6 Ways to Use Live Streaming Video for Business

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6 Ways to Use Live Streaming
Video for Business
By Antonio Calero
Published May 6, 2015
Looking for ways to boost engagement?
Have you considered live mobile streaming apps, like
Meerkat and Periscope?
Live streaming video is a great way to interact with
your audience in real time.
In this article you’ll discover six ways live
streaming video helps you connect with your audience and increase
engagement.
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Discover six w ays to use live stream video for business.
#1: Share Live Events
Sharing live events with your audience can make them feel more connected to your
company or industry. The key here is not just showing the event, but also letting users
be a part of it.
Create stories for your viewers. If you just show what’s happening in one location,
viewers are likely to get bored quickly and disconnect. Instead, walk around to show
them the event. Be your audience’s eyes and ears.
Keep an eye on their comments too, and when possible, reply to them. Ask viewers
what part of the event they want to see and whom they’d like to meet.
During the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Alicia Mae from SecureNinja
broadcasted part of the event to her audience. In this video she applies those
principles. She asks viewers what they’d like to see while she walks around and
speaks to the camera.

Interact w ith view ers to keep them engaged. Image: Placeit.
An important part of many events is the release or announcement of news and
products. If you have authorization from event organizers, show these unique
moments to your audience.
#2: Host Interviews
Brands and companies are centered on people–and in fact, “people” is one of the
seven Ps of the extended marketing mix. However, companies sometimes forget this
and become too promotional.
Do short live interviews with employees or clients to increase engagement.
These interviews not only show the human side of your company, but also offer
personal ideas and opinions.
The Verge is an online magazine that specializes in technology, science and culture.
They run a daily event on Periscope called “Let’s Discuss,” where they have a
discussion about something they’ve covered on their website. You can see a sample
in this video.

Interviewing colleagues and clients can increase engagement.
Don’t promote your brand too much during these sessions. Provide fresh
content to your viewers while keeping the intrinsic aspect of your business
as part of the video.
Mashable streams discussions and events about the same topics, in the same style,
that you’d normally find on their website. Consistency is key to maintaining an
engaged audience.

Host an open discussion about a specific topic and ask viewers for their opinions.
Remember to acknowledge your audience and reply to their comments. If you’re
streaming an open discussion, ask viewers for their opinions. If it’s an interview,
let your audience ask questions and then select the most interesting ones.
#3: Show How You Create a Product
Your audience typically can’t see how your products or services are created. With live-
streaming video, you can show them what it takes to go from concept to product
completion. This is a great way to give your audience a glimpse of what is involved in
building your brand.
Avenue Beads is a Chicago-based company that produces glass jewelry and artwork.
Their pieces require a lot of work and experience to create, so they used live video to
give viewers a peek at how they produce these items.

Show your audience how you make your products.
You can apply this same principle to services as well. For example, an insurance
company can show viewers the customer service department where
employees answer calls.
Remember that users see only the final result from your company–your product or
service. Any step in between is a story of value and likely will increase engagement
with your brand.
#4: Give a Behind-the-Scenes Look
Another way to use live streaming is to show users behind the scenes of something
they normally wouldn’t have access to.
In this video from NBC News Los Angeles, co-anchor Adrian Arambulo takes the
audience for a quick stroll around the studio before the 11 pm news. Adrian reads
comments and responds to them while showing users different areas of the TV studio,
from the coffee machine to the anchor desk.

Show users behind the scenes of your company.
Keep in mind that you can go beyond just your company location. Anything that is
typically off-limits–or provides a different point of view–will interest many users.
Mercedes-Benz makes their audience part of a photo session for their S-Class model.
All of the images are then uploaded to their online channels under the hashtag
#MBEP15, which gives users an idea of what happens on both sides of the camera.
Showing how content is produced is a great way to engage with your audience.

Go beyond just your company location when taking viewers behind the scenes.
You can enhance this type of stream by involving viewers in the session. Ask for their
opinions or reply to some of their comments.
#5: Conduct Training
Most people are avid learners if the content is interesting to them. Use this to your
advantage by becoming your audience’s go-to reference for a particular
topic.
Live streaming from mobile is obviously limited when compared to desktop, because
you can’t share your screen and include additional content with the stream. However,
this doesn’t have to be a roadblock for live-streaming training sessions. After all, one
of the reasons why Meerkat and Periscope are growing so quickly is their mobility.
Use a small tripod to hold your phone and talk to the camera while gesturing
with your hands. If you need to show a specific detail, simply grab the phone
and show a closeup.

Digital Republic, a creative and photography studio, uses this approach to deliver
training sessions on Photoshop, photography and visual content. You can see an
example in this video.
The lack of screen sharing isn’t a problem for this broadcaster. When he needs to
show certain details, he shows a closeup.
This technique may seem amateur, but an informal touch typically produces more
engagement among viewers. Many perceive this type of stream as more genuine than
a scripted one.
Don’t think of live video training as a session where you lead your audience
step-by-step through a process. You can simply discuss a topic you’re
knowledgeable about and let viewers ask you questions about it.
This is what Tablo Publishing does in this clip where they talk about ebooks and online
publishing. You can see that their approach is very relaxed.

Use a relaxed approach to connect with your audience.
The key to training is repetition and interaction. Make your sessions ongoing by
scheduling them daily or weekly.
Scheduling content helps users remember when your live-streaming session airs.
Remember to allow time for viewers to ask questions, or simply answer questions
during the broadcast.
#6: Host Q&A Sessions
Organize sessions where you let the audience ask you about their concerns
or areas of interest. This is a great way to increase engagement because you’re
showing people that you care about their thoughts and opinions.
Acknowledge questions that are interesting and can provide value to your
viewers. Mention the name of the user asking the question to further increase
engagement. If you get comments from trolls or abusive users, simply ignore them.

In this video, Rene and Casey Nezhoda from Bargain Hunters Thrift Store are hosting
a Q&A session. They try to answer as many questions as possible about how they run
their business.
Q&A sessions are a great way to connect with your audience.
Notice how they ignore silly comments, but answer questions that are a bit more
delicate (such as questions about their political views).
Selecting a specific topic for the Q&A–rather than letting users ask random questions–
is a better way to increase engagement. Plus it helps you filter questions and select
only the most interesting.
SwedishFoodTV has found a great way to connect with their audience using live-
streaming video. They broadcast recipes live and have Q&A sessions where viewers
can ask questions related to the dish of the day.
They also take advantage of Meerkat’s content-scheduling option by creating
custom images for upcoming streams with a call to action pointing to the

Subscribe box. Users who subscribe to a stream receive a notification on their
smartphones when the event starts.
Note that SwedishFoodTV also uses a specific hashtag for the stream.
On Meerkat, asking users to subscribe to your stream w ill remind them w hen your show is live.
Image: Placeit.
Live Streaming: What Behaviors Drive Engagement
The key to successful live-streaming videos is understanding what behaviors
drive engagement:
Curiosity: Human beings are curious by nature and eager to discover new
things. Live streaming shows the audience content that they may not
otherwise see.
Desire for recognition: Being recognized is important to many people.
Viewers of live streams are not anonymous, and the broadcaster can call
individuals by name (or user ID).
Sense of belonging: Due to their limited duration, live-streaming videos

usually don’t get thousands of viewers simultaneously. Seeing the number
(and IDs) of users subscribed to a stream makes viewers feel connected to a
group.
Control: Live streaming allows users to interact and be part of the show.
Their comments can affect the broadcast, and the broadcaster may respond
to them.
Exclusivity: The content of a live-streaming video is unique in that only
those connected can interact with it.
Conclusion
Live-streaming video offers seemingly endless possibilities for connecting with your
audience. Keep in mind that you can combine some of these ideas to create
something unique. Run different sessions to find what resonates best with your
audience.
When broadcasting your video, be mindful of any copyright issues and user privacy.
When approaching individuals, let them know they’re on a live video stream, and if
they don’t want to participate, respect their decision.
What do you think? Have you tried Meerkat or Periscope for live streaming?
What strategies do you use to create live-streaming videos? What is your
experience as a viewer? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Live stream images from Placeit.
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Tags: antonio calero, liv e ev ent, liv e interv iew, liv e streaming, liv e streaming v ideo, meerkat, periscope, v ideo
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, A ntonio Calero
A ntonio Calero is a social media strategist and coach specialized in
user behavior management. He helps businesses understand better
their unique audiences to create ef f ective social media content and
campaigns. Othe r pos ts by A ntonio Calero »
32 Comments Social Media Examiner
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SocialQuant • 21 hours ago
This was awesome Antonio.
Recommend
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• Reply •
Didn't have access to either being a Droid user, but Meerkat has their Beta version out and just downloaded it. Tons
of great ideas.
Will definitely try doing some Q&A, Customer Case Study/Success examples and just life as a Startup behind the
scenes.
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 21 hours ago> SocialQuant
I'm glad you liked it. There could be hundreds of applications and, if something doesn't work, don't desperate
and try something new. Good luck!
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• Reply •
Syed Zafar Imam • 18 hours ago
Interviews or question & answer are most effective i think. In those days when i was learning digital marketing i was
(still) fond of such interviews and question & answer sessions. I always look for videos of Matt Cutts, Rand Fishkin,
Eric enge, Mark trafajan, etc.
But for buyers product making or tutorial is very useful and it works.
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Syed Zafar Imam
It all depends on what your content is about and what your audience prefers. But yes, Q&A is always a good
idea that could fit with most companies.
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• Reply •
Valerie Marsman • 15 hours ago
I've never used a live streaming app. Can you post the live stream on facebook? Is it hosted through the app or do
you need to host the video on your website? When you market a live stream should you have people sign up or just
give them an advanced notice on the date and time?
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• Reply •
Anika Morjaria • 15 hours ago> Valerie Marsman
The live stream is posted from the app. On periscope your account is linked to your twitter so when you live
stream from periscope a tweet is sent out telling all your twitter followers (and periscope followers) that you
are live. People can watch within periscope or click on the link in the automatic tweet to watch online. Those
that are watching from their computers will be shown as "(Web Viewers)" inside periscope. Hope that helps :)
Its an amazing app! - I am @literallyanika on there
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Valerie Marsman • 14 hours ago> Anika Morjaria
Thanks Anika! That sounds amazing. Do you know if the app is available on the google playstore for
android?
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• Reply •
Anika Morjaria • 14 hours ago> Valerie Marsman
Hey Valerie! I'm not sure if it is. Sorry about that. I am an Apple iPhone user !
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Valerie Marsman
Hi Valerie, at the time this article was published, Meerkat is available for both iOS and Android;
Periscope is only available for iOS.
As Anika mentioned you need to connect either of these apps to your Twitter account.
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• Reply •
Belkis Cardona-Rivera • 15 hours ago
Great article especially the part about consistency is key.
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Belkis Cardona-Rivera
Thank you Belkis. If you use these apps for fun, then it's ok to jump and change topics. However if you are
doing it for business, consistency is key to maintain your brand positioning.
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Anika Morjaria • 15 hours ago
Hey Antonio thanks for the article! .(Just wanted to say to Michael Stelzner also that im loving the podcasts).
I clicked on this post as I am using periscope everyday so wanted to comment to encourage others to use this
amazing new app! My ID (same as twitter) is @literallyanika if anyone wishes to watch!
For me it is useful as i wish to get into television hosting and I have recently started a youtube channel:
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Anika Morjaria
Thank you Anika, I'm glad you found it useful. Good luck with your career as YouTuber, hope it helps you
reach your dream of being in TV.
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• Reply •
Athena Moberg, CPC • 15 hours ago
Excellent and comprehensive article, Antonio. I work daily with abuse survivors. What a great way for them to gain
access to my support. I feel inspired to take action. Well done!
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• Reply •
Anika Morjaria • 15 hours ago> Athena Moberg, CPC
that would be an amazing subject to periscope on!! Im sure a lot of viewers would be very interested to see
that
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Athena Moberg, CPC • 15 hours ago> Anika Morjaria
Thank you Anika! I appreciate your feedback and encouragement :)
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Anika Morjaria • 15 hours ago> Athena Moberg, CPC
No worries :) I'm @literallyanika on periscope if you decide to join !!
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Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Athena Moberg, CPC
Thank you Athena, that's another great way to use these apps - especially with the 'Private broadcast' option
available on Periscope.
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• Reply •
available on Periscope.
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• Reply •
Cypher - Mass Planner • 15 hours ago
Interesting method of reaching and connecting with your audience. Thanks for the amazing article.
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Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Cypher - Mass Planner
Thank you Cypher, I'm glad you find it useful.
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erik gingles • 14 hours ago
Nice job Antonio. We developed an app similar to periscope a few years ago and admittedly the buy-out periscope
got would have been nice :-). Since Twitter's purchase i've been reading the question 'how is this kind of technology
going to be used for bricks-and-mortar businesses?' You came up with a few great ideas. However there doesn't
seem to be an easy way for the average user to record what's streamed. There are pros and cons to this. The pros
you outlined but for me i feel the user is missing the greatest part of that communication chain from streamer-to-
viewer. And that is making it easy to share post event. Our analytics are showing this is where the big bang comes
from in terms of engagement - like watching a musical live then coming home to show your friends online. Doulble
whammy for engagement. I'm glad you wrote this. It makes things easier for us. Thanks!
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> erik gingles
Thank you for your comment Erik. I agree with you: these apps are fantastic, but both are far from perfect. I
think because of the strong competition existing at the moment between them they went live too quickly, but
at the same time they are working hard to implement new features.
In any case, I find amazing the fact that viewers can interact live with the broadcast and thus influence the
outcome.
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Michael • 13 hours ago
I have both Meerkat and Periscope. Periscope definitely has an advantage with the embedded Twitter follow
notification in the app and I love <3 being able to communicate with screen taps as LUV/Hearts as well as the chat
box. Soon they will accommodate both portrait and landscape mode, plus dozens of other helpful features.
That said, let's not forget that webinars will continue to be the 800 pound gorilla when it comes to live-streaming
video for business.
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Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Michael
Hi Michael, I agree on the webinar idea, however I think these live streaming are not supposed to replace a
webinar - nor the other way around.
Webinars are meant to happen from a desktop, where you can share your screen, etc... it's 99% of the times
something educational with Q&A. On the contrary, live streaming allows showing 'the world as it happens' to
your viewers. You could run a webinar on live streaming in the same way you could live stream from a tablet
using a webinar platform, however I think their applications are not exclusive.
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• Reply •
Michael • 3 hours ago> Antonio Calero
Sorry if I misread your article. It starts off "6 Ways to Use Livestreaming Video for Business" and
nowhere into introductory paragraphs or anywhere in the article did I see the word "webinar"
mentioned. Yes, they definitely both have their place and I love the notion of quickie, informal and raw
"behind the scenes" quickies with mobile devices. Hopefully others won't be misled thinking your
article focuses on the main infrastructure associated with "Livestreaming Video for Business."
again for your provocative post.
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• Reply •
Spring Creek Aquatic Concepts • 10 hours ago
I see no mention of Hangouts On Air. Is it a sin to mention that here?
Your presentation has inspired me to do a video on a topic a large audience in my arena is clamoring for.
see how this motivates me. thank you!
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Spring Creek Aquatic Concepts
They are slightly different, as hangouts are less 'impromptu' and require a connection between the host, who
makes a call to the viewers who will attend. Also, Hangouts on Air cannot be broadcasted from a mobile
device for average users (it can be done, but it requires a virtual machine app, etc...)
However, I haven't used HOA for a while and these issues may have changed. Please, correct me if this is
the case.
Good luck with your presentation!
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Gracious Store • 10 hours ago
I think one of the most events people will be interesting is knowing how certain product of their interest is made, such
knowledge will draw people more to the site where they get such information, and constant visits to such sites will
lure them to make purchases of such products haven known how they are made
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• Reply •
Antonio Calero • 9 hours ago> Gracious Store
And not only products interested to them. Honestly, I am not particularly interested in glass marbles, but when
I watched that video I was amazed AND spent quite sometime visiting the company's website. There you go:
brand exposure, product awareness, etc... :)
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Dorothea • 7 hours ago
Great stuff here. Is there a good live streaming tool in which we can control the viewers? So if you wanted to host an
event for specific people, but only those invited? Ex. Team meeting, private event? TIA!
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Suzanne Nguyen • 5 hours ago> Dorothea
Periscope has a feature for a private room.
Meerkat is more focused on interactive engagement and is public to everyone.
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Suzanne Nguyen • 6 hours ago
A great list! Thanks for showing the video about Tablo, Antonio.
Curiosity, interaction and providing informative content allows for business and brands to shine through. Consistency
is definitely a key in utilising live streaming.
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