When you think of live streaming on social media, you probably think of celebrities and teen influencers before you think of B2B companies. Those users take full advantage of social media’s live streaming capabilities and often have highly engaged audiences to show for it. Whatever preconceptions you have about live streaming, leave them at the door. Data shows that B2B companies have just as much to gain from incorporating live streaming into their marketing strategies as other niches do. In fact, 80% of all social media users report that they would rather watch a brand’s live video than read a blog. That’s not to say that you should abandon your blogging efforts, but the draw of live streaming is undeniable. These tips will help you start to imagine the possibilities of live streaming for your B2B business.

Find Your Topic

Viewers spend eight times longer watching live content than they do on-demand video, and the reason might come down to the timeliness of live video topics. When you live stream, you should aim to talk about something that is applicable to your audience right now. Some excellent options for B2B businesses include process walk-throughs, demonstrations of new or emerging features, or a peek at the day-to-day business of your company. Because you can interact with your viewers directly and immediately on most streaming platforms, live video is also a great place to host an FAQ session. Your current and potential customers can ask you questions about your product or service in real-time and get the answers they’re looking for directly from you or your team. You can also use live streaming to get instant feedback on features that you’re beta testing. Your audience will appreciate the peek behind the curtain, and you’ll get valuable instant feedback about your product and new features.

Choose Your Platform

Live streaming is now a part of many social platforms. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube all have live streaming features built into their platforms that any user can access. LinkedIn is even in the process of developing its own live streaming feature (though you still have to submit an application and be approved to access it). Live webinars are also excellent avenues for live streaming, as these events can be gated to help you add a valuable list of interested customers to your email lists.

Announce Your Date

Once you’ve chosen your platform, announce your live stream in advance. Post about it on your social media and email your contact list about it. Treat it like an event; if you’re offering information that your audience is interested in learning about, they’re going to make sure they’re available to participate in advance. Giving them a heads up can help you make sure that your live streaming event is well-attended.

Optimize Your Video Quality

Video quality is reportedly the most important factor for 67% of viewers when watching a live stream broadcast. The steps you can take to optimize your live stream quality aren’t much different from the steps you would take to improve your regular video quality. Good lighting and a distraction-free environment are key, as is a good internet connection so that you don’t encounter any hiccups during your streaming session.

If you’re searching for a new avenue for engaging your B2B audiences on social media, live streaming is an excellent option, and a highly underutilized one for B2B companies. Just because you’re primarily marketing your service to a business doesn’t mean you’re not marketing to people. Video – especially live video – can help you foster a more authentic relationship with your target audience and win over the quality customers you want.

 

82% of social media users prefer live video to social posts.

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