We’ve gone over live streaming plenty of times and explained how and why businesses should get into it. But it (understandably) got a lot more popular just in the past year alone – thanks to everyone being stuck at home. Live streaming was a great way for people to still host events, interact with shoppers, and make announcements all from the comfort of their own homes. But now most people are wondering: Is that popularity is here to stay?
You might think that since things are opening back up, live streaming will become less and less popular. But we’re here to tell you it’s not going anywhere.
Live Streaming Is Convenient
If we’ve learned anything from this shift to virtual communication, it’s that live streaming is a super convenient way to reach a large audience. Think about it. Not only are you able to reach the people that would have actually attended your in-person event, seminar, etc., but now you can also reach people beyond your local community. Live streaming is a great way to scale your events without increasing the cost.
Now that our clients know how easy live streaming is, and how many people they can reach, we’re doing way more of it, too. For example, one of our clients hosts support group meetings and seminars. Since they’re limited by both how many people they can host in-person and how many people actually live locally, they’ve decided to fully embrace live streaming. Sure, they could just post informational videos online for people that weren’t able to attend. But with live streaming, everything is way more personal. People who’ve tuned in are still able to interact and ask questions just as if they were there in person.
Live Streaming Offers a New Type of Engagement
While watching a video or attending an event can be considered an experience, participating in a live stream is actually collaborative. Rather than just watching something, people are able to post, comment, and chat in real-time. Instead of having viewers, you now have participants. Your live stream is an interactive event that can better benefit both your audience and your business.
Speaking of the business side, live streaming also allows you to get a better idea of the interest level of your viewers. Live streaming provides you with data such as how long people watch for, what they’re discussing, what reactions they’re having, and how many of them are tuning in. This gives you a great opportunity to understand your audience on a better level and build a stronger connection with them.
Make the Most Out of Your Live Streams
Your content’s lifespan goes well beyond the moment that you take your cameras offline. Live content should just be the first step in your content strategy. The best way to make the most of your live streams is to offer them in three different phases: live, replay, and on-demand.
Live provides an interactive experience for your viewers. Replay caters to anyone who missed out on tuning in. On-demand lets viewers watch your content at their own pace and also typically includes some post-live stream companion content (like behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and highlights).
So not only is live-streaming a great way to reach a larger audience, but it’s also an effective way to grow your content library. We’re not saying it’s an equal replacement to live events (some things you just have to see in person), but it’s a great strategy to keep in mind even after things get back to normal.