Why marketers are embracing live videos

Live videos terrorize many business owners because they create so many opportunities to disappoint customers, showcase something the brand doesn’t truly believe, or just be misinterpreted.

Traditionally, these businesses check and double check before issuing any kind of official statement and make sure that content on their social media channels, serious or not, is taken seriously by the creators within the business.

However, it seems as though marketers are beginning to warm up to live videos now — and for good reason. Not only are customers more forgiving of mistakes made live, but they’re also more impacted by live content created for them.

According to a recent survey by Vimeo, 82 percent of customers prefer live videos from a brand compared to a social post, and 80 percent said that they’d enjoy a live video compared to reading a blogpost.

Further, creating a live video costs less, can be streamed (and produced) quickly, and marketers can prolong its life by recording and re-using it in the future.

To be honest, there are now fewer downsides to creating live videos as part of social media strategy than ever before. Here are some tips to help you go live and beat the competition:

# 1 | Choose the right platform

While YouTube is the most popular video platform, it might be a good idea for companies to choose another platform to go live — something like Facebook and Twitter (Periscope) simply because experts believe they offer better features.

Further, when choosing the right platform, brands must review their fan following on that particular platform. If all your users and customers are following you on Twitter, it won’t make sense to go live on Facebook just because the interface is easier to use.

Finally, brands must keep in mind that the platform often defines the tone of the content. If you’re selling medical equipment, a live video might not perform as well as it would on Twitter. Similarly, if you’re live at an event, Instagram might be a better idea than Facebook live — provided you have sufficient followers.

# 2 | Make sure you find the right time and place

Every kind of content has a time. It’s why you don’t put up holiday posts in June or talk about tax breaks and incentives on your social feed at night.

With live videos, customers like more context and they prefer if situations and circumstances are relatable as far as possible.

As a result, it’s important to find the right time and place for a live video — which means, shooting your video live doesn’t permit you to skip the planning process.

An important consideration when choosing the place for your video is to ensure that you’ve got appropriate lighting, either naturally or staged, so that you can deliver high-quality videos even without processing it.

# 3 | Prepare to get the right people in the frame

When you’re creating a live video, you must make sure that you are able to hold the attention of your audience. The best way to do this is to make sure you’ve got all the people who need to be on camera, prepared and ready for the shot before going live.

Once customers have joined your livestream, they won’t stick around to find out what you intend to show them. You’ll lose your opportunity and find it hard to attract viewers the next time.

Even though you’re creating a live video, it’s important to think of your live session as a regular production — ensuring you plan for most of the elements, leaving in some room for spontaneity.