Live streaming is a powerful way to connect with thought leaders and present your brand which must not be overlooked. More and more event planners are turning to live streaming their events as they want to amplify the reach of their event to maximize ROI.
However, beyond this obvious reach benefit it provides, the vast majority of event planners are missing out on the many other benefits that come from live streaming events. And we don’t want you to miss these valuable opportunities any longer!
To start things off, a lot of event planners miss a big opportunity by not streaming the event via their social media channels. This is a great way to engage your followers, attract new ones and importantly, a tactic for marketing and driving ticket sales for your next event.
Branding your live stream by incorporating your logo and company services into the footage will make a brand more recognisable. You’ll also be able to better understand the audience through live streams using analytics to capture data that will let you know the exact number of your virtual viewers and their location.
Here are 6 things you should know about live streaming so you aren’t missing out on valuable event ROI.
Live streaming has a high return on investment
Did you know that Facebook Live videos are more watched three times longer than pre-recorded content? This is most likely because today’s online audience craves authenticity and human connection, further explaining why video enhances brand recognition by 139% is so important to your event marketing and brand.
Professional conference organisers look to live streaming to broadcast events held in intimate settings. The live stream can integrate a larger audience without additional seating, making it easier for your best leads (often found in your social media following) to be converted into customers and loyal brand advocates just by watching your broadcast.
Your approach to live streaming doesn’t have to be complex because content that is offered from a live stream doesn’t need to be scripted. It can be streamed across the a live streaming channel, its own webpage, or across your social channels. It just needs to be real to show the audience that your brand is genuine.
With the technological capabilities of mobile phones and affordable cameras, we know that using live streaming for events doesn’t always require a major budget. Regardless of budget, small and large scale businesses see major returns on their investment when live streaming for events, with up to 35% of a live stream audience physically attending the same event the following year.
You can get creative with live streaming
Build brand awareness and give exposure to fellow event participants through your live stream. This fosters a sense of community while showing off your dashing personality. Remember that the more people like you, the more they will respect your business.
Some of the best ideas for live streaming are as follows:
- Invite an influencer to speak at your event. Share their actionable knowledge on your live feed.
- Conduct an interview with an expert. Research the concerns of your followers to compose interview questions. Follow this with a live stream that provides answers in an engaging way from a trusted source.
- Offer a personal perspective. Live stream from a collaborative event where your company is in attendance. Engage other attendees as you stream to create a more personal feel.
Corporate event live streaming requires specialised knowledge
It takes a great deal of pre-planning and professional assistance to broadcast a corporate event without any hiccups. High quality and functional sound and visuals will position your team for a successful event and keep your viewers focused.
Live streaming during a corporate event can make or break your brand’s image, especially if you are working with sponsors (who always expect top-notch quality). You want to avoid poor quality filming resolution or shaking, poor audio or picking up coughs, comments or other sounds made by your attendees not intended to be part of the presentation. Nor do you want the speakers and attendees to deal with malfunctioning equipment during a presentation.
To avoid the embarrassment and stress that comes with amateur mistakes, use professional audio visual services that will test your equipment before live streaming, and have a backup plan to quickly put into action if any issues arise.
“Live streaming is not a fad.” – Event Manager Blog
Live streaming boosts social interaction
It’s your responsibility to make sure your virtual audiences feel connected and acknowledged during your live stream. Our Event Feed platform offers a comprehensive solution to help event planners monitor and moderate social media activity while engaging their viewers.
Enable a chat option to address questions from viewers during Q and A sessions, or use Event Poll. Event Poll is Staging Connections’ live audience polling platform that lets you connect in real time to form a better understanding of online viewers through your questions and their responses.
Live streaming is more profitable with ads and sponsorship opportunities
Your viewers want to trust your brand. Monetising your content through ads can further build your credibility if you show advertisements that will be valuable to your market. Promote short, engaging ads on behalf of products and services you believe can truly benefit others.
With options for pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll advertisements, flexible choices are available to suit your preferences. Here at Staging Connections, we’ve done our research, and here’s some information we want you to know:
Pre-roll and post-roll ads are known to be most effective. Viewers complete pre-roll adverts 78% of the time, but mid-roll advertisements have a completion rate of 90%.
By avoiding live streaming, you’re losing out on brand amplification
When you don’t use live streaming, you lose the ability to extract genuine pieces of footage and repurpose it for social media marketing. Your live broadcast also serves as an outlet for strategic networking to align your brands with influencers by promoting their involvement with your event.
Here is a quick tip: Always add social media tags. Beforehand, do keyword research to discover the terms your target audience searches and uses most frequently. The more you know about your viewer’s interests, the more relevant your content will be over time.
Content that offers solutions lives on. Wrapping your event doesn’t mean your live stream is no longer valuable. Research has shown that 78% of people online are watching videos, and 75% of executives are watching videos related to their business every week.
We’re here to help you go live – live streaming experts you can trust
At Encore (formerly Staging Connections), we know that live streaming video can change the way brands engage with audiences. Whether you’re looking to show behind the scenes footage or host competitions, we offer event streaming and recording services to bring all of your live streaming ideas to life with quality and professionalism.
Get in touch today to find out more about our event streaming services and plan your event with a live stream that will impress audiences and maximise social engagement.
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Photo Credit: Valoso
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