So...you may have noticed the new 'SnapChat' style feature on Instagram. It allows you to upload a live stream of video's and photo's that magically disappear after 24hours. The InstaWorld was in total shock this morning when they logged on to post their daily 'way to work' pics. It actually took me about half an hour longer than usual to get to work as I walked along, phone in the air on selfie mode expressing my mixed emotions of confusion and intrigue. Another live feed to keep up with, not only for my own feed but for about 10 other people too. Not that I'm complaining, my team and I are delighted to have a new challenge.
I, personally, am not that much of a live streamer. I've slightly avoided it due to more important focuses (clients, eating, breathing), and like most other people I've spoken to I'm not entirely sure that my thoughts are so intriguing that I need a platform to air them to the world. I fall in to the 'Millennial' category and this is so 'GenZ'. It's not that GenZ think they are super interesting and uber cool, they just seem to be happy bumbling along with their normal lives, on camera. I have been meaning to get more in to live streaming though, and this is the perfect excuse..
If you're wondering whether to get in to the whole 'live streaming' thing, here are a few tips to get you going:
Your first post will be awkward.
There's no avoiding it. Your first post is going to be painfully awkward, for you and probably for your viewers. It was the same when we all wrote our first blog post, and now we are all doing it. We promise to support you!! So bite the bullet today whilst everyone else is in the same boat. Once you've posted your first one though, it gets kind of liberating...
If you think you need to be the worlds most interesting person to live stream, you've misunderstood the point.
For brands, social media has always been a way for your consumers to see 'behind the scenes', gain further insight in to your brand and feel a part of it. They want to do this because they love you (/ your product or service). It's another way of communicating with your tribe.
Enjoy. Be aware but don't over think it. Get creative.
There's a time and a place, kind of.
My 'time and place' is now 'the most awkward places to live stream'. Which is my new live streaming feature. I'm all about tackling things head on. As I said earlier, I like a challenge so I've thrown myself in the deep end.
If anything, do it for the analytics.
This is the only way you can see exactly who is looking at your content without them having to 'like' your post. You can see who is looking at each video, and the drop off rate from post to post, so you know where you're holding peoples attention. When it comes to marketing you brand properly, analytics are everything.
NB Conscious Marketing
Araminta Marketing are always banging on about conscious marketing. It's really important for us to be aware of what we are posting and how it might effect our audience. One of the biggest potential downfalls of social media is that it allows people to curate their lives, putting a lot of pressure on consumers to feel they have to be something that just isn't realistic which is a problem we want to eliminate from the media, not expand on. Live steaming is another way of cutting through the BS.. #keepitreal