summary, embracing live streaming, particularly on OTT platforms, is a potent strategy to boost brand visibility and foster audience connections.
To increase brand visibility on LinkedIn through live streaming: //Plan your content. //Promote the live stream in advance. //Ensure high-quality production. //Engage with the audience in real-time. //Collaborate with influencers or experts. //Provide educational and valuable content. //Use relevant hashtags. //Analyze and improve after each stream. //Follow LinkedIn's guidelines. //Network with other live streamers.
When leveraging live streaming, entrepreneurs should prioritize authenticity, striking a balance between planned content and spontaneity. Stay attuned to shifting platform demographics to remain in touch with target audiences. Embrace both positive and negative feedback for continual growth. Technical readiness is paramount, as is active audience engagement. Lastly, you could maximize your impact by repurposing streamed content across various digital formats. Mastering these elements can elevate brand visibility to new heights. ???????????????.
I'll stress that you should not underestimating the power of recording pre existing content. Have a PowerPoint you want to go through? Then do the intro live and play a recorded version of the PPT so there is no mistakes and it stays within the alloted time of the event. Then return and do the QA live. The audience experience will not see a difference and it will up your production quality. To often I see presenters going through a deck and fubbling for both words and time.
Never let your live stream be a one-and-done event. Reuse it. Share a link to the on-demand recording after you've finished (most in the c-suite are rarely free during the day for live streams, but will catch up later in the day or week). You can always turn your livestream into clips and blogs for your website, but you can also turn them into podcast episodes too. You can also reuse your live stream by re-presenting it later in the year (or following years) for people who weren't in your marketing ecosystem the first time. And let's not forget one of the best ways you can re-use all your live stream preparation - by being a guest on other live streams and sharing your knowledge and experience to an entirely new audience.