The event positioned the brand as a leader in technology innovation by creating interesting and engaging live video for GE customers.
4. Feature Behind-the-Scenes Clips
One last way to use livestream video in B2B is to feature a “sneak peek” into the company’s inner workings. Why? Because when marketers are always trying to show the “polished” side of a company, it never feels human. When you pull back the curtain instead — and reveal that, not only is a brand run by humans, but those humans are interesting — it instantly makes the brand more likeable and engaging. For example, Ben and Jerry’s uses live video to provide a tour of their “Flavor Lab” and show the care that goes into each frozen bite.
Tips for Successfully Deploying Live Video Strategies
Are you ready to try live video but want to ensure that your efforts deliver the maximum results possible? If so, here are a few more strategies that will get you off to the right start.
Build your audience.
Nothing is worse than planning, preparing, and holding a live event that doesn’t reach enough people. Crickets is not the sound you want. So build up your audience to support that next live event. Where is your audience spending time? For the B2B audience, it may be on LinkedIn groups or Twitter. Once you figure this out, you can start engaging with that audience and building it, and when you put the word out about the upcoming event, you’ll see greater success.
Keep things casual.
Viewers have a different expectation for a live event. They don’t want it to be formal or scripted; instead, they prefer it to be engaging and real. So don’t be afraid to be imperfect, ask questions, and have viewers talk back in real time.
Build an engaging event.
Customers no longer tolerate one-sided communication; they want to be included in the conversation. So maximize results by leveraging social, chat, survey, and polling technology during your event. This will keep the audience hooked and engaged from start to finish.
Encourage comments and feedback.
With most platforms, you can see how many viewers you have at any given time. Continue to encourage comments and feedback, and address as many questions as possible during the live event to keep people engaged and make them feel involved and heard.
Experiment with timing.
As with other types of marketing activities, timing is critical — especially with live events. When is the best time for your target audience to attend? For a B2B audience, this may be during the middle of the week in the evening hours — or the morning might be better. The best way to find out is to hold the live event on a couple of different days and times, and then measure your results.
Remember to have fun.
Live events are supposed to be spontaneous, fun, and all about a new type of engagement. So throw out the stiffness and formality, and opt instead for a loose outline and the flexibility to improvise and adapt to customers’ real-time needs.
Evolving With the Future of Video
Customers have made their preference clear: They love video. But moving into the future won’t just be about regular video. Instead, it will be about dynamic video that happens in real time and makes customers feel like they’re part of the experience. Customers no longer want to feel “marketed to” or “sold to,” but rather as though they’re having a conversation.
They want to talk about their biggest pain points — what keeps them up at night — and how your B2B offering is the solution to those problems. When you strike this balance with real-time video, you will bring relationships and engagement to entirely new heights.