Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have joined the live streaming bandwagon. Why? Because users want it. Learn about why what and who of live streaming and how your company can integrate these tools into your social media strategy.
Why Video Streaming?
- Cisco predicts that 90% of all Internet traffic will be in video format by the year 2019.
- Facebook reported that in 2015:
- They hosted 8 billion videos
- Video posted per user went up 95% in the US
- Over one million video views occurred on Facebook 360
- A study from Social Bakers found that Facebook is gaining ground on YouTube and most brands are not publishing from YouTube to Facebook but rather posting on Facebook Live or Instagram Stories.
What is Live Streaming?
From an app on a user’s smartphone, they can take video and either allow public viewing or restrict it to friends and followers. There is a time limit on Instagram but none on the other channels. It can be hosted on the user’s profile indefinitely or for 24 hours.
Who are Some of the Live Streaming Players?
- Periscope (part of Twitter)
- 10 million users
- 100 million broadcasts
- Will play on the user’s Twitter feed.
- Facebook Live/Instagram Stories
- When recording, the user makes it private or open.
- Users can post reactions.
- The video will remain on the user’s timeline indefinitely.
- Admins of company pages can record the view from those pages as well. the
- Snapchat
- 200 million users
- 100 million broadcasts daily
- 8 billion daily views
- Video deleted after 24 hours
- 71% of users are under 34 years’ old
- 70% are female
Snapchat now provides advertisements geared toward the 18-34 year old demographic. Snap Ads always begin with an up to 10-second vertical, full-screen video ad that appears in the context of other similar Snaps.
YouTube has recently begun offering live streaming.
Benefits of Live Streaming
- Remote users can feel like they are part of the action – they can have reactions and ask questions on a real-time basis.
- Live streaming allows an organization to:
- Showcase their company while things are happening
- Give users behind-the-scenes tour
- Enter into live Q&A sessions
- The video can showcase the:
- Speaker in action
- New product offerings
- Employee function
- Long shelf life. It is easy to repurpose live streaming content by:
- Uploading it YouTube
- Posting it on the website or
- Integrating into a blog
- Splicing the video into 30-second offerings
In conclusion, live video streaming will continue to be part of an excellent social media strategy.