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How to Use Live Streaming on Social Media Effectively
Is social media live streaming just visually appealing marketing collateral, or is it a foolproof approach to enhancing brand visibility and loyal consumers? The right answer, as with many things, is a mix of both.
A live stream gives you an inside look at a brand’s culture. It offers exclusive feature previews and a behind-the-scenes peek at how your favorite products come to life. A live stream manages to hook people right away through real-time interactions. Reports suggest that 22.7% of global users use social media to watch live content. It’s a massive (and mostly untapped) opportunity for brands to build authentic conversations, generate product launch buzz and even drive conversions via social media.
So, today, we'll be equipping you with the best strategies, platform insights and actionable tips to achieve your live stream goals. Let’s jump right into it!
- Top social media platforms for live streaming
- Five-point checklist to identify the right platform
- Social media live streaming content ideas
- How to engage your audience in real time
- Tips to promote your social media live streaming event effectively
- Measure success using analytics and feedback
- Elevate live streaming with Sprinklr Social
Top social media platforms for live streaming
Young people live on Instagram. With a whopping 2 billion monthly active users as of 2024, it's the ultimate platform to grab their attention. Instagram is ideal for sharing behind-the-scenes looks, launching products and leveraging social media collaborations with influencers.
Instagram Live is a built-in feature of the platform, so it automatically notifies your followers when you go live, and it supports collaborative streams with multiple guests.
Read More: How to Use Instagram for Business in 8 Ways
YouTube
YouTube is the second largest social media platform after Facebook, with a huge audience. Use it for long-form content like webinars, podcasts, tutorials and live events. While Instagram Live is great for dropping quick teasers, YouTube is a “big picture” platform for showcasing brand stories and product launches.
YouTube Live also supports monetization through multiple revenue streams, like ads, channel memberships and Super Chat. It also comes with real-time analytics that provides data on viewer demographics, stream health, live interaction and like-to-view ratio.
LinkedIn is ideal for B2B companies and professionals who are looking to share industry insights or host professional events. LinkedIn Live is for brands that want to be thought leaders in their industry through panel discussions and executive events. The platform also provides data-driven insights on viewer engagement and demographics, allowing teams to measure their streams' live impact.
Learn More: How to Build a LinkedIn Marketing Strategy in 2024
We might have mentioned it last here, but Facebook is certainly a top contender. Hosting over 3 billion monthly active users as of today, it is undoubtedly the most popular social media channel there is. From conversations and performances to Q&As and virtual events, Facebook Live is home to a broad range of content from gamers, artists, influencers, entrepreneurs, businesses — you name it.
Apart from its massive potential reach, its live chat feature makes for real-time engagement while its in-depth analytics covers video-by-video insights on the number of viewers, demographic data, engagement metrics and more. Another cool thing is the split-screen feature, where you can invite other broadcasters to your live stream.
Dive Deeper: The Complete Guide to Facebook Live for Brands
Five-point checklist to identify the right platform
From Instagram and Facebook to Twitch, there are many platforms that are ideal for live-streaming events. But how do you identify the one best suited to your requirements? Well, here’s a brief 5-point guide to finding the perfect fit for your live-streaming needs:
- Target audience: Where is your target audience located? On which platform are they most active? What are their interests? For example, if your ideal customer is a Gen Z-er who’s into fashion and beauty, Instagram Live may work better than LinkedIn for your brand.
- Content theme: For long-form educational content, like webinars, YouTube Live may be ideal — that’s why Harvard uses it and so do many other institutions. But if your brand is all about quick, fun and interactive live streams, with polls and quizzes, Instagram or TikTok is your best bet.
- Viewer engagement: Look for a platform that lets you chat with your viewers, tag branded players/viewers, run polls and collect data automatically. It should also work seamlessly with your payment systems and sync customer information.
- Pricing: Live streaming is a marketing tool that doesn't have to break the bank. Choose a platform that keeps your costs low. Assess tech requirements for software (like Wirecast or OBS) as well as the storage and hardware needed for each platform.
- Monetization plans: Select a platform that supports multiple revenue streams, including advertising, sponsorships and premium content.
Social media live streaming content ideas
Social media live streaming is your ticket to engaging your end-users' hearts and minds in real time. But how do you get there exactly? Well, here’s how you can create live-stream content that'll have your audience glued to the screen:
Live shopping
With live product showcases, you can bring the brick-and-mortar experience to your customer's living room. Beauty brands are killing it with this strategy. For instance, brands like Bobbi Brown Cosmetics host live shopping streams on Facebook every Friday. This is very convenient for customers as they can buy products right on the platform.
Recommended Read: What is Social Shopping? How to Use It for Product Marketing
AMAs
Conduct live ask-me-anything sessions or question-and-answer workshops about your brand and showcase your brand’s social media persona. Offer insights into your brand's journey. Share exciting updates and highlight recent product launches. Share a preview of your company’s upcoming developments, like the launch of your new manufacturing facility, perhaps.
Product clinics
These live streams will help you flex your expertise muscle and position your brand as an industry leader. During these live streams, you could discuss each product's pros and cons, design and functionality.
Feature walkthroughs
Live stream how to use your product and explain its capabilities in real time. These walkthroughs demonstrate how a product works in live settings and set up its value proposition. For instance, look how Adobe does this in the video below. The company leverages live streams to demonstrate new Photoshop features and shares tips and techniques on using them.
How to engage your audience in real time
Interactive elements can make or break a live stream. And there’s no doubt that visitors stick around longer when they feel they are a part of the show. As such, here are a few interactive elements you can include in your live streams:
- Polls: They act as engagement magnets by encouraging audience participation. Viewers get to vote on the hottest product feature or the topic they want to engage with next.
- Live chat: This creates a feedback loop that enhances viewer retention by making brands seem more responsive and connected. It lets viewers ask questions, share their thoughts and actively join the conversation.
- Direct viewer interaction: It brings viewers into the spotlight to ask questions, celebrate their long-term commitment to your brand or just share their user experience. It’s personal and authentic, making your audience think, "I could be next!" This kind of anticipation boosts viewer retention.
- Blind raiding: This happens when a streamer directs their audience to another live streamer at the end of their broadcast. It’s a smart way for brands to reach each other’s fans without additional effort or resources. In some instances, blind raiding has helped streamers increase their viewership from just 23 to over 1,800.
Tips to promote your social media live streaming event effectively
Here are some strategic tips to promote your social media livestream smartly:
Pre-event marketing strategies
Cross-promote across social media channels
To maximize the impact of your live streams, cross-promote them across your socials. You can also drive social users to your upcoming event by including the event link in your profile descriptions. OnePlus, for example, knows how to build excitement. The brand drops hints about its upcoming live events on Instagram, Facebook and X. It even spreads the word through PR campaigns on major news websites.
💡 Light-bulb Moment: Remember to encourage your employees and event invitees to spread the word about your upcoming event. That’s hitting your employee advocacy goals right there!
Run paid ads
Use social media advertising to reach your target audience. Amplify your reach with a countdown on those ads. Refine your geotargeting using customer data and location specifics. Also, don't forget to pack your ad copy with frequently searched keywords like “tech demos,” “industry leaders” and “XYZ technology” to snag that one click. Apple does this exceptionally well. The company keeps its ads concise and focused on the value proposition besides creating enough suspense for live events.
Try email marketing
For every $1 spent on emails, brands earn an average of $36. Therefore, email marketing is a high-return channel for small businesses. Beyond event invites, leverage emails for pre-registration reminders, exclusive countdowns and post-event teasers.
💡 Pro Tip: Use an email marketing tool that’s empowered by social analytics across X, Facebook, Instagram and other channels to effortlessly attract users to your live events. Sprinklr Marketing helps you automate lead capture, manage email subscriber lists, segment your audience based on location, interests and behavior as well as easily schedule emails. What’s more, its built-in email analytics lets you measure and benchmark your performance with metrics like open rate, CTR and conversions.
Host social media contests
Draw bigger crowds with giveaways, exclusive discounts and limited-time offers. From seasonal promotions to early bird specials, make your livestream an event people don’t want to miss. Consider ForestNation. The brand, known for its sustainable initiatives, gives away unique tree kits with seeds, pots and soil.
Post-event engagement tactics
- Utilize live video SEO: Optimize your live streams by incorporating relevant keywords, tags, backlinks and even custom thumbnails to improve your visibility. YouTube has an in-built studio to edit video descriptions, even during broadcasts. Here’s an example of an SEO-optimized live video designed to drive organic growth on social media and traffic. Source
- Leverage influencer marketing: Host a social media takeover. Imagine a top-tier influencer sharing your livestream highlights with their millions of followers. For instance, if you’re in the cosmetics industry, consider inviting a beauty guru to take over your social channels for a day after a product-launch live stream. They can share behind-the-scenes footage, answer fan questions and offer exclusive discounts to their followers.
Gymshark nails this tactic. It invites fitness influencers to showcase various workouts while sporting the brand’s athletic wear — a win-win engagement and promotion strategy.
🧐 How do you find an influencer?
With the number of influencers who exist in every industry today, figuring out the ideal fit for your brand can seem impossible. Luckily, you can use a tool like Sprinklr’s Influencer Marketing Platform to get a hold of the right one to make your livestreams shine! Not only can you use it to find the influencers that make audiences tick, but you can also: 🗂️ Organize and save lists of influencers by category 📊 Analyze and report on influencer content performance 🔎 Keep track of all your campaigns in a single place
- Repurpose social media content and event collaterals: Break your content down into smaller pieces for social media. Write blog posts about your live sessions or create short videos. This helps people see your content more and keeps your brand in the spotlight. For instance, Cvent, a UK-based event management company, recycles live event images and videos into infographics, blog posts and podcasts. It also embeds stream snippets into case studies and testimonials. Source
Measure success using analytics and feedback
Leading management consultant Peter Drucker famously said, “You can’t improve what you can’t measure.”
The same holds true for your live stream analytics. Social media metrics, like viewership, engagement and chat activity, often indicate the success of your live streams. Monitor them to make on-the-fly adjustments to your content strategy.
Audience feedback is also valuable here. Comments, likes, shares and dislikes can go a long way in deciphering viewer sentiment. Monitor social media for conversations around your event. Did it leave viewers excited or frustrated? Are they asking for specific information? Use this intel to future-proof your social media content strategy as well.
Elevate live streaming with Sprinklr Social
To truly make your live streams a success, you need a single unified platform that combines engagement analytics, influencer impact data and insights — all in one place.
But it shouldn't stop there. Timing is everything in social media, and Sprinklr Social helps you get it right. The platform takes the guesswork out of timing. By analyzing your audience's behavior, it identifies peak engagement periods and suggests the best times to post your content. You can also automate the publishing of your other social media content for local and distributed audiences to achieve 7x engagement in a matter of months.
Want to see how it can up your live streaming game and maximize your social media ROI?
Frequently Asked Questions
Incorporate audience questions, polls and question-and-answer sessions. Switch between different content formats, such as demos, interviews and discussions. Offer exclusive content or giveaways to incentivize participation.
- Test your equipment: Ensure good audio and video quality beforehand.
- Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and questions promptly.
- Promote your stream: Share it on other social channels and with your email list.
Instagram prioritizes live content, pushing it to more users' feeds. However, the more interactions your live stream receives (likes, comments, shares, etc.), the better its reach.
LinkedIn Live is ideal for thought leadership, showcasing expertise and building professional relationships. So use it for webinars, product demos, industry discussions and question-and-answer sessions for greater reach, engagement and industry standing.
Analytics provide insights into audience behavior, content performance and ROI. They help identify peak viewing times, popular topics and what makes users click.