Why is live video broadcasting all the rage?

First, what is live video broadcasting?

Live video broadcasting is basically you holding your phone up, catching yourself and your surroundings on video. But that’s only part of the hype.

So what’s so special about that?

Even though letting people all over the world see what’s going  on with you, your business or share an experience with them in live video, there is another amazing aspect of the new platforms, like Periscope, Meerkat, MeVee, Facebook Live and others.

What many, many marketers forget is that social media is actually social. Meaning you don’t go there to just broadcast your news, products and offers, and hope for people to storm into your store or website.

Social means people interacting with each other, and social media is all about that. Therefore, your business should be social as well, meaning, interacting with your followers.

The new live video broadcasting platforms are exactly that, live. A real-time notification will invite your followers to share the experience with you and other followers, and interact, by writing, asking questions or simply commenting on what’s happening on video.

What about Youtube, Vimeo and other video channels?

Video hosting platforms are only hosting videos, allowing comments on the video in general, not really creating any special interaction, except amongst commenters, or you on your next video, if you’re willing to dedicate time to that.

Of course there are pros and cons. When a video is live it has to transmit quickly and smoothly, so quality suffers and technical problems may occur, such as loss of connectivity.

A hosted video has no such problems and quality can be stunning and lag free, allowing your audience to enjoy great graphics or sharp images.

So how can I use live video broadcasting?

It really depends on what your business is about. You can use live video broadcasting to show people around your factory, interview your workers, show some behind the scenes footage of work in progress, or simply chat with fans, seeing what they think of your brand, or if they have any particular requests or questions.

Live video broadcasting is a great and easy way for them to get in touch with you as a real live person, and it eliminates any doubt that it’s really you who’s answering, unlike written social media channels.

Case study

A client of mine, who’s a tour guide around Italy, has a huge advantage of being very friendly, funny and energetic. He uses live video broadcasting to let people from all over the world to take a peek inside a cheese factory, a ride in a Ferrari or marvel at the view from a mountain, just as if the viewer were there with them on the tour.
This helps him get his brand name around, and potential clients can make a better decision whether that’s a tour they would like to participate in.

The recap

Live video broadcasting is all the rage nowadays, and for a really good reason. Here’s a few pointers to keep in mind:

• Keep the transmission about your followers, and not about yourself. Answer their questions and mention their comments.
• Try to be dynamic and original. Show different content on every video so as to not being too repetitive.
• You can and should schedule and share your live video broadcast wherever you want, as much as you want.
• Close every live video broadcast with a reminder of where your viewers can follow you, mentioning hashtags and usernames.