Live Streaming Sales: The Power of Live Video in Marketing

Although still in its pioneering stages in North America and Europe, live streaming e-commerce has exploded in China and has become one of the preferred options for Chinese consumers. In 2019, live e-commerce sales in China reached $61 billion, and the number is expected to double to more than $129 billion in 2020.

El Live streaming has the power to expand the audience of an event attended by hundreds of millions to connect global offices and reach audiences of unprecedented scale for product launches, fashion shows or exclusive fan launches.

However, there are many options for live streaming and, understanding the factors and initial costs can be overwhelming.

I created this Guide to streaming ecommerce events in live streaming because while events and live streaming can be essential for your marketing strategy, that doesn't mean they're easy. Just about everything related to event planning and live video is difficult, especially if you're doing it for the first time.

I want to provide you with the tools and information you need to make your event and live stream a success.

Next, we'll touch on the following points:

• Why does my organization need a live streaming strategy?
• How to get started with the production of live streaming events?
• Live Streaming Tools: What You'll Need

Ready to Go Live?

Why does my company need a live streaming strategy?

Technology has pushed us into an automated world, which is great when you're looking for a TV show to watch, and Netflix can offer something based on your preferences. But at the end of the day, we are human. We need personal interaction, recognition and connection. That's where events and experiential marketing really come into contact.

While events may seem like fleeting moments to a finite number of people, companies are expanding the scope and duration of those... How? With live streaming video.

For example, Nikon Inc. after coordinating speakers for interviews during a conference, its marketing team chose to stream the sessions live online, so Nikon reached four times as many people as the entire conference itself.

The answer to why you need a strategy is that, with a fairly modest increase in budget, you can reach a considerably larger audience. El Face to Face It is the best form of communication, it creates a sense of inclusion and connection that is difficult to replicate through other forms of communication.

Smart advertising is no longer enough to capture consumers' attention. Increasingly, shoppers are loyal to brands that demonstrate purpose, with 62% of global consumers making their purchasing decisions driven by a company's ethical values.

Broadcasting these events live is a fundamental strategy for developing authenticity, showing purpose and building trust with new and potential customers.

How to make a live video?

Regardless of your practical knowledge of broadcasting live, you'll need to ensure that your content strategy is built to live in Live streaming. The live video stream is broadcast on the fly, and requires extensive preparation and several tests.

First Step: Focus on Content Strategy

Content is everything your live event produces. What are you going to transmit? What will your audience be? What type of cameras will you use?

You should keep in mind that the content aligns with the interests of your audience, matches the voice of your brand, and is aimed at your target audience and customers.

Second step: Make it interesting and consistent

Make it interesting, and your audience will follow your content with their eyes. Make sure that the screen never turns black. Keeping your events consistent is a guaranteed way to increase brand awareness and value, while meaningfully engaging with your audience.

Step Three: Call to Action

If you want the event's audience to convert, you'll need to facilitate spectator interaction before the event is over. Place a call to action at the end of the live stream.

Fourth step: Test and test everything

Have you scheduled time to test your streaming?

The best thing you can do to avoid setbacks is to test and test. During production, everything is tested, but most importantly, your transmission. Test workflows for all equipment, audio and video quality, Internet connection and any faults.

Keep in mind that if your event doesn't look good, people won't disconnect.

Take your time to try it out and do it again.

Fifth step: “Brand” your live streaming event experience

The branding of your event should reflect your company. Make sure that corporate colors, language, logos... are being used that adhere to your brand identity.

Live Streaming Tools: What You'll Need

There are many live streaming tools that can be used to stream events online.

However, if cost issues prevent you from streaming live, there are free tools that may be the solution to your problem.

1. Facebook Live

Facebook Live will help you jump directly to streaming online events.

Benefits: First, it avoids the complexities of traditional live streaming platforms that require a strong hardware configuration and complex video rendering capabilities. Then, tap into an existing audience base: Facebook friends or followers of the Facebook page.

What do you need to be live?

✔ A smartphone with aFacebook app installed or a computer/ laptop with a built-in webcam

✔ A personal Facebook profile or a business/event Facebook page.

Advantages:

• It integrates with the Facebook comment function so that your audience can interact and leave comments during the live stream.
• The video stays on your Facebook profile afterward, so you can share it to get more views, let people watch it later, and pay to promote it to more viewers. You also have the option to delete it, if you don't want it to remain on Facebook.
• You can stream from your Facebook business page to keep things separate from your personal profile.

Disadvantages:

• You need a Facebook business page or a personal account.
• It can be difficult to get followers if you're new to the platform. Like many social media platforms, Facebook wants companies to pay to promote their content, and it can be difficult to get an organic reach.

Best for:

Local businesses and those with an existing Facebook following. It's ideal if you want to try live streaming without spending a lot of money.

2. Instagram Live

Instagram Live is an Instagram Stories feature that can be used to stream events to a digital audience and interact with them in real time. It is quite similar to Facebook Live in its functionality and user experience. Cons: Instagram Live allows users to launch only on the mobile version of the tool and not on the desktop version.

What do you need to be live?

✔ A smartphone with the Instagram app installed.

✔ A personal or business/event Instagram profile.

Advantages:

• Followers can interact with you and react to your video in comments.
• Option to deactivate comments or filter comments that contain certain keywords.

Disadvantages

• You need an Instagram account. If you're new to Instagram and don't have a lot of followers, your audience will be small to begin with.
• It only works from the Instagram mobile app, so there's no option to film from your desktop.
• Live videos disappear after 1 hour (or 24 hours if you share it on your Instagram story).

Best for:

Companies with Instagram followers existing, whose customers are active on Instagram. Ideal for aspirational brands in the health, fitness and lifestyle industries, such as yoga teachers and fitness instructors, as well as those who sell fashionable clothing and accessories.

3. YouTube Live

YouTube Live is a live streaming feature on the popular video-sharing platform on YouTube. YouTube offers a wide range of streaming features, suitable for anyone and event complete with announcements and promotions.

Benefits: It offers a benefit that no other platform on this list offers: the search potential of being on YouTube, so that an event can be located simply through Google search.

What do you need to be live?

✔ A smartphone with the YouTube app installed or a computer/laptop with a built-in webcam

✔ A YouTube account, which can be created with a Google account.

Advantages:

• YouTube is owned by Google, but it's actually a search engine in its own right. When you publish content on YouTube and link it to your business or website, you can increase your SEO and help customers find it online.
• Option to monetize your content as your audience grows.
• Viewers don't need an account to watch your videos (unlike Facebook or Instagram). You can also upload “private” videos and share them with a selected group through a private link.

Disadvantages:

• You need a Google account and set up your own YouTube channel before you can stream.
• If you're new to YouTube, your audience size will be small at first and you'll have to wait until you grow in followers.
• You have to pay once you exceed 100 subscribers.

Best for:

Share videos with a wide audience: Its 8-hour time limit makes it ideal for broadcasting events and conferences. It works best if you already have followers on YouTube or have a specific group that you want to share with, such as a school class or a group of colleagues. But it's just as useful if you want to upload a video and share it on your social media profiles.

4. Periscope

Periscope is a live streaming application for iOS and Android phones that helps stream events on Twitter, as well as to the Periscope TV website. Periscope was acquired by Twitter before its launch in 2015 and has since been Twitter's answer to Facebook Live and Instagram Live.

What do you need to be live?

✔ A smartphone with the Periscope app installed.

✔ A Periscope personal or business/event account.

✔ A Twitter account to connect streams to Twitter.

Advantages:

• Alert Periscope followers with an automatically generated notification each time a broadcast begins.
• It increases the virality of events by allowing viewers to share the live stream on Twitter and Periscope, as well as to share a link to the broadcast anywhere else.
• Store event streams for playback and allow them to appear in the feeds of your Periscope and Twitter followers.
• Access streaming statistics such as live viewers, players and watch time to better understand the audience.
• Allows all viewers to comment on live streams or submit I like it, or limit this functionality to the people you follow

Disadvantages:

• By default, all live streams are public and visible to everyone. To create a private broadcast for a select audience, you and your viewers must follow each other on Twitter.
• You can draw and color the live stream in real time, just like on Facebook Live and Instagram Live. However, Periscope's graphical enhancement capabilities are relatively limited and are only available in the iOS app.
• Analytical ideas about the audience are less detailed compared to similar tools such as Facebook Live or YouTube Live.

Best for:

Tool suitable for events of any size. For those with personal or business profiles on Twitter, the tool takes advantage of the existing audience and generates interest from unconnected Twitter and Periscope users who may be interested in the event. 

Ready to Go Live?

El Live Video Streaming it's a great way to humanize your brand.

Broadcasting in real time allows you to create multiple innovative strategies to build loyalty, interact and attract users.

Using live broadcasts to present or make special announcements about the operation of your product serves to improve consumers' knowledge and understanding of an item. And that makes the Live streaming high-reach and easily accessible content.

What are you waiting for?

How can we help you?

If you need more information, do not hesitate to contact us.