Livestreaming is the next big thing in digital marketing. It’s a live video streaming that enables viewers to interact with content in real time. As part of the move to shift from the traditional TV broadcasting model to a more “interactivity first” approach, live streams are proving to be a popular way to engage with viewers and create a good connection between the consumer and the brand. It is also very affordable for businesses to share their products and services with their audience in real time. It has been done before on TV but this time it brings a new level of interactivity and engagement to your audience, letting them ask unlimited questions quickly and get involved in the conversation in a live environment. That also creates more of a bidding environment and puts more pressure on people to think less and buy quickly.
Live streaming can be a very powerful tool for most small businesses by allowing them to connect with their audiences on a personal level. Let’s look at some of the basics of live streaming, and how it can help you grow your small business.
What are the most popular live-streaming platforms for small businesses?
Live streaming is a great way for businesses to connect directly with audiences, and it has become an essential tool for people looking to build brand awareness. As the nature of digital marketing continues to evolve, so does the variety of platforms available to stream video. The platforms vary in terms of what you can do with them, the target audience you can reach, and the tools that are compatible or offered with the platform. There are hundreds of different live-streaming apps on the market today, but which ones do the most business? Popular live streaming apps include YouTube Live, LiveMe, Periscope, Twitch, and Facebook Live. Among these YouTube Live is the most popular live-streaming app on the market for general use but if you put the business into consideration, Facebook is one of the easiest and most affordable ones to reach, Facebook also provides tools even to finalize the sale on their platform without any third-party app or software involved. Of course, it is even easier if you are using a third-party service provider like Shopify.
What are the tools I need to start live streaming?
In the video streaming space, live streaming has become a permanent fixture. A live video can add a level of authenticity to any brand that consumers can’t get from a static image, or a video posted online. When a viewer watches a live streaming video, they can see things that a static image or a video cannot show, such as the faces of the people watching in some cases, a person’s natural body language, and a person’s interaction with people. To create this type of environment and produce live content, the creator needs to have some tools. The requirement may be as little as a basic laptop with a built-in camera or a smartphone, or as high as a complete system as used in tv shows. The need for tools is all about your needs. Since we are talking about live streaming at a small retail business level, we will talk about the tools required to produce good quality content without spending a fortune.
A computer with an SSD hard drive:
A computer is a must while SSD is just needed to prevent lags before happening. A computer is the main station where we connect all our devices and the codes those devices created are converted to video and sound. A computer is also responsible for holding the connection between the creator and the viewers.
High-quality camera:
If you are trying to sell a product through a screen or a monitor two devices can change the experience that your potential customers have; the recording device which is your camera and the display device which is the device your potential customers are viewing your product. You have no control over the client-side issues but you have control over the issues on your side. You always need to provide the highest possible content to your clients and the rest is on them.
High-quality microphone:
Likely, you will have a microphone on your laptop and another one on your camera. You can always use those, but you may want to have a high-quality microphone to reduce the background noise, and hissing noise, and provide a stereo sound to your viewers. Would you watch a video with a low-quality sound even if the visuals are in High-Definition?
Internet access
Streaming channel accounts such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, etc.
These are the tools you will need to start high-quality live streaming without breaking the bank. If you want to go further and more professional in the future, you can always add special software, audio, and video mixers, multiple cameras, auto rails, etc. to your current system.
How to use live streaming video to promote your business
If you are considering using live-streaming videos to promote your business, then you are wondering how to use live streaming to drive conversions. With the right strategy, it’s possible to find new ways to promote your business without paying for expensive advertising. Let’s explore how to use live-streaming videos to promote your business.
If your business is on social media, then you have a certain number of people following you. If you think that these followers will click on your links, then you are mistaken. A lot of people only like the brand name, but there are very few people who click on your links. There is no point in using live streaming for your business if you are only trying to help your existing fans. If you want real conversions, then you should know how to use live streaming to create real conversions.
The 5 steps to use live streaming to promote your business
Live streaming is the use of live video to share with your followers the real moments of your business. Here are the steps to create live-streaming video marketing to promote your business:
Begin with an email list
Always start with email marketing. Email marketing is the best way to reach real people who are interested in your products. The trick is to segment your email list before you decide to use live streaming.
If you are running a business that does cross-stitch, then you could segment that list into people who prefer to use square or round needles. The trick is that you will have to be sure that you send the live stream to the people who will watch the live stream. Stating that you will use live streaming to promote your business will not do the trick. You must be sure to treat each segment of your list and treat them differently.
Get as much as you can, as fast as you can
You must know that you will have to time yourself. You must monitor the process, monitor the specific purpose of the live streaming, and monitor the best way to create the live stream. You must also have time to monitor events that are happening with your live stream. If someone likes your live stream, then you must be sure to thank them. If you see people leaving before buying, you should speed up your progress.
Study
This is a very important stage. The purpose of live streaming is to show how good you are at doing your business. You must study how your customers are, and what they want so that you will fit them in the live stream.
You must also study your business. You must know all your products, how they work, and what makes them unique. You must also learn the best way to introduce your product on the live stream that will offer you the most visibility. You should talk about multiple products that you have that are new or improved.
Get ready
You must not only build the live stream, but you must also know how to create the live streaming content. You must practice the technique of the live stream.
You will probably feel self-conscious the first few times. You will be nervous about how loud you will shout, how long you will take, and how many times you will ask your customers to pay. Most importantly, you must be sure that you will not lose your attention. You must also be sure that you will never make people fall asleep during the live stream.
Act
When you are sure that you are prepared, then you are ready to act. Live streaming is all about how you are going to represent your brand. You must be sure that the quality of the live streaming is 100% consistent with your brand.
You can do this by using many different methods. First, you can lead your live stream with a quick, creative introduction. If your business is only about the product, then you should be creative in how you present the product. You must also be creative in how you promote your business. You must not always focus on the same things. You must also be sure that you will not use live streaming to make sales. You must promote your business to give your customers the best sales.
How Lululemon uses live streaming to improve brand awareness and sales
Lululemon is a lifestyle clothing company that is known for its yoga pants and other athleisure clothing. It was founded by Canadians who were inspired by yoga and the fashion world they grew up in. The fashion company was founded in Vancouver in 1998 and since then has grown to become a fashion and lifestyle brand in more than 70 countries.
Lululemon’s ambassador program is designed to help people connect with the brand, while also helping them earn some cool swag. The difference here is that the people who are chosen for the program are empowered to share the Lululemon lifestyle, including how they shop, what they wear, and other aspects of their lives. Lululemon always offers free clothing to their ambassadors and selects their ambassadors from local trainers, yoga instructors, athletes, etc.
On the other hand, Lululemon also uses live-streaming technology to improve its employee performance. Even though it looks like it’s giving more control over worldwide employees they have, most employees are not really happy with the Livestream staff meetings. While lululemon claims that they have multiple live meetings that people can choose from and they also have recordings available for people who cannot join, employees, complain about the weird hours.
That looks like an ambassador program where lululemon markets its products in real-time with real local instructors works well. On the other hand, live streaming doesn’t look like a very efficient way to improve employee performance or happiness based on the employee reviews about lululemon.
Lululemon’s ambassador program is designed to help people connect with the brand, while also helping them earn some cool swag. The difference here is that the people who are chosen for the program are empowered to share the Lululemon lifestyle, including how they shop, what they wear, and other aspects of their lives. Lululemon always offers free clothing to their ambassadors and selects their ambassadors from local trainers, yoga instructors, athletes, etc.
On the other hand, Lululemon also uses live-streaming technology to improve its employee performance. Even though it looks like it’s giving more control over worldwide employees they have, most employees are not really happy with the Livestream staff meetings. While lululemon claims that they have multiple live meetings that people can choose from and they also have recordings available for people who cannot join, employees, complain about the weird hours.
That looks like an ambassador program where lululemon markets its products in real-time with real local instructors works well. On the other hand, live streaming doesn’t look like a very efficient way to improve employee performance or happiness based on the employee reviews about lululemon.
Conclusion
Live streaming has been around for a while and now it is having a major impact on the broadcasting industry. As brands have become more advanced in the use of their social media platforms, the need for a live-streaming capability has increased in importance. Not only can a live stream capture a moment in time in a way that a video cannot, but the immediacy and interactivity of a live broadcast help brands develop a more personal connection with their viewers.
With the effects of Covid-19 in our lives, it looks like live streaming and anything with visual live interaction will be adopted fast. If we look back a couple of years, we all had physical jobs and now, many businesses adopted work from the home environment. Looks like Covid-19 changed our understanding of live media a lot quicker. Live streaming became like an all-in-one deal. You can have your company meetings, and education, build your brand, make sales, interact with people, get live reviews, and many more in a very cost effective and efficient way. You only need a single setup for them all and are ready to go.