Have you ever wanted to go to a show or concert or even stay behind the scenes of a TV or reality show? Well, nowadays that dream is a reality. Several companies have started using live content as a marketing strategy as of 2022 and it’s going well for them. The reason couldn’t be more simple – it’s an effective and interactive strategy that brings in leads and engages consumers.
So what exactly is live content? Instagram lives, Facebook lives, YouTube lives, live competitions and live cultural events are just some of the examples that we could give you in order to quickly understand the concept. This category covers everything that we can watch on our devices, happening as we are watching it. Here’s a listing of different types of live content we interact with on a daily basis.
- Movies. When we watch a TV show or movie, there is no doubt that we see a story. Behind this story, people have invested time, skills and high quality work, to produce, edit and direct before we see the final version. Every character has their own lines that they need to learn before filming every scene and every scene follows a narrative.
- Live viewing. This type of live show is usually used in reality shows. The difference between live viewing and movie viewing is that people don’t have lines, it is not expected for the answer to be in a specific way and everything turns out spontaneous. However, we are watching the shows after they were filmed and edited. In this category we can include every talent show we’ve ever seen. Some well-known live shows or reality shows we can mention are Ellen, Late night with Jimmy Fallon and even survival shows such as Lost.
- Live content. And finally, we’ve reached the topic we are discussing today: live content that is happening right at the moment when you are watching. The most popular examples are football matches. A lot of fans gather together at bars and watch the broadcasted game happening live. Another example could be the concerts that are filmed live for the fans that didn’t have the chance to attend, fashion shows that have limited seats, government meetings and as of late, influencers that make lives on Instagram, TikTok live battles and so on.
The influence of Live Content in the marketing world
The moment brands realized the potential live content has, they started to use it as a marketing strategy. Some brands began to pay influencers to appear at their events and make lives. Consequently, followers could see genuine reactions of the influencer and start to associate that brand with the live emotions. As a result, companies are gaining new potential clients, a better image and brand ambassadors. The influencer has the possibility to attend a great event with a lot of food, gifts and therefore produce great visual content. They can also present products or other perks the moment they’re first interacting with them. Followers can attend the event through the influencer’s live and frequently, they have the chance to participate in live contests to win gifts from the company. This way, everyone wins.
One of the main advantages of live content is that you can start to use it as a marketing strategy even when your company is just starting out. It is not compulsory to have an event in order to do lives. You can make one where you show the process of crafting your product, a Q&A, an interview with a worker, etc. If you show interesting things, more people will start to follow you and your company will become more popular.
How difficult it is to make live content and what are the risks?
It’s not difficult to make lives if you are creative and already know how to use social media platforms. For people who don’t know how to use social media, it might be a bit daunting, but they can hire a social media content creator anytime. Even if you need to allocate a budget, the results will help you grow your company and gather more customers.
Another method is hiring an influencer that will come to your company’s headquarters or locations and will make lives on his/her account. It is easier, because you don’t need to have an audience from the beginning. The influencer has its own audience. The hard part will be to find a content creator that has an audience interested in the type of product you sell. However, once you have that settled, it will be easier.
The most important risk that you should take into account is that if something goes wrong, every person that watches your live will see it and it could lead to ruining your company’s image. That is why, before any live, we advise you to establish a strategic plan and ensure everything is under control.
The power of videos
As you know, people interact more with videos. The advantage of live content compared to images is that followers can ask questions and receive an immediate answer. Moreover, they can see what is happening in real time and what participants are involved. People are more likely to buy if they see a real face standing in front of the camera. It’s only natural, they can feel a kinship if not, friendship connection between them and the brand.
The future of live content in marketing
Even if we can’t predict what the future will bring, we can state that live content will become more popular as more brands will start using it. It’s an organic and easy way to promote a product. Also, if we take in consideration the digital world with avatars that Meta is trying to build, it’s no surprise to see live content evolve and become even more effective. And who knows, maybe creating live content will become a compulsory task in a Social Media Manager’s job.
For instance, at AnyMedia we have already started applying live content in our marketing strategy. Clever Fit, one of our recent clients operating in the fitness area will incorporate live content to post on social media platforms. Given how Clever Fit offers fitness services, it’s highly effective for future clients to see live content with the gym, personal trainers and even exercise areas. Live content will help promote the brand better, show off their services and even include members in daily vlogs. With live content, what you see is what you get and for paying customers, that is the greatest reassurance.
As long as companies and brands are constantly trying to develop the digital world and add more to social media platforms, different types of marketing content will continue to appear. We’ll keep an eye on live content as it is and we look forward to seeing how far it will go in the future.
