It’s known that COVID has tied the hands and feet of many businesses, artists, creators and brands… This has made them reinvent themselves and utilise technology as a medium to reach their clients.
Our society as well as its economy have changed, they’ve adapted to a new reality. We now make more video calls than ever, share celebrations across a screen and WhatsApp groups are filled with infinite voice notes communicating our day to day.
This closeness, this connection is also what brands are looking for in their video marketing strategies, in order to connect with their clients once more, reactivate them and sell! Above all sell!
The numbers don’t lie, a joint study by Livestream and The New York Times shows that 80% of social media users prefer watching live videos of a brand than reading a blog, and 83% prefer live video to any other type of medium. And it’s because live pulls us closer to what’s real, human and to what we’re used to.
It’s because of this, that millions of brands, but also farmers, neighbourhood shops, travel agencies, gyms… have thrown themselves on live stream shopping, and why? Because it allows them not only to sell to their loyal clients but also to reach a wider audience, and without even leaving home. Thousands of people can connect at a time to discover new stores, brands, watch product launches, attend showrooms, catwalks… To sum up, adapt everything we used to do offline and face to face, to a digital setting with the same possibilities and additionally without space limitations or fixed costs.
According to data gathered by Grand View Research, the global marker of video transmission will reach 184.270 million dollars by 2027, which would convert it to one of the most valuable mediums for brand promotion. Additionally reported was that 80% of consumers prefer a live video to a blog or other social media posts. When a client enjoys a video, their intention to purchase rises to 97%. Incredible, right? The power to give life to the products is what you have.
This data is not surprising, live-stream shopping is the only medium brands have to tell their story, show their products and talk with their audience. A physical image or a 30 second ad do not have the capability of conveying all the work behind the scenes and the sacrifice of every deal. They also don’t allow you to see who is behind the work and what their values are. Additionally, needless to say consumers are getting more tired of the same ads as always and most publicity to them seems insincere.
The day to day is the best way to communicate, it creates a sense of inclusion and connection that is hard to replicate. Selling through live-stream shopping is a key strategy to develop authenticity, show a purpose and create trust with new and potential clients.
Additionally to all stated, it should be noted that live streaming requires a competent marketing strategy:
- SEO: Adding videos to your page will improve your position and this will cause you to receive many more visits from potential clients.
- Virality: Right now there is nothing more viral than a video, and if not have a look at TikTok with their reels or Instagram with their stories.
- Traffic will turn into traffic of quality: The people that visit your webpage or channel because they‘ve seen one of your live-stream shows, will be truly interested in your products, because this the conversation will be much more advanced.
- Working on the Brand: Through videos and live shows, you are promoting your brand and gaining visibility, which will offer you a larger presence. The quality of your content and its recurrence will be key.
- Add more value to more people in less time: Surely you spend hours replying to customer support messages, questions, consultations, social media, the blog… With just one single live video you can respond in minutes to what you would have spent hours typing.
- More engagement: It’s estimated that in a live stream the number of comments can multiply by 10. Of course! If you allow the clients to interact with you and each other, creating more conversation around your products.
Many more brands have panicked when stood in front of a camera to film a live stream. What if I screw up? What if the people get bored? What do I say? And so they keep hiding behind their static ads with perfect and beautiful images. Do you not attend to your customers in the shop? Or don’t you go to fairs and networking events sometimes? Well in the end it’s the same thing, the only difference is that what separates you is a screen.
A streaming video is simply a conversation with your regular and potential clients, where you advise them, resolve inquiries and show them the products that they need to buy. And if you are wrong? Not a problem, now more than ever the humanity, the authenticity and realness is what connects us and is most important to all.
