Live Video Marketing- Influencing Customers Real-time
Marketing is an ever-evolving field where companies and brands use all possible media channels to reach out to potential customers. Popular advertising media includes having TV campaigns between shows along with prime-time slots. Newspapers & magazines are popular ways to use print media to advertise about one’s products and services. However, all these are advertising channels are not too modern and are pretty old school. With the increasing penetration of smartphones and high-speed data internet, online platforms are popular media tools to advertise. Online advertising can be done on website as banners or on mobile apps. Since a lot of people are engaged with their phones, there is a big opportunity for companies. However, one of the newer ways to engage customers is by live video streaming content.
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Live video marketing is a concept where companies webcast or telecast their shows or content live to audiences who are viewing online through a website or any app. Live videos tend to engage customers more as compared to video on demand. The reason being that Live video streams intrigues viewers to watch it immediately. And if the content is engaging, there is a chance that the live stream can also get viral instantly. Video on demand is good for longevity when it comes to engagement but it doesn’t create massive impact in a short time. Hence these days companies are promoting brands using live video feeds to market themselves, majorly through online media. Moreover, an interesting live video would ensure higher engagement time of a customers against those showing online ad banners or gifs. Short duration live video events have a potential to get a higher attention span of customers.
What makes live video marketing the next best thing in marketing?
The most important thing about live videos is that people realize that the services and products on display are original, authentic and cannot be faked in terms of their usage. Live videos give an opportunity to showcase the product benefits and market it real-time. Moreover, with call to action buttons available close to the video stream frame, immediate action can be taken by customers. This can lead to a higher customer acquisition and better sale. Live video marketing is the quickest way to reach out to an audience who might be prospective customers. Apart from call to action buttons, customers can also give instant feedback and get their queries resolved real-time. Thus, live videos can help increase user engagement and can get many customers onboard in a short span of time.
Challenges of live video marketing
As easy as it may sound, live video marketing has several challenges and hurdles which need to be worked upon and practiced before going live. Since the video is live, there can be no scope of any errors or fumbles. Brands must ensure that the script is well in place to keep the attention of the customer for the entire duration. Also, live videos must ensure that all technical aspects like light, sound, effects are well tested before going live. Any minor issue also can take a toll on the brand adversely. Hence companies need to plan well in advance as to how the live stream event would be. Along with that, companies would have to decide an ideal date to ensure maximum participation from their prospective target customers. Thus, things like script, characters, hosts etc have to be well prepared before endorsing a brand on a live video.
Live video marketing has several merits also. The most important is that viewers want to see the authentic side of the brand and not advertising which is a scripted video. Live videos can be made authentic in several ways. The event can playback behind the scenes footage to show the effort being put by the company. Product demos can be a good way to keep the customers engaged real-time. Having an option for live QnA can help resolve customer queries real-time as well. Moreover, appreciating viewers by giving out merchandise and freebies can help create a positive word about live video marketing events.
Live video marketing is one of the best and newer ways of new age marketing which is primarily focused on young millennials. Despite the efforts to be put planning such live events, the results are much better than static and on demand video engagements for users. Thus, companies these days are putting lot of efforts in engaging users through live video marketing solutions.
