Live streaming for small business has become a mainstream phenomenon over the last few years. Developments in mobile devices and social media make it accessible to practically anyone. This accessibility makes it a perfect business tool, especially for small companies.
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This technology provides an opportunity to connect with clients all around the world. So, it’s a great choice for growing your business in 2024. Want to learn more about how beneficial it can be? Stay tuned to learn how live streaming for small business can transform your operations.
5 Benefits of Live Streaming for Small Business
1. High Customer Engagement
Today, static content or one-way communication is not enough to engage your customers. Live streaming for small business brings a fresh perspective to it.
It allows you to connect with people in real time, which is often more effective. You get to form deeper relationships with clients and strengthen brand loyalty.
Accurate customer data is crucial to making the most of this technology. Tools like an email address verifier help maintain a clean contact list, ensuring your audience receives the right updates and promotions. This can enhance your live streaming campaigns and drive better engagement.
How exactly can you achieve that? Let’s find out:
A) Interactive Q&A Sessions
The first thing you can do is host regular interactive Q&A sessions. It’s a great way to interact with your audience directly. You can answer their questions and evaluate their feedback instantly.
This kind of communication helps you build trust. People value it when you actually listen to their opinions. It humanizes your business and motivates clients to come back over and over.
Diversify the channels to stay in touch with your audience. The Story section is another good option for learning more about your followers’ preferences and red flags. You can even go deeper and try out games, “Add Yours” challenges, polls, etc., to let users show their true colors to the fullest.
Ease up the quest for engaging activities. Check out the Instagram Stories Viewer to get valuable insights from your competitors and big names in the niche without exposing yourself to view count statistics.
💡 Pro Tip: Go live using OneStream Live Studio and use Unified Chat to receive comments from viewers in real time and reply to them right there!
B) Product Demonstrations and Tutorials
Most people prefer visual content now. It’s easier to understand how to use a certain item or service when you can actually see it.
Live streaming for small business allows you to showcase your offerings in action. Through these demonstrations, you can highlight unique features or benefits that static images can’t express.
You can also turn them into tutorials. Show the exact steps of using your product to help your clients understand. This educational approach will make your relationship more trustworthy. Plus, it builds up confidence, which eventually leads to more sales.
C) BTS Content
People love brands that are transparent and authentic. Live streaming can help you become one of those brands with the help of behind-the-scenes footage.
It allows you to showcase the human side of the business. You can host a live stream showing how your team works or demonstrating the production process.
It will create excitement around new product launches or events. Plus, your clients will feel a deeper connection to your business when they see the inside of it.
2. Shoppable Live Streams
Another great possibility for your business is the integration of live streaming and e-commerce platforms. It allows viewers to click on products showcased during the stream and purchase them directly without leaving the platform. You can even update the inventory and do checkouts live. This increased convenience will help you lower the drop-out rates.
You can also adjust the recommendations based on live feedback from the viewers. For example, you can respond to comments with specific product suggestions or demonstrate complementary products and bundles. This increases the possibility of a person actually buying your offering.
Some companies have already adopted this strategy. For example, Nordstrom created a dedicated live shopping channel and regularly hosted live events with different themes.
Another example is Aldo. They partnered with a TikToker Nate Wyatt and stylist Mimi Cuttrell, who were hosting a stream showing different Aldo products. The viewers could browse their collection within this stream.
3. Global Market Reach
Small businesses are often limited by a local audience and live streaming for small business can change that. Expanding globally usually requires a lot of investment and effort. This technology allows you to break any geographical barriers without spending much.
Here are some steps you can take.
- You can ensure wider participation by scheduling streams at different times or keeping recorded versions. You can also host specific streams for different regions to relate to their culture.
- You can incorporate innovative developments in your streams to engage with people with different backgrounds. For example, you might use translation tools or multilingual chat moderators to connect with those who speak another language. Or you may try AI subtitles for non-native speakers or hearing-impaired viewers.
- Another great strategy is multistreaming. You can use OneStream Live to broadcast on 45+ platforms simultaneously, achieving higher visibility.
💡 Pro Tip: Use OneStream Live to schedule pre-recorded streams in advance and then multistream them to 45+ social destinations simultaneously. Read Blog!
4. Customer Support Transformation
Live streaming can transform your customer support initiatives completely. It makes them less resource-intensive and more engaging for your clients.
You get to handle any problems they have live. They can describe issues via comments or live calls, and you can resolve them on the spot.
For example, you can include live tech support for software troubleshooting or tutorials for product assembly. This immediacy reduces frustration, which leads to higher loyalty.
Integrating telecom self-service solutions alongside live streaming can further streamline customer support. This combination allows for the automation of routine queries while reserving live interactions for complex concerns, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
Also, you can turn your streams into interactive support forums. Your customers can share their stories and communicate with each other here. Moderators will guide these discussions and answer questions. It will help you build a sense of belonging and a stronger community. A loyal following is extremely important for small businesses.
Not to mention, live streaming can save you a lot of money associated with customer support. You won’t have to spend on equipment and additional staff, and you can reinvest these resources in other important business activities.
5. Marketing with a Minimal Budget
The next aspect of small business development live streaming can change is marketing. This technology allows you to maximize impact with limited resources.
You can use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. They offer free streaming features that allow you to produce high-quality campaigns. Also, you may try OneStream Live. This tool is budget-friendly, and you can make your streams look more professional with their help.
Also, you can incorporate UGC in the streams. Turn your clients into brand ambassadors who share their experiences during the session. For instance, they might host live unboxing or showcase how they use your product in daily activities.
Read More on How to Design and Launch Your First UGC Campaign
This type of content is really beneficial, as it seems more authentic. Many service professionals have found success through dedicated business marketing for contractors, using authentic content to build trust and showcase their expertise. People tend to trust their peers, so they’re more likely to purchase something from you after a genuine recommendation.
Another strategy you can try is partnerships with micro-influencers. It is affordable and impactful. They usually have a more loyal follower base than more prominent bloggers and higher engagement. They can host co-branded live streams, demo products, or answer audience questions. All these initiatives will result in more traffic and sales for your business.
Conclusion
Live streaming is becoming more popular in different fields. This solution can be really beneficial in terms of business activities, especially for small companies. It’s inexpensive and easy to use. You can incorporate this technology in different processes, from customer support to marketing campaigns.
Hope that our guide was useful! Remember that live streaming for small business can change your interactions with clients completely. Don’t be scared of using this innovation, embrace it and enjoy the results!
OneStream Live is a cloud-based live streaming solution to create, schedule, and multistream professional-looking live streams across 45+ social media platforms and the web simultaneously. For content-related queries and feedback, write to us at [email protected]. You’re also welcome to Write for Us!
