A Facebook Live gets ten times more engagement than a pre-recorded video. And LinkedIn Live gets 7x times more reactions than native videos. Without a doubt, live streaming is no longer a tool just for gamers or influencers. It is a legitimate marketing and sales tool when done right. How are brands successfully leveraging live streaming video? How is it directly affecting their business?
Keep Existing Customers Engaged
Engaging with existing customers is tough for brick-and-mortar businesses nowadays. While people are traveling more, most activities are still limited to essentials. For example, avid coffee shop goers don’t go to Starbucks as much as they used to.
How can you stay on top of mind? The answer lies in live streaming.
Producing a live stream is the next best thing to in-person interaction. By using a live app and going live on Facebook, brands can:
- Answer customers’ questions live
- Highlight teammates behind the scenes
- Talk about new products
- Remind them about best-selling items they may have missed
- Use Stories to Sell
Jessica Alba, the actress and billionaire Co-founder of The Honest Company, knows how to use her clout and leverage the power of live video. Since 2017, she has been going live with her team to showcase new products or doing behind-the-scenes tours.
- She tells her personal journey and how it has affected the creation of a product.
- She shows how to use the product and its benefits.
- She showcases a variety of use cases through other people.
You might not have Jessica Alba’s glorious camera presence, but you can definitely follow her structure the next time you go live. Talk about your journey and how you ended up creating your specific offer. You can do a simple screen share while showcasing your work. If you have clients that are willing to go live with you, you can invite them as a guest.
Orangetheory Fitness, a boutique fitness studio in the US, produces weekly live streams on their Facebook Page with more than 380,000 fans. Gyms and fitness studios were severely affected when the first lockdowns were imposed in 2020. However, they do a great job with their online presence through live video. For example, they interview experts in the fitness industry and share valuable tips with their target audience.
Increase Monthly Revenue
When Facebook Live was released in 2016, most of the live streams were from influencers. Fast forward to 2021, in the middle of a pandemic, live streaming is now an essential sales tool that could potentially affect your monthly revenue.
For example, the retail industry took a huge hit during the start of the pandemic. When lockdowns were imposed, in-person shopping was put at a standstill. The retail industry had to innovate quickly and offer virtual experiences. Thanks to live shopping, retailers have a way to continue sales virtually.
Boost Sales During the Holiday Season
Producing live videos weekly might not be the best strategy for all businesses and brands. But it doesn’t mean that you should completely take a raincheck from live streaming. There’s an opportunity in boosting sales during the holiday season.
For example, Black Friday is a golden opportunity to produce a live sales event with big discounts. Plus, you have the advantage of preparing everything in advance. It doesn’t need to be a big production. Using a live streaming platform like Be.Live makes it extremely easy to produce a holiday live stream because of the pre-made holiday graphics.
Motion Design School, an online university for animators, gave away free courses and big discounts during Black Friday. In the live stream, they also showcased their very own animation.
Mother’s Day is another special holiday that brands can feature their product through live video to boost sales. Many countries are still in rounds of lockdown, and celebrations are still mostly spent at home. Nestle took this opportunity to go live with a family where they cook a special breakfast using Nestle Cream.
Launch New Features or Products
In-person events and conferences are still mostly done virtually in 2021. However, this doesn’t stop brands from continuing to launch new products.
Apple is leading the charge of streaming their product launches and keynotes. Their last event was on April 21, 2021, where they launched the new MacBook, iMac, and iPad Pro. The live stream on YouTube has more than 9 million views as of today.
Small or big brands can use live streams in a number of ways. It’s all about focusing on the marketing goals and having the creativity to translate them into live streams. Learn more information on how you produce live streams that can engage with your customers and boost sales.