Livestreaming is the publishing of a video online that is viewed in real time. Many businesses and individuals are using this to further their reach and improve brand awareness. In this article, we discuss how live streaming can improve your business reach.
How often does your organisation broadcast on the internet? While social posts should now be a daily occurrence for your business in the Philippines, many people still overlook live streaming. Yet it is a great tool to increase sales and improve brand awareness. Below, we discuss how live streaming can help your business.
What is livestreaming?
Livestreaming is the publishing of a live video stream online. This can be done on a website or social media. The people in the video can then chat and interact with those who are viewing the livestream. In terms of your business based in the Philippines, you would broadcast to your customers.
In today's modern digital age, live streaming is used in many different ways. Major social media providers such as Facebook and Instagram have opened live shopping platforms, which allow people to demonstrate and sell products to their audience in real-time. This has led to a trend and uptake in livestream shopping.
In the entertainment field, live streaming has transformed the online casino industry. When you decide to play roulette online at Bovada or other casino games you are often given the option to play live versions of these. This will livestream a croupier from a casino, who will spin the wheel and talk to customers. It blends the convenience of playing online with the interaction of a physical casino.
However, these are just a few case studies. People are using it to do concerts, host chat shows and even raffles using live streaming. It is a useful tool you must consider for your business.
How can livestreaming help your business?
Livestreaming will help your business in several different ways. The most important ones are collected below.
It builds brand loyalty
In today's competitive marketplace, retaining your customers is just as important as going out and finding new ones. When customers are loyal, they will return to your business and make repeat purchases. In addition, they will often tell others about your business which brings more customers into the fold.
The bigger the business, the more faceless it becomes. When you livestream, you are putting a human front on the company. This in itself can build brand loyalty, particularly if you have great presenters who represent the company's mission and ethos.
Holds engagement
You may already have a great social media strategy in place. However, no matter how entertaining and well-crafted your posts are, they will always struggle to cut through. With so much information bombarding consumers every day, images and text alone can struggle to make an impact.
A stream manages to outdo even video content. As it takes place live, it plays on the fear of missing out. People want to be there at the time it takes place. You can use this to get across important messages, cutting through the social media white noise.
It creates an event
If you live-stream regularly, it may lose some of the impact. Thus, if you save your livestreams for special occasions you can make it an event, creating a huge impact. For example, you may keep it for a product launch. Perhaps you would use it to announce a sale and sell limited, special offer items with discounts.
It allows you to reach a new demographic
Generally, younger audiences are the ones who will most engage with a live stream. Thus, this could be a great way to reach a younger demographic. Use it to showcase your business to them and show that you are a company at the cutting edge of technology.
How do you create a successful live stream?
I have learned the hard way that a successful livestream is built on preparation. Don't go into any broadcast without being fully aware of what is going to happen, and how the stream will unfold.
Start by defining the goal of the live stream. Are you looking to promote a new product? Provide information? Host a live sale? Each of these needs to be approached and prepared for differently. From this point, you can define the topic and work out if it will be a live interview, a product demonstration or any other format you are interested in trying.
Once you have this, think about where your audience will be. Is your target demographic on Facebook or Instagram? Or are you looking to find a new audience on dedicated live shopping channels? Knowing this can help you select the right place to launch your stream.
Following this, make sure you invest in some quality equipment. Get a high-definition webcam, great lighting and audio gear. All this will give your stream a professional quality that will pay dividends. It is just a case of then practicing your livestream and advertising it. Soon, you should see the results in numerous conversions and increased leads.