The idea of marketing live video to social channels generally calls to mind the biggest networks out there - Facebook Live, Twitch, YouTube, and Periscope dominate the conversation and rightfully so. If you’re building a strong content strategy you want to focus on the platforms that can expose you to the most potential viewers, and these four tend to fit the success mold.
The thing is, there's no reason to limit yourself to just those platforms. There are a number of lesser known social networks that might also be just right for your content. By using the amazing multi-streaming tools from Switchboard Live you can broadcast simultaneously on any number of platforms.
Reasons to Look Into Other Social Networks
First keep in mind, just because a platform isn’t as big as Facebook or Twitter doesn’t mean there aren’t users there. Whether they’ve got 10 million people watching live videos or 10,000 across their platform, it doesn’t really matter. If you can pick up even 10 new viewers on another site it's worth streaming on.
Also, a smaller platform may be easier for you to dominate. With less competition it’s easier to stand out and your chances of being discovered organically are a lot higher.
Getting in early on a new platform can set you up for long term success for live streaming. Social media startups, like all things in our modern tech world, are a bit of a gamble. Many will pop up, few will last. The thing is, if you can be a part of one that makes it and becomes the next Facebook you will be ingrained into it and be able to grow with the platform.
Social Sites for Business Video
From a B2B standpoint, it can be hard to look at new social networks that seem like they're only for entertainment purposes. In reality, while you're sitting there trying to figure out how to take advantage for your business, other businesses are doing the same thing. Your B2B network is there. The key is putting out content on such a platform that will grab the right attention.
There are some lesser-known social networks that allow you to stream your live video on them for no charge. Although some may have up-sell features and options you can pay for if you wish. Many of these sites are niche-specific.
Here are some of the free social platforms and the niches they focus on:
- Caffeine TV (beta): Caffeine is a social broadcasting platform for gaming, entertainment, and the creative arts. Live streaming is highly encouraged on this site and is considered as a new competitor to YouTube and Twitch.
- YouNow: General content allowed, and used a lot by musicians and artists. YouNow hosts more than 100 million users each month and promotes themselves as "a truly interactive platform".
- Dailymotion: A video-sharing platform that allowed for most types of content. Founded in France in 2006, Dailymotion is now available in 35 countries and has several offices in the United States.
Overall, this is just a sampling of the social media platforms you can share your videos on. Check them out, keep your eye out for new ones, stream to them, and grow your business.
Things to Consider When Choosing Social Platforms
The first thing you need to consider is how your specific content will fit on a particular site. For example, if you make live streams where you discuss the latest medical treatments it’s probably a waste of time to put it on a video gaming network. In fact, many of these sites are designed to only fit particular niches and won’t even allow other types of content.
You should find that information out first. Read the rules of each service. Then, spend some time on it. Look and see what their most popular content is. Ask yourself if your content would play well to the same type of audience.
If you monetize your content, or would like to, be sure to review what each platform offers and allows for that. Some sites will insert ads and pay your for it, others restrict you from running your own ads in your videos. Some allow you to accept donations, some forbid it. Just be sure to do your homework.
There are a ton of these new social sites popping up everyday. Since each one is essentially trying to out-innovate the others, new social platforms frequently don't look anything like their predecessors. They have different looks and features, and sometimes this is a home run with users, other times it's a flop. If you are a brand or marketer you can gain a key advantage by paying attention to these platforms and how they're being received. If it seems a new social network is gaining traction, do some investigating and consider distributing your content to a new audience through it.
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