In our last blog we talked about just why live video streaming is becoming the video marketer’s new best friend.
This week we’re going to explore in more detail how you can use it to reach out to your audience and make them feel more invested in you and your brand than ever before.
So why does our audience love live video?
With this in mind, interactivity should always be at the heart of your thinking when using live video. If you try to think of it as a truly meaningful way to collaborate with your audience you won’t go far wrong.
How can we best make use of it?
Live Q&A’s are an incredibly effective and relatively hassle free way of utilising the format, and are a good first step. We’ll look in more detail at hosting your first live Q&A in the next few weeks, but for now let’s concentrate on why they’re so popular.
First and foremost they’re a great way of saying to your customers ‘we care about what you think’.
They also provide a fantastic opportunity to humanise your organisation. The somewhat lo-fi nature of these types of broadcast only enhances that feeling of speaking to a real person, and let’s face it, you’re a lot more likely to feel loyalty to a brand if you’ve established some sort of relationship and rapport with the people behind it.
Of course it’s not just about what your customers get out of this kind of broadcast. They can also be immensely valuable to your organisation. The informality of the format really encourages the kind of honest and engaged feedback that you would otherwise struggle to generate in such a short amount of time.
Live Q&A’s also offer a very effective way to demonstrate to your staff just how much you value their knowledge and expertise. By having them front one you’re showing a huge amount of faith in their talents and abilities, which let’s face it, is quite the ego boost!
Ok, so we’ve done a live Q&A, what else can we do?
In short, anything that makes the viewer feel included, engaged and like they’re part of what you’re doing.
Product tutorials are another popular option, again in large part because of their interactivity. The tutor hasn’t covered something you’re desperate to know? Not a problem. Message them in real time and they can get right onto it. You just can’t provide this sort of highly responsive service any other way, and the viewer comes away feeling like they really matter to you which has got to be a good thing right?
Livestreaming from conferences or product launches can also be a great way to make those who can’t be there in person feel valued and part of your story. Yes, you’ll probably want to engage a video agency for something like this where presentation will be more important, but a slickly presented event will have that wow factor that will really get your audience (and competitors!) talking.
And remember, it’s not a case of either going for the professional broadcast or the more lo-fi option; you can incorporate both elements into your strategy for a more interactive and rounded experience (more on this next week!).
Another option is to provide some ‘behind the scenes’ access. We all like to feel as if we’re getting to see something that is normally off-limits and this kind of privileged, VIP treatment can make the viewer feel really appreciated. Again, this can be very easy to provide. Something as simple as a backstage tour at a new product launch or a quick guided tour of the office can have a big impact. Never underestimate how interested people will be in seeing where the magic happens!
Ok. I think I’m starting to get the picture.
Great! In the next blog we’ll look at how you can incorporate all these ideas into a coherent video strategy that will make your audience as excited about your next big product launch or event as you are. See you then!
Interested in livestreaming your next event? Get in touch:
