Marketing trends come and go, but video’s importance to businesses shows no signs of waning. Research shows that 84%of businesses—from a survey of more than 600—use video as part of their marketing campaigns, while 82% agree it has a positive effect on their company.
Still, while pre-recorded videos clearly bring satisfactory results, live interactive broadcasting is the next step that every company—regardless of size or budget—must embrace.
Here are five ways you can use this technology to boost your profile and maximize engagement.
Hosting Real-Time Training Videos
Whenever a customer discovers one of your products, whether it’s a new tablet, a camera, or a software package, they want to learn how to use it as soon as possible. Instruction manuals can be long-winded and complicated, while having to hunt down answers online is often time-consuming and frustrating.
To maximize consumers’ enjoyment of your products, host real-time tutorials with live interactive broadcasting. You should have an in-house expert demonstrate the basics of a product first, guiding viewers through its various functions or features in a clear, simple way.
Invite viewers to ask questions and comment to ensure no key points are missed. Remember, if viewers still have to scour the Internet for advice afterwards, you’ll have wasted everyone’s time.
Live interactive broadcasting is only worth the time and investment if you use a quality service. More common platforms—like Skype—are easily accessible, but any common technical issues will hamper your consumers’ experience and potentially chase them away.
Lagging, interrupted sound or visuals, and loss of signal altogether will only frustrate your viewers. Real-time interactive broadcasting company Agora.io, for example, offers HD live video across the globe, avoiding the most common technical complications. The better your video quality, the more engaging you will be.
Broadcast Live from Major Events
Conferences, exhibitions, and launch events are an essential aspect of every industry. These offer businesses a chance to network, discover the latest trends and key developments, and to find invaluable new sales leads.
In the past, you may have simply written a blog or press release chronicling your experience at an event or put together a video montage. Today, though, using just a smartphone and an app, you can broadcast to followers live. This puts viewers in the event with you, and by taking them on a guided tour, you’ll grant them a first-hand insight into a side of the business world they may not normally see.
This interactive aspect enables viewers to direct the broadcast, suggesting stalls to visit, requesting interviews with certain exhibitors, and asking questions as you lead them.
Interview Key Figures and Thought-Leaders
Interviews are a terrific way to engage your followers: they can be entertaining, educational, and inspiring. The trick, of course, is to interview key figures from your business or industry with something interesting to say. Ideally, choose a thought-leader or popular innovator to generate wider interest.
Rather than simply presenting a pre-recorded video of two people talking through scripted questions, try live interactive interviews as they are much more fluid and dynamic. Viewers will actually feel as if they’re sitting in the room with you and can submit questions to direct the course of the conversation.
You may want to invite viewers to submit questions ahead of the interview, during it, or towards the end, depending on the structure you have in mind. Not only will the discussion be more relevant to your viewers, it’ll also make them feel more valued, as if their input matters to your business.
Show What Goes into the Making of Your Products
Businesses may present videos based around their manufacturing processes or everyday operations, but when these are carefully edited, they may not offer a comprehensive insight. Viewers can be left with further questions or concerns.
However, hosting live interactive broadcasts from your factory floor or production lines takes viewers right into the heart of your company in a much more transparent way. This can build trust between yourself and consumers and allow viewers to ask the questions they may otherwise not have a chance to.
Ask one of your expert technicians, designers, or senior employees to talk viewers through a product’s creation. Allow followers to receive in-depth answers to their questions while showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship your company is so proud of.
This may well make your customers appreciate your products even more and feel a closer bond with your brand.
Take Your Customers Behind the Scenes
As with the idea discussed above, taking your audience on a tour of your business’s workspace can really boost engagement and reinforce your branding.
While a product-based ‘making of’ shows the design/manufacturing of a commodity, a behind-the-scenes video shows the running of your company itself. Live interactive broadcasting is the ideal platform to introduce your team, demonstrate the passion and creativity behind your business, and show a more ‘human’ side of your brand.
Perhaps lead viewers around various departments, from your admin team to your marketing and your web design division. Make them feel welcome, and invite them to put questions to your teams. They may want to see concept art, for example, or learn about your design process. It’s natural that you’ll want to hold key details back, but try to be as open as possible.
Have you considered how live interactive broadcasting could revolutionize your business?
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