Live-Streaming Apps: The Next-Big Thing For Social Media Marketing?
Live streaming videos is not really a brand new proposition to the world. The idea has been out there and well used by people for a long time now and is everything but new. With Twitch live streaming video games and Youtube streaming videos, matches, award shows, etc. it’s a concept people are fully familiar with. However, what came as a game changer and what brought this concept to the forefront of industry discussion were the launch of the likes of applications like Periscope, blab and Meerkat.
Unlike Twitch, which only focuses on live streaming video games, apps aforementioned can be used to live stream practically anything. This appeared to be an opportunity and big companies like Adidas, Red Bull, Spotify, etc. didn’t waste much time to go and grab it. They’re new social media platforms and every other company is looking for a way or another to establish a stronghold on these platforms and build a firm foundation in the beginning stages so that they can reap a long term benefit later on.
It’s no surprise that videos have proven to be a better way to promote and effectively interact with the audience, delivering information with clarity where words may fail at one point or another. Hence, it was not totally unexpected that these apps would become an important item in every marketer’s list and why big brands are using these to boost their brand name.
So what made these apps a success and how they became social media platforms that can’t just be ignored and taken lightly? Let’s take a look:
1. Product Launch
Live video streaming a product launch and creating a base for the product even before it has appeared on the market, is one of the key features which is fondly used by brands on live-streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat, increasing their likability a few notches up. Giving a quick view explaining what the product is all about and it’s key features, is a new way to create excitement among people and grabbing their undivided attention. It defines target audience for the company and gives a certain indication about the future of the product and how it’ll be taken up by the masses.
2. Q&A
A Q&A session is probably the best way to get firsthand feedbacks and insights from your customers in a very friendly and interactive way. You may be working well according to your standards but may not be working good from your customers’ point of view. You get criticism which creates room for improvement and compliments which will give you encouragement for working even better. You might get beneficial advices and information about what public is liking nowadays and then create your strategies and future plans accordingly. A good Q&A session is worth hours of normal R&D sessions.
3. Get more intimate with the customers
Getting behind the scenes is a new and upcoming trend. A lot of companies have been doing live behind the scene sessions which provides their customers a sneak peak at how their favorite company works and operates. Get the customers to know about your employees and build their confidence in you. Showing them factory/office tours, interviews with employees or just a mere teaser about the upcoming service/products, can do wonders for your company on the long run.
4. Expert Advice
Get your customers’ queries solved with the help of some expert. Get in touch with an expert and ask them questions which you know your customer might have about your product. Get answers about the latest trends or just simple “how to use” videos of your product done by them, putting not only the good points but also the negative ones. A company which shows too perfect to be true is mostly doubted by many. Show them that you’re a genuine company which seek to improve through mistakes put forward by the expert and the audience themselves.
At the end of the day, apps like Periscope, Meerkat, Blab, etc. have slowly started to become the pioneers of live-streaming marketing platforms, giving companies a new opportunity to explore and dig new ways on how they can spread their brand name among the masses. However, they’re just infants in this field with giants like Youtube and Facebook standing in their way(as Facebook is also set to launch live-streaming feature soon), its yet to be thoroughly tested and tried before conforming that this is the new BIG thing. There future is still uncertain but with the pace they’re slowly gaining it’s popularity, it definitely seems to be a bright one.
