Live streaming has been around since the dawn of social media. Last spring, Periscope and Meerkat released. With one of these accounts, users can create a live mobile broadcast and stream live video and audio to viewers. Mobile live streaming is expected to grow even more in 2016 and it’s easier than ever to apply it your marketing strategy.
How can this benefit your business?
For starters, it’s a great way to give your followers a closer look into who you are as a brand and offer exclusive insights and behind the scene footage.
With a live stream app, connecting the audience to the brand is made possible by showcasing a live event, offering training on a product, or giving a look behind the scenes at your office. Several companies have used live streaming video to take a walking tour to show everything that goes into make the product or service a reality.
Aside from a visual look, these videos are live and consumers have the opportunity to comment and ask questions, offering tools for real engagement.
Right now, there are two major apps in the marketplace: Meerkat and Periscope. They’re quite similar at the core and deciding between the two is about user preference.
Meerkat
- iOS and Google Play
- Links to Twitter account and followers
- Schedule broadcasts for a later date, to let people know exact details of when to tune in
- Automatically links live stream to a tweet
- Saves streams to phone, but doesn’t offer off-line viewing
- Offers interaction features during the stream via Twitter
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Periscope
- iOS and Google Play
- Links to Twitter account, where you can choose your followers
- Suggests people to follow
- Instantly live, no scheduling capability.
- Users have to share live streams to other platforms
- Auto-saves broadcasts to watch replays, even off-line
- Offers interaction features during the stream directly on Periscope
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