By Michael Palmrose
As part of our second blog post ever, we’d like to provide a useful checklist to make sure you are incorporating live streaming into your daily life where it makes sense and where it will have the biggest impact on your audience. The entertainment business is getting a lot more global. Don’t restrict yourself to one place - make yourself seen! Take a look at our top 10 use cases for live streaming and how it can augment your current capabilities to grow your audience more than ever before.
1. Dance performances: Privacy is of utmost importance for this, especially when broadcasting your child’s dance recital. Today’s live streaming capabilities allow friends and family members to access a unique and private link for dance performances. With live streaming, dancers have full situational awareness backstage. The live feed can be shown in dressing rooms so instructors and dancers are fully aware of the upcoming acts. Loved ones can watch the feed from the comfort of their home. Think of grandma who couldn’t make it to her granddaughter’s recital because she lives in another state! Attendees can also have access to a recorded copy of the live stream after the show is over.
2. Musicians: Live streaming concerts is a chance for up and coming artists to really get their name heard and break through the noise! Imagine this as an added layer to reach new fans. One great example was how indie band They Might be Giants live streamed one of their concerts from Denver. It was an opportunity for people who couldn’t make it to the show to connect with their fan base and share it with friends online. Fans were also able to watch their concerts after the fact using the live stream recording. By live streaming on platforms like Twitch artists can gate and monetize their concert feed and gain new followers.
3. Comedy: A quirky and oddball sense of humor may have more global appeal than you think. Take a look at what it was like for comedian Gabriel Iglesias to perform in Saudi Arabia! In this case, social media and live streaming are a match made in heaven. Your fan base will appreciate it! Live streaming gives you the power to reach an untapped audience on the other side of the world. Sometimes all it takes is just a live stream for a comedian’s career to take off.
4. Weddings: Live streaming your special day is a prefect fit for brides that have family members overseas. This option is also ideal for brides on a budget with big families and social networks. Couldn’t afford to invite all 300 people to your wedding? Have no fear. Now you can showcase your special day through a live stream. Although many clients will only want to live stream the ceremony, social media influencers and celebrities may want to live stream the entire day through a private link. Not to mention, live streaming also serves as a great backup option for your videographer and your photographer. Putting a laptop next the newlyweds during the ceremony and just simply launching Skype will leave your viewers wondering why the audio and video quality is almost unbearable. Don’t skimp on the opportunity to live stream your wedding professionally.
5. Religious services: This is an opportune moment for a church, synagogue or mosque to gain new followers. This is also a way for people to find houses of worship when they move to a new neighborhood. Followers are able to worship from the comfort of their home using a live stream link when physical or geographical obstacles prevent them from attending in person.
6. Global All Staff Meetings: Unify your global offices through a company-wide webcast. Corporations that are seeking to connect remote offices or remote employees can create a feeling of belonging through All Staff or Town Hall meetings. A live stream could also provide you with the capability to ask questions directly to your CEO. A link to the recorded event can also be shared with all employees through a intranet/internal corporate portal or via email.
7. Conferences: Having a live stream at a trade show is yet another benefit for conference organizers. Audience members worldwide would love to have access to keynote speakers, workshops and breakout sessions. Options to monetize the stream are also available to the organizations that put on these conferences. Take a look at how one telecommunications company live streamed their Industry Day where they address their goals, challenges and exciting news on the horizon.
8. Education/Non-profit Outreach: Have you ever watched a telethon? If you don’t even know what that is, it may have been before your time. Livestreaming is made for fundraising. It can also be used by government and nonprofit entities to run educational workshops, volunteer training, record local parades and air city council meetings. A larger audience can create a more informed community and increase community involvement such as volunteering and small business growth.
9. Culinary Shows: Move over, Food Network! You’re not the only one transmitting high quality cooking shows anymore! Using the best ingredients may make you a quality chef, but creating a quality live stream show is a challenge if you’re a novice. A live stream package can definitely get rid of any grainy, low-quality streaming you typically see with home-made cooking videos. Professional live streaming is not only crystal-clear, but it also includes an option to export your shows to YouTube and Instagram Live which are quite popular channels for today’s celebrated chefs. Beer, wine and food tasting connoisseurs can also get in on the live streaming action to showcase their craft.
10. Podcasts: Some podcasts are destined to be shown on screens. Former Mythbuster’s host Adam Savage not only has a popular podcast, but also has over 4 million subscribers on his YouTube channel: Adam Savage Tested. These days, a lot of famous YouTubers are using both audio and video platforms to reach their target audiences. You can even start with your YouTube video and automatically push your audio into a podcast. Watch the tutorial here.
No matter what talent you are showcasing, make sure that you don’t underestimate the impact of live streaming. This new, interactive, global and powerful tool is not limited to the ten categories listed above. What are some ways that you’ve used live streaming to reach a wider audience? Leave a comment below. For a live streaming quote, be sure to click here.