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8 reasons you should expect to see even more social media live streaming in 2018
We (all of us that make up the collective audience of today’s mainstream media) have a fascination with being able to watch events as they happen. Maybe it’s because we want to see something unexpected to happen. Maybe it’s because we like the immediacy of the information we’re receiving. Maybe it’s because events are simply more exciting live.
Whatever the case, live is liked. While traditional television caught on to this consumer demand years ago (a reminder that Saturday Night Live will be 43 years old this fall), today’s online media, namely social media, is just beginning to hit its stride with live content.
But hit its stride it has, and the early adopters of live video on social channels have shown marketers that live content will be every bit as popular on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and now Snapchat, which debuted its live feature during these winter Olympics. And while we know businesses love the idea of live media, we’re sure they’re wondering where the pay-off is and whether it’s actually worth it. Perhaps these eight statistics will act as strong evidence for the claim that social media is not only worth the investment but also why we’ll be seeing much more of it in the very near future.
82 percent of live video viewers say they prefer live video from a brand over social posts.1 Live video clearly provides more interest. A post containing a static image can simply not compete with the exciting, unpredictable and immediate nature of a live video feed.
92 percent of mobile video consumers share videos with others. 2 For marketers, the initially intended audience is never the final audience. The best way to give your content legs is to provide compelling material that you know your viewers are more apt to share. If customers are sharing videos, especially live videos, you better believe more businesses will be producing more live content.
Video on social media generates 1200 percent more shares than text and images combined. 3 This wraps up nos. one and two into a nice little package. Video beats text and image hands down almost every time. The way to take video to the next level? Make it live.
Facebook users comment 10x more often on live videos than regular videos.1 A commenting audience means you’ve captured their interest and attention. As businesses learn they can gain greater audience interaction through live video, expect to see more businesses attempting to start relations with prospective clients in this fashion.
Viewers spend 8x longer with live video than on-demand (42.8 minutes for live video content vs. 5.1 minutes for on-demand).3 As long as there have been businesses, there have been marketers searching for ways to keep their product in front of customers for longer. Could live social media streams finally be the answer? If it is, marketers will certainly be milking it for all it’s worth.
73 percent of B2B organizations report positive ROI from video marketing. 3 Perhaps the number one concern we hear from clients is, “How will this (insert marketing campaign) affect our ROI?” Knowing that this is at the forefront of a business’s mind, if there is a more efficient way to spend marketing dollars, you can expect businesses to give it a shot, at the very least. Much of the live video use coming in 2018 will be businesses just testing that efficiency and determining whether the return is in fact there.
45 percent of live video audiences would pay for live, exclusive, on-demand video from a favorite team, speaker or performer. 3 So, not only are audiences more responsive, more interactive and more interested in live video, but they’re also more willing to pay for it? It’s beginning to sound like a marketer’s dream. The difficulty here will be to create video that provides a similar sense of excitement, unpredictability and entertainment that a live sport or performance does.
59 percent of executives would rather watch a video than read text, and 75 percent of those executives watch work-related videos on business websites at least once a week. 3 For B2B businesses, a general audience is great, but capturing the attention of the decision makers they are selling to is exponentially more important — and more difficult. Statistics like this suggest that perhaps social channels like LinkedIn may be the next frontier for live video.
Interested in adding live video this year to your social media channels but feel as though you might have some basics to nail down first? Check out these 8 Social Media Tips From a 2-Year-Old.
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