Live streaming is currently very popular all around social media. Viewers demand live video, and it is easy to understand why. Live videos generally add a personalized touch to content that images and texts cannot replace. As live streaming focuses on building stronger connections with people, it is no surprise that more and more brands are using it as a cost-effective marketing tool.
Why is Social Media Live Streaming So Popular?
Live streaming app development has grown from a novelty to a necessity. From simple events to memorable and significant ones, more and more people are starting to stream. However, popularity is driven not only by users, social media platforms are also investing in live streaming. So if you are wondering why social media networks are heavily investing in live streaming, JatApp marketing experts have the answers for you in this article.
The Art of Live Storytelling
What makes live streaming great is that it’s the ultimate tool for brand storytelling, that too in real-time. It’s great for brands to deliver a real-time experience to their audience when they can’t be there in person.
At its best, live streaming helps businesses narrate live stories, they can broadcast important events, show behind the scenes of big business events that their customers otherwise wouldn’t get to explore first hand. Live streaming offers the audience the opportunity to establish a personal connection between a brand and customers as much as they would with any popular influencer or a celebrity.
Videos Grab More Attention Than a Blog
Over 80% of people prefer videos over blogs. It is also said that video marketers attract over 41% of traffic than other content types. For example, Benefit Cosmetics bagged 619k views and great engagement when they broadcasted live with brow expert Jared Bailey.
As live videos combine both auditory and visual senses in real-time, it increases the level of attention of viewers dramatically. Live videos are so versatile as it gives creators the opportunities to add the perfect dose of fun entertainment, humor, and curiosity to trigger the emotions of viewers.
Live Streaming Fosters Human Interaction
Live videos are great in terms of human interaction it promotes. This is one of the best advantages of live streaming that no other tool can offer. For example, live videos receive 600% more engagement than other types of posts. Real-time interactions of brands with customers allow them to humanize and connect with customers on a personal level. You can broadcast Q&A sessions with your audience, allowing them to participate in your videos through comments. Live videos encourage direct conversation with brands and target audiences and are beneficial to all parties as it provides a live experience of what is offered.
How Does Social Media Streaming Work?
Live streaming has become a critical element of social media networks and it has greatly helped brands to connect with their audience and engage them. Now that you know how significant live streaming is for any business, experts from JatApp software development company explain how does live streaming works.
Today, almost all major social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have live streaming features that are extensively used by both individuals and businesses. Knowing how it works on different platforms will help you to leverage the most out of it efficiently.
Facebook Live
One of the most popular social media platforms and their live streaming service Facebook Live is equally popular. Facebook Live allows users to stream live videos directly to their Facebook page and then later upload it to the feed. With over 2.3 billion users, it is no surprise that most brands and publishers leverage Facebook Live for live streaming. To broadcast live from Facebook, you have to select the “Go live” option for mobile and select “Live video” for desktop.
Instagram Live
Instagram is another social media platform that is packed with exciting live streaming features to grow the audience. Instagram live video features work similarly to Instagram stories. The only difference is that Instagram live video works like a normal live streaming service, but Instagram stories are short videos or picture stories that last up to 24 hours only.
Coming back to the topic, starting an Instagram live broadcast is simple. You just have to swipe right from the main feed to access the camera. Once the camera opens, you can change the camera settings to live and tap on “Start live video” to go live. Instagram allows viewers to interact with live videos through comments. Additionally, it has also introduced a feature that allows viewers to join the live broadcast upon request.
YouTube Live
YouTube live is another platform to broadcast live on both desktop and mobile devices. If you are a brand seriously thinking about ways to make a live streaming website, it can be critical to understanding how live streaming works on different social media sites. Let’s see how YouTube live works. When launched, YouTube live required broadcasters to have an encoder software to stream live videos, but now anyone can live stream directly on the platform from both desktops and mobile.
To go live from your YouTube channel, all you have to do is to click on the video camera icon on the top right side of the homepage. Choose the option “Go live” to broadcast live from your YouTube channel. It will lead you to a streaming window where you have to add the title and set up your streaming. Once the live broadcast ends, you can click the stop button to automatically save the video on your YouTube channel. Broadcasters can also utilize advanced settings that allow to turn off the chatbox, enable age restriction, and run paid endorsement on live streams.
Periscope
Owned by Twitter, the periscope is another live streaming application that allows users to watch and broadcast live from any mobile device. To go live from Periscope, you simply need to download the app, connect to your Twitter or Facebook account, and click the streaming button. It will ask you to create a title and you can start live streaming right then.
Users can engage with broadcasters through the comment section and send hearts that are similar to Facebook likes. Comment feature makes perfect a great medium to host Q&A sessions and foster user engagement.
Conclusion
With the rising popularity of live streaming video on social media, you will see more social media networks integrating live streaming features to their platforms. Regardless of the social media platform used, it can work amazingly for both individual content creators and businesses. Hope you enjoyed reading this post, please let us know which is your favorite social media live streaming platform by commenting below.
