Streaming live content over televisions and mobile phones isn’t just a fad but a highly dependable marketing plan that deserves attention. But before we start this discussion concerning live streaming, we should take some time to draw parallels between the same and the more conventional technique of marketing that involves commercials and advertisements.
Live Streaming and TV Commercials: A Link that Needs Precedence
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There isn’t a single reader who hasn’t seen at least one television commercial. However, most of us have mostly complained about advertisements showing up unannounced between movies and match breaks. Also, even news channels rely on advertisements and telecast them at specific intervals. Regardless of the nature of telecast, advertisements have embroiled themselves with cable and even live television programs, as a potent market resource.
Live streaming plans on taking the concept of advertisements to a whole new level by pairing commercials directly with the content. Plus, the ease of live streaming projection seems to be the most heartening aspect for businesses that are planning to use online resources for gaining traction.
Still confused! Keep reading on!
How Live Streaming is beneficial for Businesses?
Firstly, live streaming is catered to users in different forms and packages. You can consume live content as a basic streaming session over Instagram or as a live TV program broadcasted over specific apps and web interfaces.
Irrespective of the nature of real-time content, the possibilities for businesses are endless. Plus, they need not depend solely on cable and satellite television programs for broadcasting their products. Instead, they can cling onto the live streaming bandwagon and project commercial content in any preferred manner.
Also, the popularity of live streaming resources, owing to the unprecedented growth in the number of streaming devices is also driving the renaissance for businesses. Imagine, broadcasting actionable content right to the smartphones and television sets with each stream offering something productive for the viewers.
Needless to say, live streaming has the ability to scale up the inbound marketing perks for businesses as users need not keep their content consumption habits restricted to Cable TVs. Instead, streaming has entered the smartphone, Smart TV, and even the IoT arena where the Internet is the major growth driver to watch out for.
If, as a business, you are still looking for reasons, here are 5 most pivotal ones that make live streaming a necessary business resource:
1. Numerous Resources
Live streaming can either be broadcasted as a live session over social media platforms or as curated content over live TV shows and programs. While the first segment of content can be experienced directly via smartphones and other internet-powered resources, live channels and shows can be enjoyed via a slew of streaming apps and resources.
The advent of streaming devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku, Chromecast, and more allow users to experience live TV programs, channels, and content without having to rely on cable or even satellite subscriptions. This flexibility of approach allows businesses to redirect their content and resources to almost every channel without having to worry about the medium.
For instance, brand integration during live cricket and football matches or as a part of the live news broadcasting advertisement package or even a live interview can still reach a user who doesn’t have a cable TV subscription.
2. The popularity of Streaming Devices
A large number of brands are increasingly relying on the creation of dedicated, live product tutorials and promotional channels. However, the unhindered growth of streaming devices and their ability to transform any non-Smart TV into a streaming hub is the main reason behind this insistence.
Needless to say, there are several IPTV services like Sling TV or web-based streaming services like USTVGo that broadcast live channels at a pretty affordable rate. Therefore, many brands have started connecting with the mentioned service providers to pitch forth their 24×7 product and service tutorial channels for broadcasting.
Not just that, streaming devices have also eliminated the need for a cable subscription, which was previously a norm for getting access to live channels. While you would still need a browser to watch USTVGo on Fire TV devices, the content coverage for apps and resources like these is completely free of cost.
Each of the mentioned benefits is heartening for the businesses that are planning to inculcate newer real-time streaming services to market their product and services better.
3. Innovative Targeting Strategies
As a business owner, you can use real-time streaming in a host of innovative ways, period! Unlike pre-recorded and curated videos that require modulation and a specific plan, live streaming allows businesses to be more proactive. Plus, the bloopers, success stories, product explorations, and even BTS footage are captured in real-time, ensuring better trust-building.
Live streaming; either via TV channels or over social media platforms is extremely effective when it comes to offering innovative takeaways to the users. Just imagine, a known brand announcing that it would be live streaming the hidden product hacks at a particular time of the day over their Facebook handle or any given TV channel they have paired with.
Once announced, the followers will be ecstatic and try to get access to the concerned channel or source at the earliest. Plus, the real-time broadcast will facilitate the deepest possible levels of overall engagement as compared to releasing a pre-recorded video online.
Innovation, in the live streaming area, is the cornerstone to interaction and better growth in audience numbers. Plus, live streaming can either be an educational event, a live interview, a Q&A session, or something different every single time the brand comes online.
This approach keeps the customers guessing and piques their interest levels, in a requisite manner.
4. Consistency
Live streaming allows brands to be more consistent with their interactions. For instance, if a brand has purchased a live TV slot on a particular channel that gets broadcasted every Wednesday at 8 PM, it would be more vigilant with the timetables instead of procrastinating.
Therefore, live streaming, if and when included as a part of the marketing plan, doesn’t allow the business to take a breather and ensures rewarding content creation in the given time frame.
5. Better Outreach
The concept of reaching out to thousands of viewers at once seems quite lucrative to brands. Plus, with the pandemic denying any form of respite, conducting offline events for catering to thousands of users at once, seems like an improbable solution.
Live streaming, however, can be the best resource during a challenging time. As live TV channels, shows, and programs are capable of reaching out to millions of viewers at once, either as IPTV service or web-based streaming resource like USTVGo, they can be best used to convert any offline event into an online one.
For readers looking for examples, the online-only CES 2021 seems like the best form of validation that live streaming can get. Plus, live streaming cricket matches on select IPTV and TV channels seem to be the need of the hour during an era where social gatherings are nothing but toxic.
Bottom-Line
Live streaming, regardless of the platform you choose, is a great way to empower your business proceedings and marketing strategies. While the early adopters might be confused regarding the nature of the platform and the type of streaming resources to rely on, the massive number of streaming resources, devices, and platforms are making the job easier for them, especially when the next wave of Covid resurgence is afoot.
As a proactive measure, businesses must target streaming platforms and Live TV broadcasts at once, to expand their reach and cover the widest possible audience base, sans performance issues.