How is Live Streaming the Next Trend After Video Marketing?

Aanchal Arora, CEO at 1702 Digital, explains how live blogging provides a reach of about millions to popular brands and bloggers and why is it here to stay and grow.

Succeeding in marketing in the coming years may become synonymous with succeeding with videos. Here’s a mandatory token infographic on the rise of videos.

According to the various researches conducted to understand the reach of business marketing, it was found that about 80% of people prefer watching a video than spending time reading a blog about the same.

55% of the pages ranked on top of Google search results have a video embedded in them, and the number is only going to increase. Video in an email leads to a 200-300% increase in CTRs. After watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online. And it only gets more interesting from here on out. Streaming is replacing pre-recorded videos to become the most preferred form of Video marketing in 2019.

Here’s why: People spend 3 times longer watching a live social video compared to one that has been pre-recorded. That’s thrice all the usual video ROAS numbers. You know where you’d put your money on.

• It provides a personal touch to the entire process of reaching out to the audience.
• It results in increased conversion rates as compared to the other mediums.
• It makes the buying process hassle-free for the audiences and ensures consistency in the customer base.
• The GenZ being the prominent user of social media, it makes it easier for marketers to tap them.

What is Live Streaming? Why is it trending across social media? To put it simply, streaming is making the audience feel they are missing out on something they ought not to. Tapping into the famed FOMO principle, that is.

People love it when they experience something live and that experience is rather engaging as compared to the usual. It provides a lot of interactiveness, and depending on the type of the audience and their needs, the content could be tailored. This, in turn, could help gain more reach, and eventually, increase the conversion rates. Many popular brands have started using the various social media platforms such as Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Periscope and Youtube Live. All these different mediums provide a unique user experience which is taken into account depending on the type and content of the video.

Type of Content

The flexibility that the live streaming allows with the content makes it a popular choice. It allows the brands to connect with the audience. Many engage in live streaming keeping the content a mystery and exclaiming a big reveal during the live streaming. Just like how  Nissan used Live streaming while launching their Nissan Maxima in 2016 in the New York Auto show.

Some work around a Q/A session providing clarification to the audience. Sometimes they could also engage in a description of a product or “How-to” videos which may become live teaching sessions, beneficial for both the brand and the audience. 1702 Digital leveraged the live videos hugely for one of its clients, Aon Hewitt. Live videos became a new IP called First Job Talks with CoCubes. 

Many brands stream Live events such as conferences, presentations, tours, concerts, talks, etc., providing a connection to the audience. RedBull and Mountain Dew are two brands that use live streaming for various events resulting in a reach to millions.

Oftentimes, the streaming is used to provide a backstage glimpse to the audience and provide a coverage of what happens behind-the-scenes. These behind-the-scenes are used by the brands to promote their upcoming events or to promote another brand that they might have collaborated with.

Chandrayaan 2 did live streaming of their mission to the moon on July 22, 2019, across social platforms. The interdependence provides many interlinks to the two brands, helping the two simultaneously.

Promotion of the Live Blogging

One of the reasons why streaming further trends is because many brands engage in promoting it. Teaser videos, writing blogs about the information to be live-streamed are ways in which the live streams are promoted and the reach can be increased. Brands make use of different mediums and tap all the social media handles which increases their reach to a wider audience. These brands come up with hashtags for the event to be streamed, which they trend on all their social media handles before the event, increasing its hype. They also use the That’s-Not-All technique and pitch in additional benefits for the audience which increases their views.

Moreover, these videos which go live are available on their handles for 24 hours which drives more traffic and adds on to their followers which they use to market their products. The Live streaming on one handle is promoted on other handles and the video can then be later shared.

Goals of the Streaming

Streaming videos have certain goals that are predetermined. The content of the video directs what its results would be. Whether it’s getting people to subscribe or making sales, all of them are determined beforehand.

The research has shown that Live Videoblogging results in 70% of consumers sharing the videos. It has resulted in higher conversion rates of about 72% of businesses. Furthermore, 65% of businesses experienced increased website visits.

Streaming videos gather more traffic and lead than other forms of marketing. Thus, it’s a popular medium and is expected to be the most preferred form of video blogging by 2020.

Engaging with the Audience

While pre-recorded videos provide a way to talk, live streaming is a way to listen to the audience in response.

It enables the brands to drop the corporate veil that they put up and connect with their audience. During these videos, the audience can post messages or comments which are answered by these video bloggers directly providing a better connect.

Live videos also deliver a broader perspective to the viewers by providing insights into the brand and are not limited to some topics or aspects of it.

User-Friendly

Anytime, Anyplace! That is the goal these bloggers achieve.

Liveblogging provides a reach of about millions to popular brands and bloggers because their audience does not need to book any tickets or travel to any place. All they need is being logged on their phones or laptops at any place that they might be, and they can be a part of the live streaming. Thus, making them feel more involved.

Another feature these live streaming videos provided to the viewers is unlike pre-recorded videos, they are Ad-free (bad news for media buying teams)and hence, do not disrupt their continuity and give them a wholesome experience.

So, with each passing year as there are more and more modern methods of marketing coming into existence, it’s evident that live streaming is here to stay and grow. Video marketing 2020 is all about bridging the physical gap and establishing a human connect, reaching a broader base and providing an experience, all while you make a deal.