In today's digital age, finding innovative and creative ways to promote your business is no easy task. The internet has become a crowded marketspace, with thousands of businesses utilizing unique marketing campaigns to gain national attention.
As a competitor in the online market, your business should strive to develop fun and exciting digital campaigns that your audience will remember!
But...How do you accomplish this? How can YOU make your business stand out compared to other brands?
The answer is quite simple: develop a live streaming strategy.
Live streaming has become a powerful tool in the digital marketplace, with consumers loving the authenticity and realness of watching videos in real time!
Through live streaming, businesses can reach wider audiences, engage with users, grow their community, and – ultimately ultimately – boost sales.
And, believe it or not – this can all be done with your smartphone. Cheers to modern technology for that one!
The Facts
It's undeniable – the popularity of video among consumers has skyrocketed. Nowadays, four out of five people prefer watching video as compared to reading a blog post.
Video also remains an impressive promotional tool, with over 42% of users saying they were swayed to make a purchase decision after watching a product video.
But...wait! That's just for pre-recorded video. What about live streaming?
Live videos are today's wave, with consumers loving the experience that comes with live streaming. Audiences love to feel connected, and live streaming provides consumers with the opportunity to engage and interact with a brand.
So, if your business isn't going live – let Switchboard change that!
The Strategy
To keep your viewers engaged, it is vital to develop an effective live streaming strategy. Your brand image should play a major role in this, and your viewers will stick around if you stream events on topics that satisfy their wants and needs.
When developing a live streaming strategy, Switchboard recommends using the following FOG model to lead your business in the right direction:
Find Your Audience
Optimize Your Theme
Get Creative
Let's jump in!
Find Your Audience
First step...find your audience! To create exciting and interesting content, you need to identify who you want to watch your live streams.
Nowadays, digital analytics are very accessible through live streaming platforms. You can view who is watching your live streams, how long (or how often) they're watching them, and so on.
Let's face it - utilizing these analytic tools is key to your live streaming experience. Through this, you can tweak and fix your content to attract more viewers!
Optimize Your Theme
You do know that your livestreams are an extension of your business, right? Consider them another opportunity for representation which is why having a consistent brand image is key.
Live streams should follow this motto too, with promotions and content that keep in line with the brand. For example, houses of worship should livestream topics that relate to their traditional services.
Get creative with it but don't stray too far away from your brand image and values. This could confuse the consumer, which can turn into fewer views and less engagement.
Get Creative
While maintaining a consistent brand image is important, fun and unique livestreams excite viewers. There are many ideas at your disposal, including:
• Behind-the-scenes of your day-t0-day activities at the office or company
• Product announcements and launches
• Interviews with experts and industry leaders
• Q&A's and AMA's (Ask Me Anything) sessions
• Live events you're attending
• Customer support via live sessions
• Random, unplanned live streams
• Raising money for charity
So...what's next? Start brainstorming! Have fun with it!
Conclusion
To expand your audience reach and engagement, your business needs to invest in live streaming. Don't get left behind - be one of the marketers who uses this and has it in their toolkit.
However, it must be done strategically. You should develop a thorough live streaming strategy and stick with it - because it will bring a lot of potential to your business.
What are you waiting for? Add live streaming to your digital marketing strategy today with Switchboard's 7-day Free Trial!
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