Ever since its inception, live streaming has fundamentally changed how the entire world communicates. The technology was quickly adopted by social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram where people just can’t seem to get enough of it.
According to statistics, online video consumption accounts for nearly four-fifths of all internet traffic. This is a huge opportunity for brands to tell their stories in a way that is both engaging and fun for their target audience.
In this blog, we take a look at a few innovative live streaming strategies on Facebook Live, Periscope / Twitter Live, Instagram Live, and YouTube Live. Even though it is not possible to live stream on snapchat as of now, the mobile-first social media platform might allow live streaming in the near future.
Source: gifer
Live Streaming Strategies
Facebook Live
Do a live stream with industry experts
Most people usually tune in to a live stream on facebook when it’s about something that they’re really interested in. It could be anything from software to motorcycles to coffee, what really matters is the quality of information being presented to the audience.
By involving a well-known and respected expert of the industry that your target audience is interested in, you increase the credibility of the information being presented by a large margin and at the same time give the audience an extra incentive to tune in.
Also Read: How to Use Facebook Live Effectively for Business Webcasts
Announce a new product!
A live stream on Facebook is a great opportunity to truly engage with a large audience that is already interested in your brand’s story. Announcing a new product during a live stream can be the perfect way to start a new product’s launch strategy.
By involving a massive global audience in your product’s announcement, you can create a buzz about your brand’s new product that simply cannot be matched by just announcing it via a traditional event. Brands like Apple have made product launches seem larger than life and have succeeded in creating a huge buzz for their products by live streaming their launch events.
Connect with the Industry's Most Experienced
Live Streaming Service Providers.
Periscope / Twitter Live
Stream Experiences!
Periscope / Twitter Live is a great platform for live streaming. It was acquired by Twitter soon after its launch and is one of the biggest live streaming platforms in the world today. As opposed to a live webcast on Facebook, live streaming on Periscope / Twitter Live is usually not professionally managed and controlled.
This style can be utilized by brands by creating live streams where the focus is on the experience, rather than the information. One of the first rules of writing is “show, don’t tell” and the same applies to Periscope / Twitter Live. In essence, by live streaming an experience related to the brand’s story, a brand can fully utilize the style the platform is known for.
Also Read: How to Make Private Broadcasting on Periscope Streaming
Go Behind the Scenes!
Any footage that shows what happens behind the scenes is inherently exciting to people as it allows them to be more engaged with your brand’s event. Periscope / Twitter Live is a great channel to live stream what’s going on behind the scenes and to let your audience be more engaged with your brand’s event.
Instagram Live
Do a Q/A Session!
Just like a live webcast on Facebook, Instagram Live is also a great tool to connect and engage directly with your brand’s target audience in real time. This can be a great opportunity to conduct a question and answer session in a fun way to inform and educate your audience about your brand’s story and message.
Flash sales and promotions
A very unique characteristic of live streams is the sense of urgency it carries. As opposed to Instagram stories, live streams create a bigger sense of FOMO in audiences as not every live stream is saved and it can be gone right after it is over.
By blending in flash sales and promotions in your brand’s Instagram live streams, you can take advantage of the inherent urgency and get a better and bigger response to the flash sales and promotions.
YouTube Live
Training and Tutorials
Generally, the audience of YouTube Live is used to a high-quality stream which is well thought-out. The platform has been around for a long time and to make an impact when streaming live on Youtube, both the content and the video quality itself should be optimal.
Dedicating a live stream to teaching something your brand’s target audience is interested in is great for creating more engagement and getting more people to tune into the stream.
Platform Specific Live Streaming?
Even though a lot of brands rely on streaming on multi cdns to maximize the reach and engagement of their live streams, using platform-specific strategies for some streams can help in maximizing the impact of every individual stream.
By approaching each live streaming platform as having separate needs, niches and quirks, a brand can create the ultimate live streaming strategies for their marketing that involves streaming on multi cdns but also focuses on individual platforms too.
Connect with the Industry's Most Experienced
Live Streaming Service Providers.
