Do you want to completely blow your competition out of the water on social media? Welcome to the age of live streaming! You’d agree that digital marketing constantly evolves and that keeps brands and marketers on their toes. It all started with texts being the king. Later, photos were the deal-breaker on most social media platforms. After a few years, YouTube gained prominence. But now, it’s time for live streaming! If you are yet to take advantage of this digital marketing strategy, likely, you aren’t aware of its benefits. What are the benefits of live streaming? Why do people go live on social media? In this article, digital marketing experts at MyCity Social have compiled the benefits of live streaming on social media. Also, we have explained how you can go live on each social media platform.

The Benefits Of Live Streaming On Social Media

Let’s examine these true benefits of live streaming your events:

1. Building Your Brand- Live streaming is vital for building brands. It is easier to arrange and more integrated. And with mobile phones, your audience can connect with you, anywhere. Live streaming can reach millions of prospects and can cost zero dollars. It works with social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and even YouTube. Live streaming has come to stay; it can only get better with time.
2. Direct Engagement- Here’s one of the powerful benefits of live streaming. Live streaming allows brands to connect personally with individuals. When prospects or potential consumers join your live sessions, it’s more like inviting them to your house and getting to know them personally. They can engage with your friends and family, share opinions, or even tell jokes. Unlike a physical hall where only a few individuals can take the front seat, live streaming allows everyone to get a front-row seat. As a result, you’ll get the feeling that a large crowd is watching you. Meanwhile, your audience sees the engagement as personal and direct.
3. Audience Management- Live stream sessions are unique in how smooth organizers can manage participants. Moderators can help hosts screen the best questions from participants. Hence, you can establish productive question and answer sessions. However, in real-life events, you do not have control over the audience’s behavior.
4. Strong Sales Conversions- Live video events can guarantee sales conversions. This is especially true of businesses that sell ecommerce products. Easily, you can integrate promotional offers using live-streamed events, which will undoubtedly result in sales. Additionally, use live broadcasts to establish new business opportunities. If you do not plan to sell any product when you start your live video, your presence alone sends a sign to potential consumers, and how you interact with them can make a big difference!
5. Lives On- While live streaming, anticipate your best moments to come anytime. If you are always on high quality each time you stream, you might want to record the seasons and edit to reuse some of the captured moments as promotional materials.  Platforms like Facebook allow you to save your live video, giving you playback opportunities. Also, once your live broadcast is over, your event can be transformed into a standard video that your fans who missed the event can watch and catch up later. Furthermore, make use of streaming software that makes easy recapturing of events possible.
6. Instant Feedback- This is another answer to the question: “What are the advantages of live streaming?” As briefly hinted earlier, live streaming allows you to transform a broadcast into a conversation. You can welcome comments from the audience and provide answers to them in real-time. And that will lead to building trust. When they are satisfied with your answer, you’ll be sure you’ve got them glued to your brand. This will also help to keep your ideas relevant to the needs of your consumers.
7. You Can Keep It Simple- With live videos, you can satisfy your audience’s curiosityeCommerce. Most consumers today are hungry for authenticity. Hence, you do not have to worry about having perfect lighting or a fancy background. If your brand is on a budget, this is good news: Just make do with the space you have. The most important thing is ensuring that the background and the surroundings are neat and well organized. When your consumers and prospects perceive that you are genuine, they become more willing to partner with you, trusting your product and services.
8. You Can Skip The Algorithm- This is another importance of live streaming. It is fascinating to know that most social media giants prioritize live content in their newsfeeds. Live videos, for instance, on Facebook, have better interactions than pre-recorded ones. So, without stress, your video can reach more audiences.
9. Native Analytics- Facebook and many other social media platforms have well-designed in-stream analytics. More than regular video statistics, live analytics now offer more in-depth details. This includes reactions, viewers’ figures, shares, and comments. When a brand has access to this analytics, they can figure out what works and what doesn’t.  In the long run, it enhances the success they record in their business strategy. The type of live event your audience reacts to tells you what your prospects and consumers want to see, and it also shows that you can do more!
10. It’s Free- When a brand wants to organize a physical event, they will likely go about spending hundreds on ads to inform the public about the event. However, live streaming, when put to good use, can reduce cost significantly. In a recent survey by Digitell, for example, it was discovered that 30% of those who viewed a live stream will purchase a ticket to attend any physical event organized subsequently. That means your live stream has offered a low-cost means of inviting most of your prospects and consumers. Coachella experienced this. The festival sold its ticket out in just three days. What was responsible for this groundbreaking achievement? One of them was that Coachella utilized Facebook live to stream an event that year. Interestingly, in the following year, they sold out their ticket in just 3 hours.

How To Get Started With Live Streaming On Social Media

With the live streaming benefits for business that you’ve examined, the next step is to get started. So, let’s take a quick look at how to use popular social media platforms to set up live streaming:

1. Facebook-

Mobile Live Streaming

• Tap post
• Tap go live
• Write a short description (Optional)
• To pick your desired audience for your live video, click on the three dots you find in the top right corner. (Optional)
• Click the blue “start live video” button to start streaming.

Computer Live Video

• In your newsfeed, you’ll find a “create post” box, then tap the three dots.
• Select live video
• Tap the camera to make use of your webcam.
• Add a description and title and choose where your live stream will appear.
• Hit the “blue go live” icon.

2. Instagram

• Hit the camera in the upper left
• Swipe your camera right to have access to the Instagram Live screen
• Click on the “go live” icon to start streaming

3. LinkedIn

To stream on Linkedin, you need two devices. The first device will be for the live video, while the second device will be for tracking engagements—comments, shares, and many more.

• Sign up for a broadcasting tool like Switcher studio or Socialive
• Then, log in to your LinkedIn account
• Tap the broadcast icon on your broadcasting tool and film.
• Use the other device to check for comments, or ask a friend to stand as a moderator for you.

4. YouTube

If you have a minimum of one thousand subscribers and you own a smartphone or webcam, you are all set! Follow these steps to stream on the webcam.

• Tap the video camera logo in the top right corner
• Click on go-live
• Click webcam
• Adjust your privacy and add a description and title
• Click save
• Then, click on “go live”

You can do this on Apple mobile devices and Android devices.

How To Be Successful With Live Streaming On Social Media 

1. Promote- Hype the moment! Start a countdown on several platforms. You can caption broadcasts like: “Be a part of our brand and community.” Ask questions and win exciting prizes” “See you soon!”
2. Make It Timely- Ensure you can answer the question, “why now?” If you are sure it is the right time, go live!
3. Establish Trust- Share your live broadcast with an expert or influencer in your field.
4. Keep The Context Clear- Occasionally, reiterate your topic. Make good use of logos, text, or watermarks to reveal the person on screen and show what’s happening.
5. Engage Your Audience- Let them know that they are part of the event, greet them, and welcome them.
6. Have A Road Map- Know why you are setting up a live stream. Jot down points.
7. Cross check- Conduct a sound check before you go live. Just ensure everything is fine!

Contact Us 

Want further information on the benefits of live streaming on social media? Are you interested in becoming a better digital marketer? Contact us now at MyCity Social! Our digital marketing specialists will work with you to ensure your brand is utilizing modern-day digital marketing tools to improve Return On Investment (ROI).