Most social media marketers are now talking about streamed video and its uses. From small scale industries to prominent corporate organizations; everyone is trying to take advantage of the video trend. Surveys and research have shown that people would rather watch live video on Facebook than waste time watching a video that is not live. Smartphones and tablets have added substance to live video streaming, making them extremely popular. There are several major players in the market when it comes to live video. They are Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Periscope and much more. Here, I have listed some great practices that you can consider before using streaming video. They are the following:
> Study the market well Before starting any marketing initiative; the search for information is vital. Solve some simple doubts in the live stream and try to give the searches in your favorite search engine. Read blogs and articles about live streaming; Consider your users’ experiences, their opinions, etc. You can get information about the necessary things to get started with streaming, the minimum bandwidth needed, the main live streaming providers, etc. The fundamentals must be clear to make informed decisions in the broadcast business.
> Promote live streaming in advance- It is mandatory that you promote your stream well in advance. It is because, if nobody is aware of what you are going to broadcast; there will be zero viewers! Some social media platforms like blab can schedule your stream at a time of your choice and you can get a link to share it on a social network. Subscribers can sign up for its live streaming videos via the given link, and whenever it starts, they get notifications. Thus, you can gather the audience for your live streaming videos in a more systematic way. Never miss an opportunity to add essentials like date, time, topic, platforms, and images in a teaser post on social media.
> Make a commitment plan- Streaming video is very people-friendly because the audience gets a chance to interact with the humans behind the brand. The audience often has a lot of queries and they are excited to get answers. Streamed videos give them the opportunity to communicate with you. To create a sense of excitement among the people, you can select some interesting trending topics of which the videos will be live streamed. Contests, campaigns, etc. shake online activities. On social networking websites where your videos are interlinked; you will get the shares, likes and comments. It will keep your video trending in the feeds. It acts as an icebreaker for your broadcast as people continue to discuss your event or video content. As a result, you gain more viewers or subscribers than you are trying to represent.
> Opt for a call to action- The call to action is the key to success in live streaming services. Your audience is always looking for more and more information from you. You need to get your message across to your viewers in the most motivating way so that they keep their attention on it. You can invite people to subscribe to your newsletter through social networks. You need to inspire viewers to actively participate in your video by sharing or commenting to make it more viral. CTA posts often get more views and attention as they elicit excitement from viewers.
> Select the correct platform- This is a stage where you have a considerable amount of information to decide where you want to broadcast and promote your event. You can seek the advice of experts to choose the right media type to suit your needs. However, you can perform trial tests on various platforms to verify the results. Switching platforms isn’t a big deal if you find a better answer elsewhere. All of the notable platforms provide different features and different levels of interactivity in the context of the formats, and therefore you should search for them very carefully.
> Always be consistent The timing of when you broadcast your video live is extremely crucial in order to get the maximum number of viewers. Like your treatment of blogs, emails or social updates; handling live streaming videos is too important. Select a suitable time to live stream your video on digital marketing channels when you are likely to get a large number of viewers. After the program is finished, it is important to follow it strictly. Eventually it builds momentum and audience building develops at a faster rate.
Sometimes you may think that choosing a proper code of conduct for using streaming video is a bit complicated procedure. However, it is not! Simplifying the steps listed above will help you make informed decisions. Evaluating the options you have considered can be done more easily. Comparing various platforms and methods is always beneficial for you as you can reveal something unique at any time while streaming the video.
