Posts, stories, and tweets are just a few of the ways to engage with your audience on social media. Within each social media platform, there is a myriad of ways to maximize engagement, such as hashtags or mentions.
Another option for engaging with potential and existing customers is live streaming on social media. Live streaming is the real-time airing of video footage onto a social media platform, such as Instagram or YouTube. While you’re probably aware that live streaming is currently a popular form of entertainment, you might not know that businesses are taking advantage of this concept to improve sales. Have you considered it for your business?
Whether you’re already live streaming or just getting started, here are five top reasons for live streaming and how best to use this social media feature to take your business to the next level.
1. Saves Money
You’re probably familiar with the adage “time is money.” Producing quality commercial video content can take a lot of time, energy, and of course, money.
On the other hand, live streaming is done in the moment, and perhaps even better, it’s completely free. There’s no need to hire a videographer to film it or an editor to cut it down. You simply pick up your phone, hit the live button on your preferred social media platform, and start filming. Virtually anyone can live stream.
Keep in mind, though, that you should incorporate some best practices to make your video content appealing to viewers. If you’ve never done a live stream before or want to learn how to create the most engaging live stream content, do some research before you begin.
Business Insider has some great tips on how to do a TikTok live stream. Meta also breaks down some live streaming best practices for Facebook and Instagram to help you get started.
2. Builds Excitement and Boosts Engagement
One of the best parts of social media is that it fosters a sense of community. This was perhaps most apparent during the height of the pandemic. When the world was going virtual, and many people were spending time in quarantine, social media helped keep us all connected. Today, people continue to turn to social media for that same feeling.
Live streaming also creates that feeling by offering people a shared experience. Live streaming builds excitement and boosts engagement by giving people the opportunity to interact in the here and now. Your audience can see what others are commenting on, and they can be a part of a larger conversation. They can also ask questions and get responses in real-time.
Business live streaming allows your audience to interact with you, the product, and each other. You can generate buzz around your business through increased engagement and community interaction and build brand recognition.
3. Fosters a Personal Connection
Just as you want your audience to interact with your live stream by watching, commenting, and sharing, keep in mind that your followers want you to engage with them too. Live streaming fosters a sense of community, but it should also enable a more personal one-on-one connection between you and your followers.
For instance, when live streaming, read as many of the comments posted during the session as possible. Engage with your followers by mentioning them by name when responding to them. Live streaming can increase sales and solidify brand loyalty by adding this type of personal touch to your business.
As you grow your audience, you may have more people comment or ask questions during your live streams. You can even team up with a colleague or business partner who can post responses to comments and questions while you’re doing the live stream. This will keep viewers engaged, foster a stronger personal connection with your audience, and enable you to maximize the benefits of business live streaming.
4. Expands Reach
If you want to grow your social media audience and jumpstart your business, live streaming is one of the best ways. For instance, LinkedIn estimates that users who use LinkedIn Live get 7 times more reactions and 24 times more comments than when posting a native video. This is the type of increased engagement we spoke about earlier that can, in turn, lead to an increase in your customer base.
How can it do this? Well, when someone comments or reacts to a post, it often shows up in the news feeds of people connected to that person. This notification system means that while someone may not necessarily be interacting with your page or even be aware of your business in the first place, your content could be popping up in their news feed.
Therefore, the more engagement your content generates, the greater your opportunity to reach more people, grow your audience, and expand your customer base. And, of course, an expanded customer base translates to more sales and increased revenue.
5. Fosters a Better Understanding of Your Audience
Think of live streaming as a focus group in a sense. Focus groups can be an expensive and time-consuming way to determine what consumers think of your product or service. But live streaming offers the opportunity to find out what your target audience thinks about a product, service, or idea in real-time.
You can get instant feedback by scrolling through comments and gauging reactions to your live stream content. This connection will allow you to identify what’s working, what needs improvement, and what else your audience wants to see from you in the future. Live streaming offers a cost-effective way to market your product and determine how you should be growing and developing your business.
Are you wondering what to live stream about? Just think about anything that has a benefit to your audience. It could be a how-to or DIY tutorial, a product reveal with an offer for a limited-time discount code, or an industry event showcasing exciting new ideas.
However, keep in mind that business live streaming produces the best results when you already have an established social media following and a solid marketing plan. Need some help with that? You’re in luck. It’s one of our specialties at Digital Marketing Group.
If you’re ready to grow your audience, strengthen brand loyalty, and take the next step with your business, give us a call. We’ll craft a targeted marketing plan that creates unique, compelling, and memorable experiences to expand your social media reach.