If you’re a marketer trying new ways to connect with your audience and haven’t tried live streaming yet, this guide is perfect for you. Depending on your goals, live streaming could be a great way for your brand to connect with your community and allow real-time interaction and engagement. However, I know a lot of you may ask – Is it still worth live-streaming in 2024? Absolutely! Live streaming has helped many marketers, small business owners, and coaches build their brands and get new clients, even in the age of TikTok and Instagram Reels.
If you’re on the fence about incorporating live streaming into your marketing strategy, allow me to share the benefits with you. Let’s find out why it’s such an important component of effective marketing campaigns.
What are the Benefits of Live Streaming?
When you’re creating a marketing strategy (whether for your personal brand or client), live streaming may not be the first thing that comes to mind – and that’s totally fine! Not all businesses may want to produce live streams on a regular basis for a variety of reasons. It’s up to you to weigh the time and money spent on live streaming vs. the results it can generate for you. And contrary to popular belief, live streaming could be a cheaper option than producing a “marketing video”.
In this section, let’s take a look at 10 main benefits that make live streaming worth it for marketers.
1. Building a Sense of Community
One of the major advantages of live streaming is the opportunity to create a sense of community among your audience. You can create a more engaging experience by communicating with viewers in real-time and answer any questions and concerns that they may have.
2. Powerful Marketing Tool for Small Businesses
Live streaming can be a low-cost marketing strategy for small enterprises. It enables you to directly showcase your products or services to your target audience without the need for costly production equipment. Small businesses may compete with larger brands by capitalizing on the immediacy and authenticity of live streaming.
Photo by George Milton
3. Establishing Credibility and Authenticity
Live streaming offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate your brand’s human side. You may build credibility and authenticity by delivering content in its raw and unprocessed form. This honesty connects with viewers and fosters trust, establishing your company as authentic and trustworthy.
4. Maximizing Content Value
Easy repurposing is one of the many ways that live streaming can help you save time. You can preserve and publish your recordings on other platforms, such as YouTube or your website, so your audience can access them at any time. This not only broadens the reach of your material but also provides useful resources to new viewers.
5. Reaching a Broader Audience
Your potential reach extends far beyond traditional marketing mediums. With live streaming, you can reach a large and diversified audience by utilizing social media sites. Live videos frequently feature prominently in viewers’ feeds, capturing their attention and engaging them. This enhanced visibility can assist you in reaching a broader audience and expanding the reach of your brand.
6. Opportunities for Business Growth
Live streaming can be a driver for business growth. It enables you to exhibit new products, showcase features, and offer special deals or discounts. You can create engagement, generate leads, and ultimately increase sales by harnessing the immediacy and interaction of live streaming.
7. Favorable Social Media Algorithms
Because live video content makes users stay longer on their platform, social media algorithms prioritize it. When you go live, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube increase your content’s visibility, improving your chances of reaching a larger audience. This algorithmic preference can dramatically increase the exposure of your business and improve your entire social media presence.
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8. Real-Time Input and Insights
Live streaming allows you to receive real-time input from your audience, allowing you to measure their reactions and preferences. This feedback can provide important insights into what your viewers are interested in, allowing you to tweak your marketing efforts and adjust your content to match their wants and expectations.
9. Enhanced Audience Engagement
Live streaming provides an engagement level that traditional content forms just cannot match. You may actively engage your audience in the discourse by providing Q&A sessions, polls, and interactive conversations throughout your live broadcasts. This increased engagement encourages viewers to become active players in your brand’s story.
10. Increasing Brand Awareness
Live streaming is a great way to raise brand recognition. You can attract the attention of potential customers who were previously unaware of your business by regularly offering helpful and entertaining content. Furthermore, as viewers share your live streams with their own networks, your brand’s visibility and reach grow, increasing brand awareness.
Which Platform is Best for Live Streaming?
Now that we’ve explored the compelling benefits of live streaming, you might be wondering which platform is the best fit for your business or brand. While multi-streaming offers broader exposure, for beginners, it’s best to focus on just 2-3 platforms initially.
Let’s take a closer look at some platforms tailored for different audiences and goals.
LinkedIn Live is an excellent choice for entrepreneurs and course creators, especially for B2B businesses or marketers looking to build a professional personal brand. LinkedIn Live is a platform for showcasing expertise, sharing valuable insights, and networking with other professionals.
TikTok Live is a great platform if your target audience includes Gen Z viewers. It enables course creators to market short courses or digital products to a young and active user base. Actually, live streaming on TikTok can be a great way to increase your followers organically. According to a study, 1 in 5 live streaming users watches TikTok LIVE, and 62% of them does so every day.
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YouTube Live is a popular way to reach a larger audience. Marketers of all types can take advantage of YouTube’s broad reach to host interactive live sessions, attracting new subscribers and increasing visibility in a crowded online space.
Instagram Live is best suited for marketers with an existing presence on the platform. Instagram Live, with its visually appealing format, allows for engagement with existing followers, sharing behind-the-scenes content, and hosting live Q&A sessions.
Because Facebook is a versatile platform, it can meet a variety of marketing needs. Whether you run an e-commerce store, offer coaching, or promote courses, Facebook Live allows you to connect with your target audience and strengthen your brand presence.
Twitch is the go-to platform for those in the gaming industry or who want to reach a tech-savvy audience. Twitch has a dedicated gaming community where marketers can interact with gamers, host live gameplay sessions, and promote new products and services.
You can maximize the impact of your live streaming efforts and establish a strong online presence by selecting a platform that aligns with your marketing goals and target audience. As you expand your live streaming strategy, keep consistency and quality content in mind. Starting small, experimenting, and gaining confidence in this dynamic marketing approach will lead to success in the end.
Fun Live Stream Ideas to Help You Get Started!
If you’re ready to dive into the world of live streaming but don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered! Here are some exciting and engaging live stream ideas to get you started:
- Behind-the-Scenes: Take your audience on a virtual tour of your workspace, studio, or production set. Show them the magic that happens behind the scenes and give them exclusive access to your creative process.
- Live Q&A Sessions: Encourage your viewers to inquire about your field, expertise, or upcoming projects. This interactive format fosters a sense of community and allows you to connect with your audience on a personal level.
- Product Launch Events: Schedule a live stream event to reveal your latest products or services. Showcase their features, explain the benefits, and build excitement in your audience, which will drive sales.
- Live Tutorials and Demos: Share your expertise by hosting live tutorials or demos in your niche. This allows you to provide valuable information while engaging with your audience, whether it’s a cooking demonstration, DIY project, or software walkthrough.
- Guest Interviews: Invite industry experts, influencers, or satisfied customers to participate in live interviews. This not only adds credibility to your brand, but it also provides your viewers with new perspectives and valuable insights.
Remember:
A successful live stream requires offering valuable content and maintaining an authentic audience connection. Experiment with ideas and creativity to captivate viewers and leave a lasting impression with engaging sessions.
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Take Your Live Streams to the Next Level with Be.Live
Be.Live is a game changer for improving the quality and engagement of your live streaming sessions, thanks to its powerful features and user-friendly interface. Here’s how you can leverage Be.Live’s unique features to boost your live streams:
- Professional Layouts and Branding: With Be.Live, you can customize the look and feel of your live stream by selecting from a variety of professional layouts, displaying your brand’s logo, graphics, or custom overlays.
- Multi-Guest Interviews: Use Be.Live’s multi-guest feature to interact with multiple guests and hold lively panel discussions. Remote guests can be invited to join your live stream, allowing for dynamic conversations and diverse perspectives.
- Screen Sharing: Easily share valuable content with your audience, whether you need to showcase slides, demonstrate software, or walk through a step-by-step process.
- AI Comment Assistant: Filter out inappropriate and rude Instagram comments and automatically display positive comments and questions on-screen to maintain a positive and engaging environment for your viewers.
Summing Up
Live streaming is still a powerful tool for marketers in 2023. Community building, small business growth, credibility, content value, audience engagement, and brand awareness are some of the many benefits that make live streaming more relevant than ever.
Choose the best social media platform for your audience and goals, and then incorporate Be.Live for meaningful and engaging connections, professional layouts, multi-guest interviews, screen sharing, and more!
FAQ
Why should marketers use live streaming on social media?
Live streaming allows you to connect in real-time, build a strong community, and present authentic, unfiltered content that resonates with audiences. It’s cost-effective compared to pre-recorded videos, performs well with social media algorithms, and can enhance brand credibility and reach through interactive, live engagement.
How does live streaming benefit small businesses and marketers?
It’s a budget-friendly way to showcase your products or services directly to your audience using minimal equipment, offering a level playing field against larger competitors. Streaming live fosters trust, drives leads, and supports sales growth by blending immediacy with authenticity.
Can live streams be repurposed to maximize content value?
Yes! Your live stream can be recorded and transformed into blog posts, YouTube videos, short clips, or podcasts—extending its lifespan, increasing your visibility, and multiplying content reach across platforms.
Why do social platforms prioritize live videos in their algorithms?
Platforms reward live content with increased visibility because it generates longer watch times and higher engagement, putting your broadcast in front of more viewers and growing your organic reach on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and others.
What special features does Be.Live offer for marketers?
Be.Live enhances your live streaming with tools like AI‑powered Comment Assistant to highlight positive questions, customizable branded layouts, screen sharing, multi-guest interviews, interactive widgets (e.g., Comment Snake, Lottery Jar), and Live Selling features that let you showcase and sell products live—making it a powerful platform for engaging events and direct commerce.
Which live‑stream platform is best for my marketing goals?
Choose based on your target audience and content style: LinkedIn Live works well for B2B professionals and educational content; TikTok Live excels with Gen Z and creative product demos; YouTube Live reaches broad audiences and supports deep engagement; Instagram Live is ideal for visual storytelling and existing communities; Facebook Live offers versatility for e‑commerce, coaching, and events; and Twitch is your go‑to for gaming, tech, or live commerce crowds.
Wow, these benefits of live streaming are eye-opening! I never realized how powerful it could be for building trust with an audience.
The statistic about increased reach with live streaming really caught my eye. It seems like a great way to boost visibility without paying for ads! Has anyone here tried using live streams for brand collaborations? I’d love to hear some real-life examples of successful partnerships!