In this episode of Actionable Marketing In Minutes we talk with Johanna Mateo about live video and why it is important for your marketing campaign.

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Problem:

If you are one who has considered live video marketing but you haven’t yet taken the plunge, this podcast is for you. You may be a little apprehensive of what the costs or risks might be, both in dollars and time spent. Or you may feel a little intimidated about the process. You may be wondering how you could possibly make a video that would stand out amid the sea of videos.

Stay tuned. We have a special guest today who we are confident will address your concerns and set you well on your way to success.

Solution:

No matter what your business objective is, whether it is to showcase your expertise, connect and engage with your audience or to increase conversions, you will see that online video gives you a huge opportunity to experience remarkable success.

We will discuss some amazing video marketing statistics in a minute. But first, did you know, besides YouTube, there are quite a few new social streaming platforms which give you a huge opportunity to showcase your videos. And, we’d also like to mention there are many ways to inexpensively record and to stream your HD video.

After you hear what we have to tell you today, you will understand that there simply is no reason to avoid this method of audience engagement any more. Anyone, no matter their budget or ability, can create and stream valuable live video content.

As promised, today our guest is Johanna Mateo, Digital Marketing & Web Development Strategist here at DirectiveGroup. Johanna specializes in social media and has a ton of info to share with us today. If, after today’s conversation, you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Also, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments section. We’re here to help.

Q&A:

Johanna, welcome, and thanks for joining us {pause for response}

Q:

Why do I need Live Video?

A:

If you’re a company and you already have an online marketing plan, you must integrate live video into the marketing plan. Live video is a new way to engage your audience in real-time. In a world where every person/consumer has a phone in their pocket, live streaming can bring you instant results.

Q:

How, specifically, can live video streaming be used?

A:

Great question. It really depends on what they are looking to get out of live video. Before you jump into the how, make sure you understand what it is you’re trying to achieve. There are so many different options as far as what you can do with live video. There are real world results, real case studies accessible online of what companies have achieved from utilizing live video. To give a few examples, you can approach live video in different ways; you can do a behind the scenes of your company culture (busy firm or agency), you can showcase what it’s like to work at your company. Another great thing live streaming is great for is live streaming a company event or conference (any type of event based video). You can also do a live streaming around the CEO/President of your company, doing a 1on1 getting to know the person behind the brand or company. Consumers are itching to get closer to action of a brand, so the closer you can get your consumers to the action, the greater the reward. Their reward you with engagement, with the action you want them to take (sale), so keep that in mind.

Q:

Live video streaming appears to be a very useful marketing tool. Can you give us further details? Perhaps some stats that will inspire our listeners and motivate them to take action?

A:

Absolutely. If what we have talked about already isn’t motivating them enough, then we can get into some real world numbers and let them know the importance of jumping on board now. So we’ve talked about many of the benefits, so let’s dive into some real world current numbers:

* Audience spending 3X longer time spent watching Live Video versus a regular video on FB

* The FB daily average is 8 Billion video views

* Video has a 135% greater organic reach compared to regular (or photo) posts

These are all telling numbers that video and in particular live video is what you should be looking at. Utilize that to increase brand exposure, engagement, and your bottom line. The more

people that are engaged to your content, the more you’ll see the upside of that in your overall business goals. Keep those statistics in mind, jump on board now, don’t wait for a competitor to get ahead of the game. It’s important to get on board and then try to stay ahead. Live video is not where it ends, it’s just the beginning.

Q:

WOW! Amazing numbers for video marketing, Johanna! Can you tell us how live video can enhance our video marketing efforts?

A:

We’re living in an time where video is in everyone’s pocket, which includes live video. So one thing to keep in mind as to the how, which if the numbers I just mentioned isn’t enough to let you know where things are headed. Growing generations want to connect more with your brand, and live video gives that authentic, organic, unscripted type of content that is resonating. It’s important to integrate that with your more polished type of content (blogs, infographics, etc). So sprinkle in more authentic type of content such as live video as it will give you real time results so you can measure instant engagement. This format will enhance your polished content, to help bring you a lift in the overall results you’re looking for, in specific your online marketing plan.

Q:

How would someone get started using Live Video?

A:

First thing to keep in mind is what platform should I be on? There are many different options out there, such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Periscope and UStream. The trick is to choose wisely, meaning ensure that the platform you choose already has some audience for your company, so you don’t start from scratch if you don’t have to. If you have a Facebook audience of 1,000 followers, than FB Live should be a priority platform to begin your Live Video marketing tactic. Think of the audience in each platform and then assess your own audience in order to find the right fit. From there, the sky’s the limit in enhancing your brand and exposure.

Q:

What are some tips we should keep in mind when streaming live videos?

A:

Two things to keep in mind, is to pay attention to the video resolution requirements for each platform. For example, Facebook Live accepts 720P video format, while YouTube can stream up to 1440P. You want to stream in the highest resolution that you possibly can. The platforms

are going to automatically create lower quality versions, for consumers who need it, but you don’t want to start with low quality because it will only go down from there and it won’t look as good as it could. This is important so that the consumer can see what’s going on without having to squint or it be blurry or pixelated (unusable). The second thing is time. Something that companies should look out for is the length of time they are streaming their live videos. If you’re using your phone to livestream a 1 hour long footage and it’s you looking into the phone talking, that may be a bit too much. No one wants to really sit there for an hour to watch that, unless you really have something extremely exciting to say the entire time. So pay attention to that time, so in this scenario the shorter the sweeter. So you don’t lose video views and you keep your users engaged throughout your entire live video stream. On the flip side to that, and you’re live streaming a company event or conference you will want to stream longer because you’re showcasing what’s going on and the longer format is just fine, and you should still be able to keep your audience engaged. Be mindful of the content you’re providing in your livestream with regard to the length of time. So that the numbers you see as a result with each live video, is what you want to get out of it, which is the more engagement, the better.

Q:

Thanks for stopping in Johanna. You’ve explained a lot. Please come back soon.

A:

My pleasure, look forward to seeing you again.

Benefits:

We already know the huge advantages of video marketing. Today, we reviewed a few of those benefits. We also explained that no matter what your goal, live video can increase your success. Don’t be intimidated! Jump in there! There are plenty of resources available to help you reach your goals, and within your budget.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful. Please connect with us on Twitter @DirectiveGroup or on LinkedIn and be sure to share it with in your networks using hashtag #actionablemarketing. Join us next time for more actionable marketing in minutes.