What’s the Deal with Live Streaming?

Live streaming is the process of delivering content live to an end-user over the internet. Content delivery networks like Periscope and Meerkat allow people, or brands, to share videos in real-time, and audiences to more easily find content that they might be interested in.

Meerkat

Meerkat allows you to share and view videos in real-time. You can comment on content, see how many other people are watching, and share the video link on other social networks. If you do follow a stream, you’ll receive a notification when the user is “on-air,” or sharing new content, so you don’t miss out. But like Snapchat, the content does not live forever. You have to watch it live. In May, Meerkat revealed a Facebook integration that allows users to publish streams directly on Facebook.

Periscope

Periscope, now owned by Twitter, allows you to share real-time videos via your iPhone. After you share a video, it remains available for your subscribers to view for 24-hours – then it disappears. People can also comment and like your content, allowing broadcasters to interact in real-time with their audience.

Live streaming’s marketing implications

Live streaming apps allow you to more easily broadcast video content that can help customers better understand your business. But as always – quality and context matters. Brands will still have to find that “sweet spot” – videos that are entertaining or interesting but also tie-back to their marketing objectives.

You’ll also need to find your audience, which is more easily done if you’ve already cultivated robust social networks, since you can promote your content on existing networks like Twitter and Facebook.

As it’s a new platform, best practices are still being determined, but if you fancy yourself an early adopter, now is the time to experiment.

Is your business embracing live streaming? Let us know @jlisk1