Live streaming video is huge right now.
Whether it's on Youtube, on Facebook, or on a dedicated streaming app like Periscope, people everywhere are exploring the potential of live online broadcasts.
Marketers and entrepreneurs are no exception.
Live video is something you should be thinking about incorporating into your own content marketing strategy.
Video in general is something you need to have, if you don't already. That's not to say text is dead by any means.
But the fact is, people watch a ton of video content online. When it comes to marketing, video content has evolved from something that's cool to have, to an absolute must.
Despite the growing popularity of video — live or otherwise — as few as 15% of marketers are making full use of it on social media.
This could be a great opportunity to get an edge over your competition, and to reach the people in your audience who'd rather watch a video than read a blog post.
In a recent article, Social Media Examiner discusses how smart marketers can use live video to its fullest potential.
Video Reigns Supreme in 2017
Periscope states that every day, users watch 110 years of live video on the app. Within their first year, the app had 200 million broadcasts. Livestream reports that 78% of online audiences watch video broadcasts on Facebook Live and 80% would rather watch a live video from a brand than read a blog post. In May 2017, Edison Research reported that out of 1,571 smartphone users ages 18-54 surveyed, 30% watch videos daily on Facebook Live and 23% have broadcast live themselves.
Webdam reported that 79% of Internet traffic will be video content by 2018, and posts with videos get 3x the number of inbound links than plain text posts. That same study found that when it comes to video ads, online video revenue grows by 110% annually, which is more than any other type of advertising.
These statistics are interesting, considering that the information presented by the Venngage study showed only 15% of online marketers incorporated video in their posts. The reason for that could be the fact it’s a somewhat new frontier in social media marketing and marketers may yet be unsure of the types of videos to produce.
Another reason for the hesitation may be due to the cost associated with producing videos. Marketing departments pride themselves on presenting quality, well thought-out content, which is important, of course. When it comes to video, however, high quality is often equated with being expensive, due to both production and labor costs.
Whatever the reasons for hesitation, savvy marketers know it’s becoming increasingly important for them to deliver marketing messages to their audiences via video.
[image source: Social Media Examiner]
The 2017 Social Media Marketing Industry Report found that video is the content marketers most want to learn about.
Takeaway
It’s a common misconception that video must be perfectly polished to be effective on social media. That’s not always the case. While video content should be interesting and useful, with live video there’s no expectation of perfection. If anything, viewers are likely to be more forgiving with live video because they know that anything can happen when the camera is rolling live.
It’s important to note, however, that audiences aren’t as forgiving when it comes to prepared visuals. There’s an expectation of higher quality when viewers know the company has time to put effort into creating high-quality content.
If it’s appropriate for their audience, social media marketers should “take the plunge” and give live video a try. As with any other type of content, engagement rates are the best indicator of success.
You can read more about using visual content on social media over at Social Media Examiner.
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