A Fresh Take on the Power of “Live”

It seems like the “live” function has been in the news a lot lately but the majority of the coverage is highlighting some unfortunate tragedy that those of us tuning in wish we could forget. Killing sprees, bullying, suicides and unexplained traffic stops fill our feeds. I want to bring a positive, fresh take on the power of “live” on social media.
Just last night, the ballislife FB account live-streamed the AAU basketball showdown between 2 of the most hyped about high school basketball recruits since Lebron James. Using their social channels to promote it, they were able to get over 1 million views in an hour and 45 minute livestream that started at midnight on the east coast! I know what you’re thinking, that’s crazy and you’re right. The power of FOMO, social media buzz, the dreaded lull before football season and a little bit of luck generated a few hours of magic. The most interesting part to me is that AAU basketball isn’t something that the typical basketball fan gets to see or even has knowledge of and ballislife thought, well why not. The highlights are there, the buzz is there, let’s give these basketball fans something to WATCH that they otherwise would only hear about if they were lucky.
So as I was talking about the events of last night with some fellow basketball heads in the office, another brilliant showcase of the power of “live” came across my social feed. Touching on another passion of mine, music, Esperanza Spalding was letting her genius shine bright in a simple video announcement detailing her next music project. Her page says it best, “This project is going to be a little different from other ones I’ve done. You buy a blank CD. Then over 3 days, I’ll fill it with beautiful, spontaneously created music. And you can watch the whole thing unfold over Facebook Live. Right here, September 12 starting at 9 AM.”
Since yesterday afternoon, this post has over 2000 organic shares on Facebook. No paid media, no extravagant production, just intrigue. Over the rest of the day, I had it show up on my feed about 10 times from friends all over the world.
Artists and brands alike can’t do what they do without the people that consume it — their fans. Esperanza is opening the doors for the world to a part of her creative process. Which most would consider to be sacred. This not only drives intense engagement with her fans, but it also sets the Grammy winner apart from many of the most popular artists today who are more like formulaic entertainers versus organic artists, which only emboldens her niche audience. It’s doubly brilliant because if any genre should be livestreamed, it’s jazz. Music that was born out of improvisation.
Both of these examples showcase what I believe to be the driving force behind great engagement today — access. It’s more than just exclusive experiences and VIP trips.
What the millennial audience truly wants today is to close the gap — between themselves and the things AND people they care about. To get authentic insider access, even if it is in the comfort of our Airbnb rented living room, streaming it on Facebook Live, on our brand new voice-activated AppleTV.
How do you feed the need for new? How do you keep your audience engaged? You let them be a part of it.
Although the results remain to be seen, check out what the New York Times and USA Today have to say. I think “live” has the power to be the new “viral video.” Place your bets and press record.