It has now gained enough momentum that the concept of live streaming is something most people are familiar with and have even watched -- even if they have yet to do it themselves. In everything from pop culture, social media trends, and business marketing; you see it being hailed as the next big thing. It most likely is, at least for awhile, as our technology has finally caught up to a point where every person walking around with a smartphone and a data plan can now conceivably be the equivalent of a live television network. Yet the question begs to be asked, "how does this really apply to my business and how can it help me?"
We recently conducted a research deep dive at Varyiad of the most popular live streaming options currently available. Aside from the natural fit of news networks putting out current events & related interest pieces or the sharing of a music concert or other public event; the other uses are all over the place. Aside from the NSFW content that is inevitable, the vast majority of the live streaming content is currently made up of girls giving make-up tips, guys lifting weights, random people driving or sitting in their cars, and aspiring pop stars taking song requests to perform for their viewers. It is not perfect, but these are the early adopters trying to find their niche in the emerging marketplace that is being created as we speak. However, in the midst of all this it might be hard to find actual value in the endless streams being beamed your way 24/7/365. That is a fair assessment but one that might not be always the case. As society embraces this new technology and gets comfortable with the concept (like we always do), I believe you will see continued growth and adoption of this method of communicating -- both personally and professionally.
It is no doubt that the Internet changed the world and especially how business is conducted. For the last couple of decades, we have seen a never ending expansion of ways that we can get our business message or product in front of our core audience. Websites, email, SEO, SEM, AdWords, blogs, and social media are the big ones. Yet in almost all of those cases, until social media, we did not really know who we were talking to until they possibly converted into a sale and let us know the way they find out about us. Outside of maybe a posted comment, the real interactions were delayed until a phone call or meeting was able to be set. Then the real time question & answer session could begin. Stop and think for a moment that now, in real time, you could have that same discovery session, show off a product or service, or take general questions in the form of a live stream. It has the same potential benefit of a webinar but the ability to reach a much broader audience without the same commitment to downloading software and buy-in needed for them to actually sign up for a GoToMeeting session with you. By combining the live stream broadcast with some specific and targeted keywords to appeal to the niches you want to be in, you could conceivably pull in leads that might not be accessible easily via the other methods.
Do I think that live streaming will be the "one ring to rule them all" for getting out your content? Not exactly. It is just one more weapon in your marketing arsenal; but it is an interesting one to consider.
What are some ways you might use live streaming to get your brands message in front of your audience? Are you scared of it? Think its a waste of time? Let's discuss some ideas.
We recently conducted a research deep dive at Varyiad of the most popular live streaming options currently available. Aside from the natural fit of news networks putting out current events & related interest pieces or the sharing of a music concert or other public event; the other uses are all over the place. Aside from the NSFW content that is inevitable, the vast majority of the live streaming content is currently made up of girls giving make-up tips, guys lifting weights, random people driving or sitting in their cars, and aspiring pop stars taking song requests to perform for their viewers. It is not perfect, but these are the early adopters trying to find their niche in the emerging marketplace that is being created as we speak. However, in the midst of all this it might be hard to find actual value in the endless streams being beamed your way 24/7/365. That is a fair assessment but one that might not be always the case. As society embraces this new technology and gets comfortable with the concept (like we always do), I believe you will see continued growth and adoption of this method of communicating -- both personally and professionally.
It is no doubt that the Internet changed the world and especially how business is conducted. For the last couple of decades, we have seen a never ending expansion of ways that we can get our business message or product in front of our core audience. Websites, email, SEO, SEM, AdWords, blogs, and social media are the big ones. Yet in almost all of those cases, until social media, we did not really know who we were talking to until they possibly converted into a sale and let us know the way they find out about us. Outside of maybe a posted comment, the real interactions were delayed until a phone call or meeting was able to be set. Then the real time question & answer session could begin. Stop and think for a moment that now, in real time, you could have that same discovery session, show off a product or service, or take general questions in the form of a live stream. It has the same potential benefit of a webinar but the ability to reach a much broader audience without the same commitment to downloading software and buy-in needed for them to actually sign up for a GoToMeeting session with you. By combining the live stream broadcast with some specific and targeted keywords to appeal to the niches you want to be in, you could conceivably pull in leads that might not be accessible easily via the other methods.
Do I think that live streaming will be the "one ring to rule them all" for getting out your content? Not exactly. It is just one more weapon in your marketing arsenal; but it is an interesting one to consider.
What are some ways you might use live streaming to get your brands message in front of your audience? Are you scared of it? Think its a waste of time? Let's discuss some ideas.
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