Live video streaming has become popular all around the world. Musicians connect with their fans through live video, and even business owners outside of the entertainment industry have begun using live video in creative ways. For example, those in educational niches put up live webinars to deliver free training and answer questions. Other service providers live stream their events and speeches for those who couldn't make it in person, as long as it wasn't an exclusive event, of course. Live video is being used in hundreds of ways by the everyday person to celebrities to business owners. You've probably heard of people and brands using Snapchat and Periscope for live streaming. We're going to talk about other live streaming tools in today's post as we've recently written about Snapchat and Periscope.
Why Is Live Video Streaming Important In Digital Marketing?
Marketers and business owners who use digital marketing should pay attention to the power of live video streaming and seriously consider incorporating it into their digital marketing strategies. Streaming live video is an important digital marketing strategy because it enhances audience connection with the business, humanizes the brand, and shows the right type of vulnerability.
It's important for customers to feel connected to brands they regularly buy from. They want to have similar values and know that the company genuinely cares about them. Live video is a powerful way to nurture connection with customers over the Internet because they are as close to the live action as possible from a distance. When customers feel like they're part of the action, they quickly become more attached to your brand. It's similar to the way fans become more loyal to their favorite sports team by watching live games and interacting with fellow fans.
Live video streaming humanizes the brand, another important quality for customer loyalty. When people realize you're down-to-earth enough to interact with them through live video, they will view your brand more positively. Due to the live aspect, video streaming live also makes the brand vulnerable. This vulnerability causes business owners to hesitate. However, customers will admire you for being secure enough with your brand to allow that vulnerability.
Now that you understand the importance of live video streaming for digital marketing, let's cover three tools you can use for live streaming:
- Facebook Live – Facebook Live was introduced in the past year and allows you to broadcast live on your personal profile, business page, or even to a group or event you belong to. Live streaming is possible within the app itself on mobile devices, and doesn't require any special downloads. Combining the power of Facebook with the popularity of live video is a no-brainer for anyone wanting to do live streaming!
- YouTube Live - Another powerhouse for live video is YouTube Live. Since Google owns YouTube, there are some great tools within this live streaming option, as well as many benefits. Since Google owns YouTube, this is a great place to select for your live video clips, as it will help you give your brand more exposure long after the video has been live.
- Wirecast – Wirecast is a Telestream product that provides professional live streaming. With this software, you can execute live switches, titles, transitions, and lower thirds. It supports input from multifarious devices, including iOS cameras, desktop computers, live camera feeds, and web feeds. A cool feature that Wirecast provides is the ability to display live Twitter feeds onto the broadcast. You can interact live with your Twitter audience when using that feature.
- OBS - Short for Open Broadcaster Software, OBS is an open source live video streaming software that can also be used for recording videos. You can use this software to stream on Facebook, YouTube, Dailymotion, Twitch, Hitbox, and other supported sites. OBS was built with an emphasis on multi-platform support, a powerful API, and a thorough set of features.
- Google Hangouts - Like OBS, Google Hangouts is free to use. In contrast to Wirecast and OBS, you don't need to download anything to utilize the tool. Google Hangouts is a trusted, hassle-free platform where you can have either private video chats or public group calls with your audience. If you want to see your customers, you can enable a feature to allow them to turn on their webcams and mics.
There are many great tools you can use for streaming live video, and there are constantly new ones evolving. Choose the platform that matches your needs and is within budget. If you're still wary about live streaming, remind yourself of the benefits and make a plan.
Live video streaming is intimidating when you're new to it, but you can calm your nerves by developing a live video streaming strategy and guidelines. Contact us for help writing a good plan with guidelines that make sense for your brand. Bloopers and mistakes happen, but you can minimize them through establishing guidelines.
