How to Use Instagram’s Live Video
Live is all the rage on social media right now. First there was Periscope and Meercat. Then came Facebook Live and now we are seeing live video on Instagram too.
There’s a good reason for this. Live video is one of the biggest and most important innovations in social media so far and is one of the best tools that marketers have at their disposal for engaging with their audience.
Why Live Video Matters
The first thing to recognize about live video, is that it can effective transport a viewer to another place, live. That means that you can invite your viewers along to join in in your workouts, to attend events with you, or to join you over your morning cereal.
Whatever the case, you will this way be able to more directly engage with your audience – while your audience will be able to share in a ton of different experiences.
While live video is only just catching on, there may well be a time when most of us are able to experience news live through the accounts of people we follow, or where we can get multiple different views of a concert or an event.
How to Harness Live Video
For now though, marketers and creators have a very unique opportunity. There is an audience out there that is excited for live video and yet it’s something that a lot of creators are not yet capitalizing on. That means that if you post live video, you will stand out as one of the only creators doing so – and that’s a great way to get more attention for your channel and to get more engagement.
And there are countless ways that you can use live video to promote a product or a service and to better engage with your audience.
One of the best things about Instagram Live Video for instance, is that it will allow you to see comments posted live on your videos as you’re filming them. That means that you can then respond to those comments live and your audience can feel as though they are talking to you directly.
Imagine how much this can improve your engagement and trust with your viewers, when they feel that you are a real person they can actually communicate with directly! Imagine if they can share their concerns about your products or services and you can directly put them to rest.
Imagine if your favorite content creator were to go live over a breakfast vlog and if you had the opportunity to ask them questions and to tell them how much you appreciate their content.
Imagine if you could look through their camera – live – and feel what it’s like to walk down a red carpet with them, or to stand at the top of a mountain on their holiday.
These are the possibilities that live video creates and this is why you should get involved in Instagram Live! Simply tap the ‘Plus’ symbol at the top of your Instagram account to open up your Stories camera and then select ‘Live’…