We’ve talked a bit about what a useful tool live broadcasting can be and this week we delve a bit deeper into the topic, exploring a few formats to help you package your live content in a way that is interesting and engaging.

Why use live video?

Live video creates a sense of urgency and makes your audience feel part of the experience which has been shown to boost engagement. Currently, 80% of users would rather watch live video from a brand than read their content marketing posts.

People process video and images faster than text-based content. People retain 80% of what they see and only 20% of what they read.

Live video is current, fresh and a great way to show the world what your brand is all about whilst encouraging customer interaction.

Getting Technical

There are plenty of technical considerations to keep in mind when doing live video, but here we will talk format and content. Though technical considerations are extremely important, they are always secondary to the content and substance of your video, whether it’s live or pre-recorded. Please contact us if you have any technical questions.

1. Interviews
An interview can be great content and  it’s a great opportunity to think outside of the  box.

Depending on your strategy, you can interview a whole host of different people. Customers, suppliers, employees, experts in the field, all male great interview subjects. All of these can create great content and provide a great opportunity for you to engage with your audience. If your brand strategy allows, it can also be an opportunity for a bit of light hearted material. Interviewing your grandmother or toddler about a high-tech product could make for fun content. A bit of levity goes a long  way.

Keep your content light but informative, and make sure to show off your brands personality. People like what they can relate to.

2. Q & A
Sometimes referred to as “AMA” or “Ask me anything”, a question and  answer livestream can engage and delight your audience.

Technology makes this easier than ever to do. Most social media platforms have built in live stream functionality that gives your audience the ability to ask questions. This is an especially effective way to convert leads into sales if you have a business that heavily depends on personal relationships, such as life coaches, personal trainers, therapists, accountants etc.

People may have questions that they would otherwise not take the time to get in touch with you about, and this little bit of interaction may be enough for them to reach out offline, especially if the answer requires a follow up.

3. Livestream Events
If you have an event coming up, why not stream it live to the  web. This can maximise your reach and many who could not make it to the event will be delighted that they can attend virtually.

You can go a step further by having a member of your team interacting with your online audience as they ask questions or make comments, and you can even take online questions and feed it into the event.