#TechIsTheNewAwesome - Going Live During Events

For social media marketers, keeping content fresh and engaging is a daily challenge. You want to reach potential customers and your existing base, and at the same time reinforce your brand and cement your place in the market. Luckily you can accomplish these objectives by taking advantage of the hottest trend in social media—live streaming.

According to PR Newswire, the video streaming market is expected to grow to more than $70 billion by 2021. Many factors are driving this astronomical growth. Study after study has backed up claims that live video works. Viewers watch live videos longer, remember what they see, and are more likely to engage with the content. Add to that the many affordable options that the novice streamer can use successfully, and you have the recipe for success.

There are many ways to utilize live streaming but one of the most popular, and a good place to start, is live streaming an event. One of the biggest advantages of event streaming is that you are extending the reach of your program. Whether you are hosting a conference, sponsoring a gala, or presenting an informational speech, you can utilize live streaming to broaden your audience and turn your program from a one-shot event into evergreen content.

Once you have are committed to a live stream, you have some work to do. Let’s take a look at the steps:

1. Select a platform: Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Instagram Live, and Twitter’s Periscope are names that are probably familiar to you. These aren’t the only platforms, but they are the big ones. You’ll need to select which is right for your particular purpose and then make sure that you are signed up and ready to go.
2. Develop a plan: Like all marketing activities, live streaming works best when you have a strategy. How will you approach the stream? Will you have one camera and then let it run or will you be moving from place to place? Be sure to incorporate how you will respond if things don’t go as expected.
3. Practice: You’re all set up with a platform, you’ve got your equipment ready, and you know what you want to stream. Do a run through (or four) to make sure you are ready when it’s game time.
4. Go: You’ve reached the big day. Hit the button and go. While you’re at it, have fun! Remember to save what you’re broadcasting.
5. Repackage: The event went well and you accomplished your live stream. You can now go back and decide what you can reuse. Perhaps it’s a single speech that can be rebroadcast, maybe you rerun the entire event or just use snippets, or you use a combination of all three. The goal is to make the most of what you have.

So now you are ready to go live with an event. Once you’ve tried it, you are sure to want to do it again. It’s the perfect way to increase and engage your audience while maximizing your resources. Not comfortable in front of the camera or plan to have your hands full during your event, contact The Social Media Advisor team to come in and showcase your event live on social media.

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars