Scrolling through our social media accounts in free time and even in the middle of something important is something we all indulge in. While this may seem like a millennial only trend, the truth is that people of age-groups who use social networking sites usually do this. We have our own preferences of pages that we like, people we add and influencers that we follow. But what exactly is an influencer on social media?
In layman language, an influencer is an individual who has a large number of following on social media, theoretically translating into a considerable amount of influence on the followers’ opinions and preferences. Today, the many influencers on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, and other social media practically earn money through content creation. It is more of a full-time job than just a side hobby that they partake in. So when you know how popular and financially beneficial social media is for influencers, then what is the next step in staying relevant in this fast saturating niche?
With a lot of people trying their hand at this seemingly easy and fun way to earn money and fame on the internet, it is no wonder that there is a hoard of influencers and other aiming to be. While the audience loves to watch videos and get a longer duration of interaction with their favourite Influencers, it is now not entirely possible to stand out with just that. Simple pictures and videos as a means to impress and engage the audience are passe, a little extra is required in this age of digital overhaul. In recent years, live videos have emerged as an interesting mix of the security of planned digital interaction and the impact of a real-time experience for the viewers.
Rise of Influencer Marketing
With influencer marketing on the rise and companies trying to make the best out of the digital media opportunities at hand, live video webcasting is becoming a necessity for Influencers. It is a lucrative option that works as an extension of the social media operations that they already undertake in their lives, with the added benefit of reaching a lot of their audience in real-time at once. With direct messages (DMs) being flooded with comments, queries and requests; live streaming on Instagram or live streaming on Facebook is a much better way to feed into the curiosity of viewers and easily build a relationship with them. It is effective, quick and hassle-free, all the things you would expect from efficient social media today. To facilitate this, most platforms provide their own live video webcasting feature too. Live video streaming on Youtube, live streaming on Instagram or live streaming on Facebook, they are all used for building trust gaining traction, promoting products and becoming trends while simultaneously fulfilling content requirements of your pages.
Once we understand all that the live streaming videos do, the need for Influencers to live stream defines itself. To further elaborate on that, here are some pointers for you to emphasis the top reasons for the same:
1. Raise Followers and Subscriber Numbers
The predominant and best reason to make live streaming videos is that it increases the number of your followers or subscribers quite significantly. It is a known fact that more people watch live streaming on Instagram or live streaming Facebook for more time as compared to other videos posted online. In the case of pre-recorded videos too, premiering them live will give you the boost in numbers as new viewers click on the video.
2. Encourage Impression of Authenticity
Influencer marketing these days has the side effect of making the influencer look like a company-hired drone that is too intent on selling the product. The genuineness of the individual vanishes in such circumstances and so does the interest of the audience. People want to watch the influencer doing things, interacting with them and generally being more real online. What better way to show authenticity than by using live video streaming on Youtube and other platforms to show sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes footage and semi-regular interactions with the common followers. You can’t edit out things or fully control the content of a real-time live streaming video, exactly the type of content that audiences are looking for nowadays.
3. Give a Chance for Interaction
Another positive aspect of live video webcasting is that you can interact with your audience in real-time. It allows you to build a relationship based on two-way communication and trust that is uncommon for other social media interactions. It generates a feeling of sharing something together, ultimately leading to a loyal community of people following you and supporting you. When you read comments and answer questions from the chat window available in most live video streaming features, it validates your viewers and makes them more motivated to be a part of the community you are trying to build.
Adding live streaming videos to the host of activities that an influencer does on social media is a sure-shot way of appealing to larger audiences and gaining new followers. So before you invest your time, money and energy into other alternatives for attracting attention, try going live first!
