Fast internet connections and smart mobile technologies continue to offer SMBs more opportunities for reaching customers and clients. One of the most recent innovations is live video streaming, an inexpensive and convenient way to increase your business value and diversify your services portfolio. It’s a huge and open-ended service, so why don’t we narrow down six of the best video types for reaching out to your target audience.
Business introduction/Behind-the-scenes
If your company lacks an online presence, one of the best things you can do is give customers direct access to your staff and your product. Take your viewers on an office tour and show them how a product is made, or even broadcast your business’s launch event.
Make sure to invite as many viewers as you can, but remember most live broadcasts can be saved and viewed later. You’ll likely want to keep the video available after it’s finished.
News and trending topics
Current and live events are great not only because they’re fresh but they also give your audience something to share.
Facebook Live and Instagram stories allow people and businesses to share recent information, trending news, and other relevant stories. For example, a live coverage of your cooking show would allow you to engage your viewers by inviting them to participate in a live Q & A activity.
These features could instantly reach millions of viewers in a span of a few seconds.
Ask me anything (AMA)
Depending on your product or service, you may be getting a lot of conceptual questions about innovative ways to use it, what direction the company is heading, and so forth. There’s no better way to address these questions than to do so in a personal and unscripted AMA segment.
If there’s a good turnout, make sure to keep questions and answers moving in relevant and interesting directions. There’s nothing wrong with updating everyone on what you had for breakfast, but addressing service bugs or product feature requests is going to be a lot more beneficial for wider audiences.
How-tos
Whether it’s a soon-to-be-released product or a simple rehash of an existing one that’s getting lots of support requests, there’s no better way to guide customers than thorough how-to videos.
Not only do these show existing clients the best way to use your product or service, it also allows potential customers to see both your product and your customer service philosophy in action. Saving these videos can be invaluable as you continue to get questions on the product or service outlined in these videos — it’s an easy way to build a video reference library for sales and support.
Webinars
Webinars are events held on the internet and are attended by an online audience. They allow for online participation thanks to audio and video feeds.
In addition to video images, presentation slides can be broadcast and run in sync with the rest of the presentation. You can also make use of the screen capture functionality to show your viewers an application or website. Webinars also offer various interactive opportunities such as chat, polls, surveys, and tests,
Live broadcast announcements
Whether on Twitter or Facebook, post live broadcast updates about an upcoming product or service to make your announcement far more interesting and personal than a press release or faceless status update.
Text-based announcements and pre-recorded videos severely limit how you address the "fine print" questions from customers. Think of live broadcasts as a chance to hold your own personal press briefing and address questions after your scripted announcement.
Social media reports that Facebook users spend three times longer watching live broadcasts than pre-recorded video. Combine that with Facebook’s announcement that live videos are more likely to be promoted to the top of news feeds and you’d be crazy not to utilize live broadcasts.
There are a handful of different services to use for live video broadcasting and deciding which one is the best for you can depend on a lot of different variables.
Promotional videos
Use social media to promise a special promotion to anyone who tunes in to a live broadcast. Your promotional videos should portray your business in a positive light and make people want to buy from you.
Many companies use influencers nowadays to attract more people. This is a quick way to gain the attention of potential customers, especially those who are hearing about your product or service for the first time. A familiar face is almost always a quick way to earn someone’s trust.
Remember that promotional videos should be straight to the point and should last no longer than 10 to 15 minutes at most.
Call us with any of your questions and we’ll be happy to assist you in adding value to your business with today’s best live video services.