If you’re a marketer or an entrepreneur still finding a way to reach your audience more effectively, perhaps it’s time to up your game when using social media. Other than posting pictures on your social media or publishing articles on your website regularly, why not try doing live video streaming too? Today, live video streaming has become a popular marketing tactic for business owners, marketers, and even individual online influencers.
Statistics show that more than a million social media users watch Instagram live every day. On top of that, more than 80% of these users would prefer to watch a live video than read a lengthy blog post. Not to mention that every time you go Instagram live, it would automatically send push notifications to your existing followers unless some of them know how to turn them off.
Instagram Live As A Marketing Tool
If you’re still uncertain about how this platform can help boost your marketing strategy, below are some of the concrete benefits of using Instagram live you need to consider:
- Every time you go live stream, Instagram automatically places you in the number one position, boosting your business’ social media account’s visibility.
- Instagram live videos can give you more freedom to communicate and connect with your viewers.
- Instagram is considered one of the regular go-to apps for people of all ages
- Once you’re done with your live stream, the video is still highly accessible and visible in your Instagram story for 24 hours.
Tips To Effectively Use Instagram Live
As mentioned, Instagram live can be a powerful tool to amp up your business’s marketing initiatives. However, for this to be effective, it is important that you know how to maximize every live opportunity to get the right content and message across to your audiences and potential customers.
With that said, here are six tips that can help you effectively use Instagram Live for your business’s marketing.
- Plan Your Content
Before going live, you must be familiar with the topic you’re about to discuss and talk about. To put together valuable content your audience can easily relate to and understand, planning and preparation are a must.
During the planning phase, establish your purpose for going live. For instance, is your goal to promote a new product? Or perhaps, are you planning to demonstrate how to use it? Having a defined goal can allow you to have a more natural flow when talking, and more so, it can help build your credibility in front of your audience.
In addition, you can also prepare an outline to guide you during the live streaming. Typically, this includes the beginning, middle, and end of your content. The primary purpose of an outline is to help you avoid going off-topic. It will also allow you to cover and discuss all essential points about your topic.
- Sort Out Technical Details
Aside from the content, another tip is to consider your live stream’s technical details, such as location, sound, and lighting. A well-organized and presentable set can significantly impact the professionalism of your content.
For instance, shooting in a cluttered space like a bedroom can send the wrong message to your audience. It may affect the way they perceive you and your business. When choosing the appropriate location for your Instagram live, consider aligning it with the brand and image you’re aiming for. For instance, if you’re promoting your business that offers yoga sessions and meditation classes, record your live stream in your yoga studio or an outdoor setting with a relaxing and scenic background. In most cases, the background and location you choose can dictate the general tone of your stream.
The same goes for poor sound quality and lighting. To ensure that you can attract and keep the attention of your audience, you must be able to provide a quality stream, not just in terms of content but production too. It can be hard to engage your audience if they’re having trouble hearing and understanding what you are saying. Or, if the lighting in your set is too bad, and they can’t see the product you’re promoting.
- Go Live During Peak Time
One way to guarantee success during your Instagram live stream is going live during peak time when your followers are most active. To help you know which time your audience is online, take time to check your Instagram insights. This report will show you which day and time of the week your followers are often online. Once you get the data needed, you can schedule your live streams around those times and hope for many views.
If you’re still new to Instagram live streaming and you haven’t established your own set of loyal viewers and followers yet, it may also be ideal to buy views for Instagram live. These real Instagram live viewers can help boost your credibility and help grow your audience organically by sparking interest from followers who haven’t watched your live.
- Set A Regular Schedule
Aside from timing your Instagram live according to peak times, consider establishing a regular schedule for your stream and stick to it. Much like consistent social media posts can keep your followers engaged and interested, the same goes when you’re promoting your business through IG lives.
Assuming that your first few live streams have sparked interest in your viewers, there’s no doubt that they’ll be coming back for more. Thus, choose a regular schedule for your IG live streams and use that to your advantage. Sooner or later, your viewers may make it a habit to be online during your live stream, making it easier to promote and market your content.
- Publicize Your Live Stream In Advance
One of the techniques to boost the conversation around your upcoming Instagram Live is to excite your audience by uploading snippets or trailers of your stream. You can promote your scheduled live stream by posting in your IG feed or sharing it in your Instagram stories. Better yet, you can also post a countdown clock in your IG stories to stir people’s curiosity. Make sure to include details like what they can expect from your live stream or invite them to post comments and questions.
Preferably, promote your upcoming scheduled live stream a week in advance to secure those important views. This is because the earlier you publicize your upcoming live stream, the more viewers may tune in to the set schedule. Even if Instagram helps you by notifying your followers about your live stream, you can still take the initiative of informing them in advance.
Get Started With Your Instagram Live Stream
Thanks to modern technology and the rise of social media, businesses are presented with another effective marketing tool that can further boost their visibility and success. Instagram live, for instance. With that said, as business owners, it’s important that you know how to take advantage of this platform.
With the helpful tips mentioned above, you can be on a good start when it comes to innovating your marketing strategy and further expanding your audience reach.
About the Author
Curtin Roache is a digital marketing specialist and content strategist. She’s been in the marketing industry for over 16 years. She also writes guest posts, focusing on digital and social media marketing topics. When she’s not working for anyone, she attends yoga classes with her daughters.
