Periscope came online and fundamentally changed the world of video marketing. Now, Facebook Live and YouTube live-stream capabilities are being rolled out. How do you utilize live-stream broadcasts to connect with your community? What are the pros and cons of choosing a live-streaming app over a traditional video, webinar, or podcast? What kinds of stories can you tell with these new platforms?
27. Where are
you in the
Buyer’s
Journey?
Where does
your audience
spend time?
What is
your brand
persona in
each channel?
How can you
leverage the
video in the
long-run?
Key Questions When Choosing a Channel
Hubspot does a great job compiling aggregate stats on video, and there’s some pretty incredible numbers to back up the use of video in your marketing strategy
33% of all online activity is spent watching video
92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others
Using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts the open rate by 19%
And increases click-through rates by 65%
There’s been a 100% year over year increase in consumption on YouTube
Live video is not new, and traditional networks have been broadcasting live for years
New platforms that are dedicated to broadcasting online have cropped up
And finally, short-form video through each social platform has become the norm
With all these platforms, it can be hard to figure out how to use each one, when to use each one, and evaluation criteria when new apps hit the market. So today, were going to focus on three: YouTube, Periscope, and Facebook.
In July 2015, Periscope users were watching 40 years' worth of videos every day.
The Ooyala video index found that for Q2 2015, nearly half of all video plays were viewed on mobile, and smartphones had 8x as many plays as tablets
Between April 2015 and November 2015, the amount of average daily video views on Facebook doubled from 4 billion video views per day to 8 billion.
Low barrier to entry: we all have a smart phone with WiFi, and now that more people are filming on their phones, the expectation is lower for the picture and audio quality
Ease of distribution: you can connect automatically in the moment vs. traditional methods
Leverage the audience you’ve already built: you’ve spent time to build an engaging community on the major social channels, so leveraging their live-stream video capabilities means that you aren’t having to start from scratch
Capitalize on human behavior: social sharing, scarcity principle, FOMO, sense of community
- that’s great that people are watching these videos and now it’s easy for me to create them, but how do I actually figure out angles and hosting styles?
Hosting style: narration
Remind people who you are, where you’re at, and what they’re seeing. You can also incorporate some interview questions if you’ve got talent on set, or include features of a product that you’ll demo later
Coca-cola has a number of behind-the-scenes videos dedicated to different musical acts. They’re promoting a lifestyle of fun and inspiration, and pop-up concerts, acoustic sets, and of course, drinking Coke while hanging out backstage at the High Dive Heart festival in Nashville is great for the brand
- Hosting style: emcee if you’re the moderator, panel if you’re answering the questions
Experian uses multiple social channels to host live Q&A sessions with their audience. They choose different topics for discussion each week.
The great thing about this is that you only need one set of talent to stream to multiple channels, but you’re able to engage a bunch of different audiences without having to schedule individual times with multiple people
SXSW has a ton of great examples for this style of video.
When I was there a few years ago, 3D printers were just starting to be affordable for businesses and individuals. I shared a bunch of videos of printers from the exhibit hall because the scale and use of these machines was incredible, and people hadn’t seen it outside of a lab before
I also did a quick video about these guys in line at SXSW, who traded tacos for a spot in line. The ComicCon Hall H line is legendary, and you see a ton of people sharing about their experience in the Hall H line
The hosting style is your choice! You thought that whatever you’re showing is so awesome, crazy, or entertaining that you just HAD to share, so tell your audience why!
- Red Bull has an entire channel dedicated to TV, and includes a variety of live stream videos and full-produced video. They stream extreme stunts on their Periscope channel
This should feel like the audience is sitting next to you
This livestream style is more like traditional TV broadcasting, you’re not expecting the audience to ask a lot of questions or interrupt the main event to involve the audience
- The Marc Jacobs brand did a livestream on Facebook of the runway show for their 2017 Spring line. They used a number of highly produced videos, interactive experiences, and finally, one that makes you feel like you’re just sitting in the front row, waiting for the show to start
This is also more one-directional, but your followers can ask questions or add comments
GE did a Periscope campaign during Drone Week, where they flew drones hooked up to Periscope through their facilities, and also broadcast live interview using Facebook live
They continued the campaign by editing the videos and using footage from the live interviews and drones for their Drone Week playlist on Facebook
- Some of these styles blend together, and there’s a lot of different ways to spin each style, but this is a good start for figuring out what kinds of videos you might like to use when you’re livestreaming
- Now that we’ve talked about different use cases and hosting styles, how do you choose whether you should use a traditional video style, like a corporate or branded video vs. a live-stream?
You need to map your choice to the buyer’s journey, just like you would do with any other piece of content
At each stage, you’re looking at the goals, the programs you would use to accomplish those goals, and the assets you would use to populate your programs.
For example, in the awareness phase, your goal is to make the prospect aware that they have a problem and aware that your company exists. You might be using programs like mass media, broad social media, thought leadership, and event sponsorship. Video assets that might be helpful at this stage include daily recaps, livestreaming from the show floor, or event keynotes
- Now that we’ve talked about different use cases and hosting styles, how do you choose whether you should use a traditional video style, like a corporate or branded video vs. a live-stream?
traditionally, filming in a vertical orientation was considered amateur, but with the rise in viewing on phones, the filming guidelines are less clear. If you do plan to save the video and upload it to another platform, it’s still best to film horizontally to avoid the “vertical video syndrome”! You end up with black bars on the side of the video
I feel like this is good life advice in general… but seriously, don’t film people without permission!
If you’re going to pan or walk, warn the viewers, otherwise, you risk making them feel sick. If you are going to walk, pick a fixed point, like your face, to focus on while you’re moving.