Live Video is Authentic
The viewer craves the unrefined, the raw, the real.
Have you realised how big visual content is at the moment?
We knew it would happen. We saw the stats. The figures confirmed the rumours. So at the beginning of 2017, marketers made a pledge to the visual.
But it would be silly to group all types of visual content under the same roof. For the purpose of this post, we’ll stick to the current king of visual:
Live video content.
And if you haven’t seen the stats, check out the three below:
- 100 million hours worth of videos are watched on Facebook everyday (Source: TechCrunch).
- 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound (Source: Digiday).
- By 2020, more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic will be online video (Source: Cisco).
Gasp.
Have a Google of a few sources of marketing stats, and you’ll hit a hundred different websites all pining to give you their own insight into the hottest digital trend of the year.
The message tying them together?
The power of live video.
It’s daunting
Until now, social media has treated us nicely. We take a photo, we edit that photo, and we send that edited photo out to the world. We take as long as we want, and we can redo it if we so choose. There’s no pressure — it’s completely up to us.
But with that absence of pressure comes an absence of authenticity. And now, everybody knows it.
That’s where live video comes in.
The initial hurdle is daunting. But now’s the time to make the transition because, just like Instagram photos, the video world is hitting the mainstream.
Mainstream isn’t always a bad thing – it can be good for the beginner. It’s much more forgiving in the early stages of getting to know the platform, because you can hide your brand’s mistakes in the background. But as soon as you want to make a real impact, mainstream can prevent you from getting noticed.
It’s accessible
Now’s also the time to try out live video because it’s so accessible. Everything’s set up for us – tap a button and you’re there. Forget perfection. Your customers don’t want that.
That’s the beauty of going live. Your customers want the backstage, the behind-the-scenes, the real. So treat it as if you’re snapping a friend – because that’s how they see it.
Ditch the fancy tools - you don’t need them. Your viewers want raw, unrefined content. Content that reflects the core message of your brand. Content that allows your viewer to relate to your journey. Fancy tools don’t foster authenticity – edited content isn’t what people want here.
Live video takes practice. It’s a skill, so it requires work to understand the intricacies of the chosen platform. Before your brand finds its strategy and its place in the live videosphere, mistakes will be made. But eventually, you’ll be able to see your brand’s online progress, and you’ll be able to make strategic plans for its future trajectory.
Practice pays off. In a few years’ time, I’ll look back at my earlier content and I’ll see how far I’ve come. The same goes for your videos – you may cringe at your journey, but watching the journey is just as rewarding as achieving the goal.
It’s interactive
The television introduced us to live video content, so it deserves some credit. But it’s no longer what it used to be.
Social’s taken over. The television isn’t interactive enough in a world that demands constant interactivity. Social media gives us that — it merges the concept of the television with the concept of constant interaction. And so the television is out of cards; it’s folding.
Interactivity features on live video platforms are fantastic. You can see the users’ comments, reactions etc. The analytics are strong, too. On top of reactions, you’ve got data on peak live viewers.
Facebook Live has serious reach — it’s for those seeking out the biggest of audiences. At the same time, you can choose a niche audience. So for the marketers hoping to target a specific segment of the market, you’ve got options for that. Oh, and you can go live for four hours.
It’s all so easy. Tap a button and you’re on. Tap another and you’re off.
It creates FOMO
Live video is just another form of expiring content.
You can save a live video, but you can never recreate the moment. The moment you watched it; the feelings you experienced. It’s like being at a live concert. You can record it, but you’ll never feel it in the same way. Live video is the digital equivalent of the concert.
Because you can’t recreate it, your customers can’t either. That means they’re more likely to tune in. It also means you’ve got to make your content exciting, so the viewer can’t afford to miss out. And it also means you’ve got to make the run-up to the live event exciting, too.
You’re creating the ‘fear of missing out’, so you need to maximise ‘FOMO Marketing’ tactics.
Final Remarks
Live video is:
- Unique.
- Real-time.
- Interactive.
- Impossible to recreate.
Starting the video is the easy part. The technology’s there — now, it’s all down to you.
You’ve got Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Periscope and the more niche of the live video platforms. Have a play around with a couple of different platforms, see what suits the character of your brand, and pick what gets you the response you’re looking for.
Remember, the viewer doesn’t want perfection. The viewer wants rawness, honesty and openness. They want authenticity.
Will you choose to go live?
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