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Currently, there are a total of 2.6 billion social network users around the globe. Businesses need to stay ahead of their competitors and gain consumers’ attention, which is why you need to build your presence on social media platforms to reach a wider audience.
As of 2017, Facebook and Instagram have 2.2 billion and 800 million monthly active users respectively. These social platforms have introduced live video streaming, which is quite an interesting way to connect directly with your customers and prospects.
Using live video streaming to connect with your audience is one of the best ways to gain their trust and build stronger customer relationships. Click To Tweet
One of the biggest advantages of live video is that brands can engage with their audience in a more personal manner. Shedding the corporate curtain will help users to actively participate in the brand’s storytelling, thus improving the user experience.
Did you know that…
- People spend 3 times longer watching live videos compared to pre-recorded video
- 80% of brand audiences prefer watching a live video to reading a blog post
- 82% of audiences prefer a brand’s live video over a social post
Here are some of the most innovative and effective ways of using live video, such as Facebook Live or Instagram Live, to grow your business.
1) Organize a Q&A Session
Organizing a Q&A session via live video streaming is an effective way to strengthen your relationship with your customers, fans and prospects. The topic for your live video could be as simple as answering questions related to your products or services to help people understand your product better and improve their experience.
For example, Jorge Cruise, a popular fitness and weight loss coach, organized a Q&A session on Facebook. He interacted with his audience and answered their frequently-asked fitness-related questions live. His video is 40 minutes long and has been watched by more than 2K people:
Further Reading:
2) Invite Influencers to Participate
To provide an expert opinion on a particular topic, collaborate with an influencer from the same industry who specializes in that topic. Because your influencer is from the same industry, your audience will get a new or different perspective on the subject. Plus, your influencer will invite his or her audience, which will help you gain more viewers.
But it is not an easy task to find an influencer who is an expert in your industry and whom your audience will look up to. Use tools like Grin or Buzzstream, which can help you to find an expert from your niche.
For example, Sephora, a beauty and cosmetic store, partnered with Christophe Robin Paris and Jen Atkin. They made a 30-minute video talking about beauty products, makeup trends, and makeup tips. The video has been watched by more than 80K users.
If your influencer is not in the same location as you, you can opt for Instagram’s new feature called collab-live stream. It allows you to connect with the person and live stream your video at the same time.
Follow these simple steps to do a collab-live stream:
- Go to Instagram’s Live panel
- Tap the two smiley faces logo at the bottom
- Select the guest to join your broadcast on Instagram Live
- When you want to end the discussion, tap the “x” button on top-right corner of your guest’s screen
3) Share Live Event Coverage
Brand building doesn’t only mean increasing the number of people who know about you. It is much more than that. It’s about who you are, what your opinions are, and why people should trust you. Organizing and broadcasting a live event is one of the best ways to build your brand.
Events can help your brand become recognized as an expert in your industry. Make sure you broadcast your live streaming video on different social media platforms to ensure that you are sharing your knowledge with a larger audience.
For example, for the premiere of The Jungle Book, Disney collaborated with Airbnb: they created a treehouse to host the premiere of the movie. They broadcast the red carpet event and interviewed the cast, and through the live video, fans of the movie got to be a part of the red carpet event. The video generated just under 1o0K views:
Further Reading:
4) Test/Review Your Product Live
The best way to gain and build trust with your customers is by doing live reviews or tests of your products – and your live video will have an even greater impact if it is timed with the launch of your new product. But make sure your product is available to the public when you go live with your video!
For example, Land Rover, the car brand, did a live test drive video on Facebook over the course of a month. The objective was to test and showcase that their vehicles performed equally well on all types of terrain. The video received 9.7K views.
5) Broadcast the Launch of a New Product
Broadcasting live product launch videos is a new and popular way to introduce a new service or product. Many brands have realized that through live videos, it is easier to create buzz around the product and, ultimately, boost sales.
For example, when Nissan launched their new 2016 Maxima in New York, they broadcast the launch live and connected to their nationwide viewers through the video, straight from NY.
In much the same way, General Motors was the first car brand to use the live feature on Facebook. Through Facebook live they launched their 2017 Chevy Bolt EV. The live video received 59K views and nearly 450 shares:
Final Thoughts
Live videos are possibly the best way to connect and engage with your audiences and strengthen your relationships with them. Because of the Facebook and Instagram Live video features, you can connect with your audience wherever and whenever. The above-mentioned strategies are not the only ones, but are among the best ways to use live videos.