How Using Live Video Can Boost Your Business Dramatically

By Brian Wallace on July 22, 2019 - Fact checked by Dumb Little Man

by Brian Wallace July 22, 2019

Are you using live video in your business? Do you know the benefits of live streaming?

Chances are you have social media profiles where you post news and events, but you’re likely not taking the time to build more than cursory relationships with your customer base.

Live video gives your customers a chance to get to know you on a more personal level, humanizing your business and making people see you are a real person and not just an auto-generated social media profile.

What’s more, 80% of people would rather watch a live video on social media than read a blog post or social media post. So, how are you going to get started using live video to boost your business?

People Watch A Lot of Different Things Live

Now that people have more options than local television stations for live video feeds, they are watching things like sporting events, concerts, and breaking news through social media apps rather than tuning in to the news station. Even many news stations have caught on to this and are sending reporters to share breaking news through social media, but this is far from the only way to use streaming video.

There are many different ways you can showcase your business with live video:

Webinars are a great way to give value to your viewers in the form of sharing your knowledge
Q&A sessions allow people who are curious about what you do to ask questions and interact with you
Behind-the-scenes content is a very popular way to engage customers — 87% of people want more behind-the-scenes content
Streaming Live Events, such as pop-ups or festivals, show how you are committed to building a community around your brand
Product demos or unboxings allow you to crowdsource feedback and make people feel like their opinions matter

Benefits of Live Streaming

Currently, only 20% of people finish reading an article, but almost everyone watches and engages with live videos. Livestreams draw six times the demand of other online content and a whopping 97% are willing to share your live content with others.

Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all have robust live streaming presences. LinkedIn, meanwhile, is in beta testing for its own more professional version of live streaming. Start by going where your audience is to test the waters — if you already have a strong Facebook following, start there, or if Instagram is your game, give it a shot.

Once you get the hang of producing live content, you can move to another platform to expand your audience. What’s more, you can share video content after your live stream is over by posting it as static content, gaining even more traction with what you have created.

Tricks of The Trade

There are many different kinds of live video content you can produce, and coming up with new and fresh topics is as simple as working out a formula for the kind of content you want to produce and then following that formula.

If you own a retail shop, you might want to stick to product reviews and collaborations with influencers. Work together to showcase a new product each time with a link to buy. Then, post your content after the live session is over so it can be shared even more.

Maintaining quality and consistency are key to gaining and retaining an audience. You could do ‘New Product Fridays’ or ‘Unboxing Wednesdays’ — anything to both give you a framework and to help you maintain consistency. The more consistent you are, the bigger your audience will become.

The great thing about live video is that you don’t need any special equipment to get started. You can do most of this with your phone or iPad. As you generate more live content, you may find you would like to have equipment like a tripod or gimbal, a microphone, or even a program that can help you create more professional-looking live streams.

Looking Toward The Future

By 2022, 82% of all internet traffic will be video. Is your business ready to get a piece of the action? Learn more about creating high quality live streaming video content from the infographic below. You might be surprised to know the benefits of live video to your business.

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Author: Brian Wallace

Brian Wallace is the Founder and President of NowSourcing, an industry leading infographic design agency based in Louisville, KY and Cincinnati, OH which works with companies that range from startups to Fortune 500s. Brian also runs #LinkedInLocal events nationwide, and hosts the Next Action Podcast. Brian has been named a Google Small Business Advisor for 2016-present and joined the SXSW Advisory Board in 2019.