Livestreaming and You – Harness the Power of This Popular Video Content

Livestreaming is immensely popular these days, with everyone from celebrities to nationally known brands trying their hand at this exciting new form of video-based communication. Perhaps no other format takes advantage of the immediacy of the Internet quite like livestreaming, because it provides users with a real-time window into another world, and enables an entirely new level of interaction and participation from people on both sides of the Internet connection.

By now you’ve probably seen apps like Meerkat and Periscope in action, and you may be wondering how you can implement these highly useful tools into your business. Below are some tips and ideas to help your brand harness the power of this innovative and powerful medium of communication.

1. Conduct Product Demonstrations, Introductions or Explanations

Perhaps you’ve seen some of those highly popular “unboxing” videos on YouTube, where a consumer will take the viewer through every phase of opening a newly purchased product, including explaining its features and demonstrating how it performs. Fans flock to these kinds of videos, because everyone loves a chance to see what they’re getting before they decide to buy a product. Try using Meerkat or Periscope to introduce, unbox, explain, or demonstrate one of your products, answering your customers’ questions in real-time.

If you own a restaurant, you could put on a live broadcast in which one of your chefs prepares a popular menu item, fielding customer responses along the way. If you’re a real estate agent, you could live stream a walk-through of a property for sale, addressing any questions from prospective buyers during the tour. Livestreaming affords all kinds of opportunities to promote unique and lively real-time interaction with your fans and potential customers.

2. Engage in Dynamic Q & A Sessions with Customers

Q & A videos are some of the most popular tools that brands use to interact with their fans and followers. Take the time to ask your audience about their concerns, or areas of interest where products could be developed to meet their needs.

Livestreaming can also be an excellent platform for soliciting feedback regarding your products, providing you with up-to-date market research directly from the customer. Ask them for their honest feedback–good or bad–but keep in mind that you have every right to ignore trolls and abusive users.

3. Livestream Your Events

This one is a no-brainer, especially if your company offers live events on a regular basis. Not only can you reach a much larger audience than those who can just physically attend, but if you charge an admission price for the event, you can open up an additional revenue stream by selling virtual tickets. In addition, you can make the archived videos of your live events available on YouTube and other prominent video platforms, which adds to your content library and generates more opportunities to attract additional leads.

4. Conduct Workshops or Training Sessions

People love having the opportunity to learn something hands-on from a person who is experienced in their field. You can leverage the power of livestreaming to conduct workshops or training sessions for your fans and followers, answering questions and zeroing in on specific areas of interest that are popular with your audience.

5. Allow Your Audience to Take a Peek Behind the Curtain

Livestreaming is frequently used to provide fans and followers with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to things they wouldn’t normally see during a regular broadcast. You can give users a tour of your company’s headquarters, interact with employees or even show them how products are created at your facility. This shows viewers the more “human” side of your business, and can give them valuable insight into the culture and ethos of your brand.

6. Host Live Interviews

Most of your audience would love to hear from influencers and key figures in your field of endeavor, so why not invite one of them to participate in an interview via livestreaming? Your guest could also take a segment of time to ask viewers for their input and answer questions directly from your audience. You could also interview clients with whom you’ve had a successful relationship, to give potential prospects a better picture of what you have to offer, and how your products or services can benefit them.

Livestreaming offers a seemingly unlimited number of possibilities to brands who are looking for a fresh and interactive way to connect with their audience. Keep the above ideas in mind in order to create engaging and exciting experiences for your fans and followers to enjoy.