The digital marketing game is slowly making a shift to providing people with live or real-time updates through various means.

Just recently, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram have all integrated live videos into their platforms. This new feature allows brands and marketers like you to connect with users on a more personal level and using a more casual tone.

They offer intuitive live stream options for both mobile and desktop users. Through these new features, YouTubers and marketers like yourself can spontaneously upload videos wherever and whenever they may be.

Live videos are among the biggest trends in digital marketing today, so it’s only apt that we delve deeply into them. Below, we will be giving you some tips on how you can make live streaming work to your marketing advantage.

Ready? We’re going live in 3…2…

Keep the Connection Alive

If you want your live stream to be a success, you need to have a strong internet connection. Nobody has the patience to watch a choppy stream.

When doing a live stream, you should have strong WiFi connectivity. If you’re on location somewhere, make sure you have at least a 4G connection.

Image credit: XCom Global

You can rent out mobile hotspot devices when you’re traveling to make sure you have the best connection possible. This WiFi device from XCom Global, for example, has coverage in over 17 countries, making it the perfect sidekick for a travel brand or YouTuber.

Announce it Ahead of Time

Your live stream wouldn’t be complete without an audience. You should dedicate a few hours (preferably days) before your live stream to promotion. Make sure everyone knows you’ll be broadcasting live at your set time so they can tune in.

Send invites, announce it on your social media channel, make a video out of it – do whatever it is you have to do to get the word out.

Include the time and date along with the link to the live stream in your invite for easier access. It sounds obvious, so you’d better not forget!

Have a Reason to Live

Your live stream needs direction so before you hit the live button, think about what you want it to be about. You definitely don’t want to go live and have nothing to say, looking like a fool.

Streaming can be a prime opportunity to talk to your audience in a more laid-back way. Think about whether you have any groundbreaking updates to share with your audience or if there are some common questions you can address.

Take this opportunity to garner real-time interaction with your audience.

Talk to Your Audience – And Let Them Talk to Each Other

You are your live stream’s host and moderator. Once you go live, people will be using the comment section to interact with you – and you need to be on top of all the comments. This might mean that you’ll need someone else to help, unless you can handle it yourself.

By encouraging communication among your audience, you are simultaneously entertaining and building a community around your channel through your live stream.

If live chat moderation sounds like a lot of work, you can assign the role to someone else. This way, you have someone who can focus on nurturing communication and engagement among your viewers and you can concentrate on your video.

Get everyone on your team involved in the live stream so you can make high-quality, engaging content without losing your mind.

Stay Focused on Your Stream

Don’t you just hate it when people get sidetracked as they’re talking to you? Well, imagine how your audience would feel when you are noticeably distracted during your live stream.

When you decide to go live, you have to commit to it. That means setting up an environment where you can film with minimal distractions.

Well-loved YouTuber Alex Wassabi explained it best when he said it’s important to keep your live stream as interesting and as engaging as your regularly recorded content.

Your live stream should be about your audience and not just you. Stay away from anything that could derail you from your train of thought because there’s no turning back once you go live.

Buy Yourself Some Views

If you’re new to the whole streaming game, you’ll soon realize that getting people to tune in can be challenging. Building a watch-worthy reputation on YouTube takes time and few people have the patience for slow growth.

You can buy an impressive amount of YouTube Views for your live stream from a reputable social media boosting provider. Be sure to choose one with a quick turnaround time, like CoinCrack.

You can purchase the Views while you’re streaming, right when you start. Most of the providers on our list have seamless ordering processes that allow you to see results within minutes, but not everyone delivers quickly so be sure to pick wisely.

Purchasing Views is an efficient way to increase your stream’s appeal to authentic viewers. Once you’ve piqued their interest, they won’t think twice about checking your stream out. If they like what they see, they’ll stick around and maybe even subscribe.

Find the best providers with the fastest turnaround times on our website. These companies are proven to provide transparent warranties and responsive customer support – these are value-adding services you won’t find from just any provider.

Stream it Right

YouTube offers flexible streaming options for every type of content creator. This versatility allows you to broadcast yourself live wherever you may be.

Mobile

You can easily do a live stream wherever you are using your mobile phone. To start streaming from your phone, you first have to make sure you have the updated version of the app.

Image credit: TechCrunch

You also need to make sure the Live feature is enabled by checking the in-app settings. Once that’s all set up, you can click on the camera button found on the upper right portion of the screen.

It will ask you to grant the app permission to access your phone’s camera and mic. Just click on the blue Allow Access button to begin streaming.

Events

If you want to have more control over your live stream, use the Event option. This mode of streaming allows you to set up a time and date for your live stream in advance.

Image credit: YouTube Live Events

The event streaming option lets you set up backup content that will be played over and over again when you encounter problems with your connection.

If you’re new to streaming, we highly recommend you take this route. Choosing a live event gives you ample time to prepare, leaving less room for errors during the broadcast.

Stream Now

Stream Now is the desktop equivalent of your mobile streaming option. Through this streaming option, you can broadcast yourself live using your original setup anytime you want.

If you just want to film a quick update with your audience, this is the way to do it. You can pop in and out using the setup you’re already accustomed to without compromising the quality of your video.

To enable Stream Now on your computer, you have to install the right encoders. Learn how to do that here.

After ending your stream, an archived copy of your video will be made available on the Video Manager page. You can then edit the video as you please and publish it to your channel for viewers to watch later on.

Get Comfortable With the new Environment

If live stream is something absolutely new to you, don’t worry! Live streaming is new to all of us. Playing around with the new interface should help you become more comfortable with the idea of streaming.

You can login to YouTube and set up a private stream for yourself. Imagine how it would be like once you have an audience, and do everything as if you did.

Leaving plenty of time to set up beforehand should help you prepare for the actual stream without getting overwhelmed.

Don’t Hesitate to Go Live

There is less room for mistakes and mishaps during a live stream. You also can’t edit it mid-stream to chop off the parts where you ramble aimlessly. However, people are generally more forgiving of such things during live streams, as they understand the situation.

Live streams can be a lot of hard work, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from taking advantage of this fast-rising trend in content sharing. Play around with the different settings and streaming options until live broadcasting becomes second nature to you. If you work at it, it’s only a matter of time.

Efficiently build your credibility as you attract more viewers by buying YouTube Views for your stream and for your other videos. Choose a provider who delivers their services within minutes for a more believable boost in your social proof when live streaming.

Streaming is changing the way we share video content online. Get ahead of the pack and start live streaming today.

Date: July 25, 2017 / Categories: Explainer, Tips, / Author: Mariko