Live video marketing is a growing trend following the 2018 and 2019 video marketing trends. Many social media platforms have taken on the challenge of providing live, instant content. Although Tiktok and Facebook have reported amazing influxes in users to their live content sites, they also discovered the dark side of live-sharing.

TikTok was the App of the Year for 2018, surpassing Instagram.

After careful evaluation, you should decide if live video feedback is part of your marketing strategy. Although live video feedback can increase brand popularity and offer many benefits, it can also be costly for reputation and finances. Live video marketing is an example of a high reward that comes at significant risk.

These are the pros and cons of live video marketing.

It’s more personal

Brands can connect with their customers via live video streaming. Live video streaming creates a feeling of exclusivity between brands and consumers, while also giving the company transparency. Although live streaming is new to Facebook, it has been around for some time. From Periscope to Vine, live video can personalize your business-consumer relationship.

Request and Get

If your platform allows interactive commenting, it’s a great way to get feedback from customers. Ask users for their input in real-time and they will respond the same way.

Cost-Effective Implementation

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make the switch to live marketing if you already use video content in your marketing strategy. All the materials and tools needed are the same. You only need a high-quality camera capable of recording in high definition, and an internet connection capable of supporting that quality.

Authentic Education

Live events such as tutorials or customer questions and answers are a great way for customers to engage with your brand and increase loyalty. This is a great way to show off your product, be it information, merchandise, expertise, or both.

Build a Community

You’ll soon see the same screen names as your users after a while. To build a stronger sense of community among your consumers, encourage and allow them to interact with each other. They will identify more with you the more they interact with one another.

Human Touch

The final pros of live video marketing include the unique human aspect it can bring to your business. Live video marketing allows you to have meaningful conversations with your customers and allow them to participate in the brand story. Your users will feel more connected to the brand if they feel like they own it. This is when your conversations become conversions.

No Real Control

There is no way to undo or edit a live video session that goes wrong, regardless of whether it’s a technical error or human error. Live marketing has a double-edged sword for brands: while it makes them more human, it also increases the chance of making mistakes.

Sometimes, small errors can be overcome with grace and humor.

They Will Notice Everything

Users will notice if your project manager, presenter, or staff aren’t prepared for the live product. Your customer base has the right to enjoy your time as they wish, but it is not reciprocal. Users may perceive that your project is not prepared and feel like they’ve been wasting their time. This perception can be difficult to overcome.

Missing Someone

This could lead to you potentially missing your target audience. Another example of a double-edged knife: exclusivity can be a boon but also a curse. To increase exposure, you could add multiple live sessions to one day. However, this may take time and money that you cannot afford.

You’re at Someone Else’s Mercy

You have to overcome two obstacles to living feed, whether it is your ISP or that of your customer. Your user might receive a poor-quality feed or one that is too busy, which can negatively impact the brand’s perception.

This factor can only be overcome by costly upgrades to your internet system.

Recommendations for Live Streaming 

You can limit the possibility of live snafus if you decide that the benefits outweigh any cons.

• Without scripting, plan and prepare. Live video marketing has the greatest appeal. Don’t make it too rigid.

• You can be comfortable improvising. You can let your audience talk about new releases even though the seminar is supposed to be about troubleshooting. It is more important to give your audience what they want than to follow your plan.

• Include users in your brand story. Your audience and followers should be central characters in the brand story.    

• Reward them for their support by providing the opportunity to return the support if you see the same usernames or faces supporting your brand during multiple live sessions. Even a small gesture of spontaneous recognition can greatly impact your audience’s perceptions. They will be more loyal if they see you reward loyalty. It is a positive perpetuation cycle.

• Accept the fact that you may sometimes find yourself in a desert with no answers. It is better to say, “I don’t know, but I will find out” rather than trying to convince them with a false answer. In the live recording, authenticity is an asset, not a liability.

• You might consider recording your live sessions and uploading them somewhere other users can access them. You can edit them only if it is necessary. Your authenticity and willingness to admit your mistakes will be appreciated by users, but they’ll distrust any attempts to erase them.

• Multiple quality levels are possible. The streaming platform will determine this more than any other factor. However, ensure that live streams can be viewed in high quality or low quality. This will allow mobile users to tune in without data burning and it also allows for tablet users or users with restricted bandwidth.

• Engage back. Listen to your users and take action if they tell you what you want. Live lip service will not provide more benefits than delayed lip service. If your brand doesn’t respond in kind, you can’t expect users to be more engaged with your brand.