5 effective ways to reach customers through live streaming

A recent SocialMediaToday.com infographic reported some pretty remarkable statistics about video consumption and live streaming. Among them are:

• People spend three times longer watching live video compared to video that’s not live.
• The number of videos posted per person increased by 75 percent in 2015.
• Video posts have 135 percent greater organic reach than photo posts.

And check out this stat:

Live Streaming Video Survey Finds 44% Of Brands Have Produced Live Video & 20% Plan To

Clearly, video is a growing format that should be taken seriously by businesses of all sizes. Not only is it popular among people from all cultures around the world, but Facebook itself has big plans to make video a primary component of the network. And there are already brands doing well with it.

Live streaming is an excellent way to make profitable use out of the growing popularity of video. Need some live streaming ideas? Here are five!

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1. Live stream company or industry events

People always love engaging with personable brands that show they care for their customers. And live streaming an event can be an excellent way to let your customers connect with you.

Let your online audience see every aspect of the event, taking them through numerous areas of the venue — even backstage. You’ll also want to pay attention to your viewers’ comments during the stream so they can tell you what they’d like you to show them next. Who do they want to meet? What would they like to learn about?

2. Hold a live “how-to” or Q&A stream

Another effective way to connect with your customers is to let them ask you questions about your product or service, your company, your industry or other areas of expertise you have. Nothing reflects a brand’s care for its customers quite like answering questions from actual buyers.

How-to’s also are greatly appreciated by customers of numerous industries, from high-tech gadgets to everyday products. Do you sell a complex software program? Let your customers ask live questions from one of the designers of the program. Or if your business is a clothing store, why not hold a live stream about tying the perfect tie?

The bottom line is to offer whatever would benefit your clients and prospects.

For the best interaction and customer connections, call your live-stream participants by name throughout your Q&As and how-to sessions. Also, you might find it helpful to narrow your Q&A session down to cover a few preset topics.

3. Live stream the making of your product

Show your audience that you have so much pride in your product you’d like to show them how you produce it. If you’re a restaurant owner, show a live, in-the-kitchen view of the making of your legendary dessert that no one can get enough of.

An electronics company might show a live factory view of the making of their computers. A landscaping business could stream an on-site view of its crew giving a home some much-deserved curb appeal.

No need to give away any trade secrets, of course, but get creative and let your customers see the care you put into the process!

4. Live stream the launching of a new product

Would you like to generate buzz about a new product your business has developed? Live streaming an unboxing of your product might be the perfect tactic.

Build up buzz beforehand, and get as many customers interested in the scheduled live stream as possible. Maybe even offer discounts or a product giveaway to a couple of random viewers.

5. Hold a weekly company news live stream

Many company newsletters and email newsletters have impressive numbers of readers. Whether you’d like to maintain your newsletter readership or generate buzz about your newsletter, live streaming your news could be an excellent tactic.

The key is to make these kinds of live streams interesting and entertaining so that you create customer loyalty. Don’t merely read the newsletter that your audience already received in their mailboxes.

Instead, add more depth to the stories, add humorous anecdotes related to the news, or even let your audience ask questions about the items that you can answer more thoroughly. The key words to remember are, of course, interesting, entertaining, funny and valuable.

This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list of live streaming ideas (here are some additional tips). The more you do it, the more ideas you’ll generate! Just keep things interesting and entertaining.

As with all other forms of social media marketing, trial and error may be a factor for success. Find what works best for your business, and have fun doing it!