Technology is constantly evolving into new and better creatures. One of the most popular ways that people consume media these days is through live streaming apps. Apps like Meerkat, Periscope, YouTube and even Snapchat allow users to live stream what’s happening in the moment, to smartphone owners all across the world. Where video was once the most dominant and engaging form of media, live streaming has now become the preferred way for people to consume information and entertainment.
Maybe that’s the reason Facebook, the social media giant and metaphorical patriarch of social connectivity, is now jumping into the live streaming game.
Facebook racks up an average of 8 billion video views per day, which is a number that’s likely to increase with this update. Facebook originally released its live video update to news publications and journalists to beta test the effectiveness of live streaming video, and how people would interact with it. But now, they’ve released the capabilities to all iPhone and iPad users, with Android capabilities predicted to follow soon after.
If you’re wondering why this matters to your business, check out some of the advantages of live video we’ve compiled below, and see why live streaming is the next evolution in content marketing!
More Direct Connection To Consumers
Besides a face-to-face interaction with a customer that walks into your store, there’s nothing more direct than a video call. With Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangouts, our technology makes it easier than ever to connect with people. Think of live video as a Skype call with all of your customers at one time. With Facebook’s live video capabilities, customers can type questions to you while you stream. They might not be able to vocally talk back to you, but it’s still a great way to reach a ton of people directly at one time.
Grow Your Audience
There’s nothing more exciting than seeing your online numbers grow, whether that’s your “likes,” follows, or subscribers, seeing your audience get even bigger is a great encouragement! With live video capabilities, you have an even greater chance of growing your audience, thanks to people sharing your interesting live streams, and making your interactions with customers in your video exciting and worthwhile to them. Facebook also saves your live streams as rewatchable videos, so even if someone missed your stream the first time, they can watch and share it at a later time.
You Can Post Exclusive Content
A lot of big name businesses are now using video streaming apps to reveal exclusive content and products to their followers. One way to do this is by promoting a big reveal of a new product, or special discount for an order, but tell customers that they can only get this exclusive offer by tuning into your live video at a certain time. People love to feel like they’re special and are getting a great deal that no one else knows about. Use Facebook live streams to accomplish this goal!
Give A Behind-The-Scenes of Your Business
Another great way to use Facebook live video is to take your customers behind the scenes of your business and let them have a peek at how you operate on a day-to-day basis. You might be asking, “Why? How does this help me sell more products?” One of the reasons that businesses have social media accounts is to connect to their customers and show them that your business is relatable, fun, and cares about your customers in a real way. Showing a behind-the-scenes look is a great way to show customers that you have real people that work for your business, too, which in turn will lead to an increase in sales!
Do Live Q&A’s
Q&A’s (Question & Answer) sessions are another great way to utilize Facebook’s live video service, thanks to the ability of your customers to ask you questions while you stream. This has been done before on Meerkat and Periscope, but Facebook makes it even better by showing the comment stream in a more crisp and concise way. The comments come in at a constant stream underneath your live stream video and are easy to read. If your customers have questions, live stream Q&A’s are great ways to answer a lot of questions quickly.
Broadcast An Event
Do you go to a lot of conventions or tradeshows? Why not let your customers see what you’re up to while there! Live stream a keynote speaker, or showing people around the room where all the tradeshow booths are set up are both great ways to utilize the awesome capabilities of Facebook live streaming.
There are so many different ways take advantage of live video. And the best news is, it’s completely free! Just open up Facebook, press the streaming button, and get busy streaming your content!
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