Live streams offer an authentic way to fully engage with an audience in real-time. It’s also a great way for businesses to grow their reach and boost their conversions. Facebook knows this, and that’s why in 2016, they released their video streaming service Facebook Live on their platform. Since its launch two years ago, Facebook Live has become an indispensable marketing tool for businesses everywhere, and with good reason — the social media website boasts over 2.5 billion monthly active users. The number of Facebook Live viewers has even shot up to almost 50% since the start of the year. That’s a lot of potential customers tuning in.
As online events and remote work are becoming the norm due to the current global crisis, there’s no better time to take advantage of this trend. However, jumping into live streaming without a definite plan can be disastrous. Live streams are deceptively simple to set up, but organizing an entertaining and compelling live stream that will effectively engage new audiences is a whole other monster.
That’s where these ideas come in. Here are several inspiring projects to consider that make use of Facebook Live effectively as a marketing strategy.
Virtual Talk or Presentation. Hosting a talk is a great way to share interesting ideas and specialized knowledge with an audience interested to learn. The appeal of talks is no more evident than in the millions of views you’ll see on any given TED Talk uploaded to YouTube. Talks can feature a single speaker or a panel of experts who discuss topics relevant to a particular field or subject matter. There are many ways to get creative with a talk, such as featuring a funny speaker or a noteworthy figure who can add flavor to an otherwise bland and conventional talk.
Behind-The-Scenes. Allowing audiences to peek behind the curtain is a great way to engage them. Customers enjoy seeing exclusive content they wouldn’t normally have access to, so behind-the-scenes live streams will do particularly well. These can include tours of offices, warehouses, and factories, a look into the process of how a product or service is developed, or an introduction to the team members behind the operations.
Contests and Games. There’s no better way to keep customers interested in a live stream than by interacting with them and involving them in the process. Contests and games are a fun way to do this. Since live streams are time-bound, these kinds of events are a sure way to boost involvement rates since viewers have to comment or react to be able to participate.
Live Customer Service and Q&A Sessions. Although it may sound tedious, addressing customer-service related inquiries live on stream can actually do wonders for audience engagement and business reputation. This is a great opportunity to showcase the business’ professionalism and respectability, as well as help as many customers as possible who may be experiencing a certain problem with a product or service or who need an answer to a frequently asked question.
Interviews. An interview is a popular form of content that’s found across a variety of mediums, from podcasts to YouTube videos. This is an opportunity for the audience to gather insights from an enlightening and compelling person who they probably wouldn’t be able to hear from otherwise. Combining a Q&A session with an interview is also another surefire way to boost involvement rates.
Product Demo. Showing people how to use a product or service is an effective form of advertising. Not only will it help people who already use the product or service understand it better, but it also has the ability to entice people who may have only been considering a purchase to take the plunge. These live streams showcase the different kinds of uses and purposes of the product or service and how they can come in handy in various situations.
Classes and Workshops. Classes and workshops are becoming more and more popular these days as everyone is trying to figure out how to make the best use of their free time under lockdown. Even before the new normal, people were always looking for ways to improve themselves and learn a new skill, which means this isn’t just a passing fad. The best part about this is that, if enough people are interested, a class and workshop can easily be monetized and turned into a regular income stream for the business.
It doesn’t look like people will travel and gather in groups safely anytime soon, so the future of live streaming looks bright. These inspiring ideas are just a few great ways to take advantage of the boom in online events and digital streaming.