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The Pros and Cons of Live Streaming for Small Businesses

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The Pros and Cons of Live Streaming for Small Businesses

Key Takeaways:
  • Live stream viewership increased in the past year across multiple platforms.
  • Large brands collaborate with influencers, celebrities, and other creators to promote events and products via live stream.
  • Streaming can help to increase engagement and awareness without sacrificing authenticity.
  • There are some drawbacks or potential pitfalls to live streaming as a small business, including technical snags and real-time goofs.

Live streaming is an existing digital marketing trend that gained significant traction during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, especially for influencers across video and social media marketing platforms. Here’s what you need to know about the growth of live streaming and how this trend can be used to boost your small business:

The Growth of Live Streaming

Live streaming gained a new lease on life during the coronavirus pandemic, as viewership increased across multiple platforms and newly introduced features enhanced marketing and creative potentials in the arena.

As many big-name brands partner with influencers, creators, and celebrities to promote online shopping and events via livestreaming, many small business owners are left wondering: How can this digital marketing trend benefit my small business?

Live streaming gives consumers an opportunity to:
  • Interact with influencers
  • Attend virtual events
  • View video game content
  • Discover new products through live shopping

Pros & Cons of Live Streaming for Small Businesses

Livestreams give businesses a way to share products and services with consumers and communicate about them in real-time. They’re a highly interactive digital marketing tactic where anything can happen. Instant broadcasting provides a forward approach to gaining more exposure, especially on Facebook and Instagram. Here are a few pros and cons to live streaming for small businesses:

Live Streaming Pros

  • Greater brand awareness.
    Hold Q&A sessions, share important news, offer a sneak peek of new products, and drum up excitement with behind-the-scenes looks at live events— all while enjoying immediate feedback from your audience!
  • Increased engagement.
    Did you know that Facebook & Instagram Live each allow up to four hours of live streaming? This means you can appeal to and engage with viewers and followers for long stretches of time, and the longer you stream, the more engagement you’ll experience as users discover and share your content.
  • More cost savings.
    Live streaming is totally free. That’s right, we said it… FREE! Maximize exposure to your brand at no cost to you or your consumers with live streaming.
  • Authenticity.
    Today’s consumers are conscious about purchasing products from authentic brands with sustainable products and ethical business practices. Live streaming gives an “inside look” into your business, how it operates, and the types of products you provide. It gives you an opportunity to foster an emotional connection with your viewers while being in direct control of the narrative.
  • Repurposing.
    You can choose to make your previously recorded livestreams available to viewers permanently, allowing videos to rack up views and be repurposed down the road for other digital marketing campaigns.

Live Streaming Cons

  • Technical snags.
    Whether it’s a malfunctioning mic or a problem with your chosen platform, live streaming can come with potential technical issues that can keep you from a successful streaming session. Do what you can to ensure things will go smoothly on your end, and make sure you understand your platform’s live streaming features and parameters prior to going live.
  • Real-time mess-ups.
    Although preparing for your live stream in advance can help prevent you from fumbling over your words or making clumsy mistakes, part of the thrill of live streaming is that anything can happen at any given moment. If you make a few mess ups during a live stream, try not to beat yourself up over it. The human side of your business is part of its appeal, especially in the digital sphere. Embrace it and know you can always delete the evidence later!

Test Out the Waters

Want to test out the waters of video marketing before you dive head-first into a live stream? If you’re unsure about whether live streaming is right for your brand or don’t know how to align your brand’s content with a live stream, or how to add video marketing to your rotation, check out these on-demand options from TTG!

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Creative Director/Senior Designer

Tom DiGrazia

With over a decade and a half of professional design experience, Tom brings his knowledge of design principles and focus on user experience to every aspect of his contribution to TTG. Paying special attention to each client’s brand, personalized needs and individual interests, he strives to create compelling concepts utilizing intuitive and highly-refined design solutions. In addition to traditional and digital design work and oversight at TTG, Tom also boasts a wide portfolio of web development projects with the company, allowing him to stretch his CSS and HTML skills across multiple platforms and disciplines. He feels that being a designer in the digital landscape of websites, eCommerce solutions, email marketing platforms and social media, it is important to understand the code that goes into these areas as it assists his ability to tailor designs specifically targeted to achieve the best end result and further builds understanding and communication with backend development teams.

In his off hours, Tom is an avid pop culture enthusiast, staying up to date on the latest shows, films, comics and games. He can also typically be found taking part in a whole host of artistic activities that help him further stretch his creative legs. Regardless of the activity, Tom is always accompanied by his dog, Eli, and his cat, Tib.

Specialties:
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Courtney Dumont

As Senior Marketing Strategist & Analyst at Technology Therapy Group, Courtney is energized by the ability to flex both her left and right brain daily. Courtney discovered her passion for Marketing at Bryant University, where she spearheaded research on students’ perceptions of Social Media Marketing for her Honors Capstone Project. After graduating Bryant in 2012, she joined the Technology Therapy team, where she’s honed her skills in social media, search and social advertising, email marketing, SEO, and more.

Since joining the team, Courtney has created digital marketing strategies and managed campaigns for clients across the country, ranging from plastic surgery centers, to jewelry stores, to construction companies. With a cohesive, cross-channel approach and a focus on data-driven decision making, she has increased their leads by up to 217%. But Courtney doesn’t leave her zeal for social media at the office; she also runs a local foodie Instagram account with her husband to document their meals across Rhode Island and beyond. Check them out: @hoppilyfed.

Specialties:
Marketing Strategy, Data Analysis, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Social Media

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