Of all the video marketing trends and strategies of the past few years — livestreamed video content continues to be one of the fastest growing and most effective tools available to marketers today. Especially now in 2020, as things continue to shift toward “all virtual, all the time,” livestreaming has helped companies build credibility and raise brand awareness, as well as providing an effective way to engage audiences across multiple platforms. Whether its a gated video webinar, a weekly coffee chat series or robust virtual event, customers want to experience content as it happens.

According to a study from Vimeo/Livestream, 80 percent of audiences would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82 percent prefer live video from a brand over standard social posts. 

When compared to traditional “edited” video marketing content like case studies and product demos, engagement analytics make it clear — audiences love the raw authenticity and in-the-moment nature of a livestream.

For some companies, it’s even possible to repurpose and amplify live video as a cornerstone to their overall content marketing strategies. A single recorded livestream can be transcribed and re-purposed as a blog post, the audio can serve as a podcast, and quick clips and images can even be used for social media posts.

Getting Started

While there are many different strategies to develop live content, many brands find success in producing thought leadership content that positions themselves as a credible resource in a given industry. Live, topic-driven interviews and engaging panels or Q&As are perfect examples of this. Audiences tune-in and look to your team as being experts in the field. Sound familiar? 

Marketing webinars and podcasts have followed this exact model for years. The difference is usually the barrier to entry. Marketers have a long history of gating webinars behind a registration that can often be a deterrent. Think of what you want your videos to accomplish. If your goals are increasing community engagement and brand awareness, break down the gate and focus on a multi-stream/multi-platform approach.

Keeping up the Pace

One thing to keep in mind: live videos can’t be used with a one-and-done approach. In order to build an audience, it’s crucial that your company produces content at a regular cadence — weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Think of your new live content plan like producing a TV show. You’ll want to release new episodes every week, promote upcoming guests and content, and remind viewers when and where to tune in. 

Once an episode airs you can even create shareable snack-sized clips from your stream that, once amplified on social media, promote and encourage more people to watch even after the stream has aired.

Keeping the Brand Strong

Try to find the underlying theme to your content and develop a series name and style. If you need ideas, research your target audience and look into what types of content they are more likely to engage with. 

When it comes to visual identity, think about what can grab your audience’s attention compared to other content in their feed. Design a logo or an animated intro, create something that compliments your company brand and don’t be afraid to make it fun!

Planning Ahead

Planning is key — line up guest speakers and topics a few episodes in advance to give plenty of time for promotion. If you are interviewing a guest, be sure to utilize their network and encourage them to share your series as well. 

Plan out a “run of show” for each episode, and keep the energy up by mixing up the format every 10-15 minutes. Instead of having a 40-min interview, open with 15 minutes of questions, transition to 15 minutes of audience driven Q&A, and then back for another 10-minute closing story or walkthrough. Varying segments will keep audiences tuned in longer, which improves your discoverability by encouraging social network algorithms to display your content more often.

Piquing Your Audience’s Interest

Speaking of algorithms, when you go live, always encourage your viewers to actively engage with your stream. Put out a call for audience questions and display them on the screen, prompt them with open-ended questions or polls to get a feel for what they are thinking, or just directly ask them to like and subscribe! 

Every single interaction increases the chance of your stream being displayed on their public feed that’s visible to their entire network. Even if those views don’t come in the 30 minutes you are live, keep in mind that your video will remain on most channels collecting views and being shared long after your stream ends. 

Photo by Kon Karampelas on Unsplash

Tracking Your Progress

Lastly, when it comes to production, there are plenty of great platforms out there that can help you livestream with remote guests, track analytics and engage in chat across multiple channels at once.  There are a handful of great services to help with technical aspects of the process, and we’ve been able to successfully stream across Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn. 

If you are just getting started, N6A offers turnkey packages that support developing your series, designing your livestream brand, and producing your show’s content so you can focus on hosting. For more information and a free consultation on planning your next livestreamed event, reach out to us today!

The post Livestreaming is a Must-Have for Your Video Content Marketing Strategy appeared first on N6 Powered by KRMA | Fully Integrated Digital Marketing.

During COVID-19 quarantining, our worlds have gotten significantly smaller. Without trips to the movies, live sports, travel or, let’s face it, anything really, many are turning to TV to fill the time with entertainment, or pure distraction.

With cable subscription rates dropping precipitously over the years—current estimates have subscriptions down nearly seven million households in the last two years alone—the options for viewership have shifted to streaming. And, with new streaming services like Quibi, NBC’s Peacock and HBO Max entering the market what seems like weekly, more and more players are battling for smaller slices of the same pie.

Stay-at-home orders have led to a boom in streaming service successes in recent months. Netflix, the most established name in the streaming game, has seen some of the most substantial gains since the pandemic began. While late in 2019 the company saw a 15% drop in stock prices, they’ve bounced back exponentially in the first part of 2020. Netflix has experienced massive growth, with 15.8 million new subscribers added last quarter and a six-month stock jump of an astronomical 49%.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Upon the merger of Viacom and CBS in 2019, the company took a massive hit, with its stock price dropping 15%. The pandemic further decimated the company’s prospects, with share prices dipping an additional 32% in recent months. The only bright spot in ViacomCBS’s holdings were their streaming platforms, CBS All Access and Showtime OTT, which are positioned to gain an additional 16 million subscribers by year’s end. The company even plans to expand their streaming offerings into one “Super Service,” a universal platform with thousands of hours of additional content, set to launch in 2021.

These success stories beg the question, however: is this growth sustainable?

When the Dust Settles

It’s been reiterated ad nauseum, but if there’s any certainty of the COVID-19 era it’s a total lack of certainty. While this thriving streaming landscape has to be encouraging for company stakeholders, the entire enterprise may be hit with even greater challenges down the road if services fail to adapt.

As I  told the Observer in April: Netflix can’t take for granted that the viewer will remain loyal if content isn’t consistently refreshed. At the same time, once sports and other live-programming return to the viewer’s choice, Netflix  could be pushed to the side due to its library of also-ran content choices.

ViacomCBS is in an even more precarious position with their content strategy, as it focuses heavily on stockpiles of older series with less emphasis placed on new content.

Echoing what I told the Observer in June: the winner in the streaming battle has to do much more than assemble thousands of hours of content. Whoever wins will have the highest concentration of content that truly engages with the audience. Quality is the key.

The uncertainty of the COVID-19 era also makes the reality of the current streaming boom much more tenuous. With no real competition from live programming, streaming services positioning for the future may miss their window to hooking long-term subscribers while the demand is there. ViacomCBS’s plans for a 2021 launch could spell disaster if the landscape is crowded with competition from not only other services, but live sports and more in-person entertainment options.

Today’s consumers have a short attention span and they are growing less and less patient for delays. CBS needs to play big in Q4 against this programming or else they will be perceived as irrelevant in the ad buyer and viewer mindset. There’s no time to waste is All Access wants to take a jump in the key markets and audience segments.

What Should Streaming Services Be Doing to Win the War?

The truth is, the streaming wars could be completely upended as elements of normalcy return to daily life. As live television comes back, sports, and more in-person entertainment options become available again, people that have spent the last few months scrolling through streaming options may be looking for an escape, which could result in slowed new subscriptions and cancelled old subscriptions.

The key is providing new, engaging content that viewers can’t find anywhere else. In order for a streaming service to become a major player, they need not only their own Tiger King, but follow-up cultural touchstones that keep audiences coming back to their service regardless of what else is out there.

This maxim isn’t solely limited to streaming services either. In the battle for eyes and engagement, the content coming from publications, marketers, and social teams are all in competition. The ones that “win the war” will work to keep audiences consistently engaged, and returning to see what’s new and exciting regardless of what state the world’s in.

With production halts in the entertainment industry causing an ever-drying well of content, at some point every streaming service, no matter how established they are, will need to reckon with the fact that their offering can’t fulfill the market’s demand for the new and exciting. And, as more competition begins to battle for viewer attention, it’s imperative that streaming services strike while the iron is hot, bringing in as many new subscribers they can while the demand is still there.

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