The word “live” can be a scary thing. Live means it’s what’s happening right now. It means what you do on camera is what the world sees. If you make a mistake, trip over your own two feet, sneeze on camera, anyone can see it. It’s intimidating.
But that’s also the brilliance of it; the anything can happen aspect of it all. There’s a power that comes with the word live that draws viewers in; it draws viewers in more intensely than a simple video posted on your blog or social media account.
It’s what the people want
Let’s start with the main reason you should consider live video, it’s what the people want. Sales is all about pleasing the customer, so it seems silly to skip something the customer is asking for.
According to a Livestream study, live video is what the people want the most. The study found that 80% of people would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog. 82% prefer live video to social posts.
In other words, live videos appear to trump everything in most people’s minds.
Viewers pay attention to live video longer
According to a 2016 report by Facebook, viewers can’t seem to look away. The social media giant reports that people spend three times longer watching a live video than a pre-recorded one. That means you have three times as long to convince that person to buy from you.
Consider this, if you post a video on Instagram, your followers will likely spend 10–15 seconds watching it. That’s 10–15 seconds before they move on to someone more interesting and more engaging.
What if you could double or even triple that time? Think of the sales pitch you could make then.
Viewers are more engaged
And probably because they’re paying attention longer, viewers are also more engaged with live video. It’s happening now and in front of them, so they comment, like, and share to be a part of it. Viewers feel involved with what’s happening during your live stream and they want to get others involved as well. They feel like they’re part of something and they want to interact with the other people who are a part of it as well.
That feeling is infectious. Someone notices that a friend is watching a live feed on Facebook and they jump in to join in. They see a friend commented on a video and they comment as well. Live video pulls people together to create a community in the moment.
A higher conversion rate
All of this matters because live video contributes to sales. According to Social Media Today, 90% of consumers say video helps them make a buying decision and 64% of clients buy a product online after watching a video about the product.
Since it is proven to make people stick around up to three times longer, that means you’re more likely to make that sale.
Audiences can be forgiving
When I started this post, I told you about all of the things that make live video so scary. The finality of it all. But what I didn’t mention is probably the most important thing that makes them so easy to do. Audiences are forgiving.
Most viewers understand that live content is difficult and that anything can happen and they’re more forgiving because of it. If you misspeak or you misstep, they’re okay with it. In fact, it’s what you do afterward that’s going to make a difference and probably endear you to your audience even more.
Good luck! And if you are looking for more ways to improve your social media check out this previous post.
Written by Erika Towne