5 Ways to Start Using Streaming Video for Your Marketing

Published on August 16, 2021

The landscape of social media is changing – away from text posts and updates and to GIFs, autoplaying clips, and, above all, live video.

We may not be heading to a textless future just yet, but that doesn’t mean that video isn’t here to stay; views on social media are up across the board, and Facebook is making a massive push to prioritize streaming video content on users’ feeds – and spending a pretty penny advertising it, too.

Is your brand ready to keep up? Like Snapchat and Instagram before it, live video is a major step forward – but one that lines up with the core tenets of digital marketing that we’ve always taught to our clients. The medium is changing, but the message doesn’t have to.

Here are five easy, low-pressure ways for your brand to start putting live streaming video to work right now:

Give Viewers a Peek Behind the Scenes

One of the biggest questions we get about our field is something along the lines of: “What exactly do you do?” We know we’re not alone! From chiropractors, to artisan pickle makers, to bookkeepers, everyone’s job is fascinating – and, largely, a mystery to those of us who don’t do it!

A live video session is a great way to shed some light on your day-to-day, demystifying what you do for your audience and making them feel like a trusted, valued part of your brand’s community. Your options are endless! Live stream a meeting, show what goes into making a product from start to finish, or call attention to some weird quirk of your office or your team. You never know what’s going to win over new fans – so why not show it all off?

Hold Q + A’s

Does your CEO know his stuff? Is your sales team the most winning in your industry? Put them front and center! The beauty of live streaming is that there are virtually no walls between your team and your audience. Take advantage of that freedom, and the unique questions and perspectives of your social community, by opening up your streams to question-and-answer sessions with viewers. Fun, interactive, and a real source of surprise and insight, these video sessions could do wonders for humanizing your brand and broadening your reach to new eyes.

Cover a Big Event From a Personal Angle

Setting up a booth at a local job fair or exhibition? Running a float in a parade? Catering a big event downtown? Throwing a (PG) holiday party? Don’t keep it to yourself! A large public event is a great opportunity for generating positive press. Don’t wait until the media gets the scoop, though! Instead, serve it up to your followers directly with a fun backstage video, sharing how your business fits into the larger local or national conversation that’s already filling your followers’ feeds.

Go In Depth

Listicles, slideshows, social ads – all great for catching views and clicks, not always the best for sharing detailed or complex information. Use streaming video to supplement your old blog articles or multimedia content, using the platform to go into new details, update your data, or share a fresh perspective. Even better? Once your stream is done, you have a new piece of evergreen content to share or add to old posts, reviving that copy for new users.

Have Fun… Seriously!

So far, the gold standard for live streaming video is the “Watermelon” video from BuzzFeed, in which two staffers simply added rubber bands to a watermelon until the whole thing burst. Seriously. That easy, weird video generated 800,000 live views and more than 10 million total views – and counting.

The lesson there? Be weird, be funky, be fun, and don’t be afraid to get messy. Video is the future of content – which means that we’re the generation that gets to dictate what it means and how it gets used.

Have any more questions about the opportunities that content creation and social media marketing offer for your brand? We’d love to keep the conversation going! Drop us a line today!