5 Vital Considerations When Streaming Live Content for Your Business

You can utilize dozens of marketing tactics to grow your business and engage customers, such as sending out e-newsletters, running competitions, speaking at events, advertising on Google, and more. 

However, one strategy that many entrepreneurs have found helpful in recent years is live-streaming content. There are five vital considerations to keep top of mind when planning and executing this type of strategy. 

Understand Focus and Goals 

Determine what you want to focus on in your content creation. It can be tricky to select a niche for sessions when there are so many different things to speak about, yet it pays to think about your goals for the streaming, as this will help you zero in on some topics. 

For instance, do you want to generate discussion or debate, showcase what your business does that others don’t, build your name as an expert in your field, or make people feel something, among other things? Once you clarify your intentions, you can ensure that each time you put together a new live content piece, you do so with these and your current and potential audience members in mind. 

Choose the Most Appropriate Platforms to Stream On

Knowing what you want to achieve from live streaming will also help you choose the most appropriate platforms to place your content on to maximize results. As an example, Facebook Live is a prominent streaming service worth investigating. If you already have a significant audience on that platform, you might as well use their live-streaming product so you can share content with your ready-to-go listeners. 

Alternatively, test out the popular Instagram Live or utilize YouTube, both of which are massive platforms with a lot of reach.  Other options include LinkedIn Live, Twitch, Ustream, Vimeo, Wowza, Brightcove, and DaCast. Regardless of which tech tools are on your shortlist, always check how much data tracking and management is possible before selecting an option. If you’re going to go to the trouble of sharing content and engaging an audience, you need to know how impactful this marketing is.

Pick a streaming service that makes it as quick and easy as possible to uphold data integrity at every touchpoint. You want software that will keep track of who signs up to watch your live videos and how many people turn up on the day, as well as where they’re from and which kinds of devices they use. You want to see where in the show people leave, if they do, and keep a record of any chat content that gets created with incoming comments and questions during the feed. 

Make a list of all the different pieces of information you want tracked, managed, and reported on, and then see if the platforms you’re considering can offer this. Furthermore, once you collate all these details, make the data accessible to different teams within your business that need to view it and action it. Paying attention to metrics will help you achieve your live streaming goals and do so more quickly. 

Select Suitable Tech Gear and Set It Up Effectively

You also need to have quality gear yourself to run your live streaming events effectively. You will likely need to invest in items such as microphones, headphones, backdrops, lighting, and potentially a new computer that doesn’t freeze or run slow. The devices you use should be protected from cybercriminals with comprehensive security software and firewalls, too, so people can’t break in and disrupt your feed or steal viewer details or other information. 

Always set up gadgets strategically so everything talks to each other effectively. Spend plenty of time testing all the connections before you go live, so you’re not trying to iron out tech glitches in the middle of being “on air.” 

Spend Enough Time Planning 

Another tip is to not leave live streaming planning until the last minute. The longer you give yourself the more prepared you’ll be and the more engaging your content should be in turn. Plus, remember that there’s no point in running videos if no one turns up to the live events – you have to market the events proactively in the weeks leading up to the dates you’ve set for them. People are busy and need notice to lock things into their diaries, as well as reminders of upcoming shows. Focus on these aspects to increase numbers and engagement. 

Get to the Heart of the Matter Right Away 

It’s common for people to get bored these days and, when they have so much content at their fingertips, they don’t tend to stick around for long to see if what someone is streaming live improves. As such, don’t waffle on during your broadcasts. Get to the heart of the matter ASAP and start sharing valuable content to draw people in. Steer clear of drawn-out countdowns to prime interviews, announcements, deals, and the like that people are tuning in to hear. 

These five areas of live streaming are vital and need to be paid attention to if you want your investment of time, energy, and money to be as worthwhile as possible. Take this marketing exercise bit by bit, though, and you shouldn’t find it too overwhelming.