Live Video Content is Blowing Up

Andrew Krause

2016 will be remembered as the year brands discovered live video streaming. Driven by a host of new applications from Facebook Live including Hot Topics, Q&A, Breaking News, Interview, Performance, Behind the Scenes, Watch-With and Demo, live video content for brands is blowing up in 2017.

As live video experts with thousands of high-profile live broadcasts in our portfolio of successful productions, AKA has helped pioneer the use of live streaming for brands, corporations and non-profits. Here are three ideas for your live streaming efforts in 2017.

This article is featured in O'Dwyer's Apr. '17 Social Media & Broadcast Services Magazine

Brand journalism

Live video content creates urgency and helps build trust in your Brand Journalism efforts by breaking down barriers between consumers and the brands they admire. Engagement is heightened because of the “anything can happen” nature of the live moment. This transparency is becoming the expected social media experience.

Live video streaming creates urgency. When a brand goes live from their Facebook page, users receive a notification. The longer the live stream goes, the more opportunity there is for people to join. Understanding the content as live, with an unforeseen ending in the future, a sense of urgency is created between the user and the brand. Because of this, users engage with a live video three times longer than a normal video.

Additionally, about 90 percent of users say video quality is the most important factor in deciding what to watch.

Global town halls

Live video content communicates transparency and trust for a brand, and the same is true for internal communication within a company. With regular, live, global town halls, CEOs can communicate directly and intimately with a global audience of employees who naturally appreciate the transparency.

Video streaming town halls is not new. But in 2017, clients are taking advantage of live employee engagement and broadcasts from all corners of the globe. This development is flipping the traditional CEO-from-HQ model on its head. Today, innovative global enterprises are switching up the locations from where they live stream, shrinking barriers and creating a global experience like never before. Visionary CEOs understand this next level, but it is only possible after the communications team commits to regular town halls with flawless execution.

Emotional engagement for non-profits

And then there’s the emotional element. Live streaming video content can deliver an emotional human touch. Combined with endless platform-neutral and omni-channel applications, live video content has a bright future with non-profits.

As non-profits continue to adopt live video streaming best practices, building loyal audiences with strategic celebrity and social influencer partnerships, critical engagement with key audiences is increasing. This combination of reach and precision with the ability to share powerful emotions with real people is helping non-profits attract and retain loyal audiences.

Live video content is here to stay, but your execution must be flawless. Flawless live execution is just as important as the idea behind your communications campaign. You can’t be effective utilizing one without the other. Users, especially younger users, hate buffering more than anything else.

In 2017, our firm is working with brands, corporations and non-profits to produce live video streams anywhere, all the time. As live video content blows up this year, the possibilities for creative, relationship-building applications are nearly limitless.

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Andrew Krause is Founder and CEO of video content, live streaming events and integrated satellite media tours provider AKA Media Inc. This article originally appeared on the AKA MEDIA INC blog: www.akamediainc.com/brandstory.