Live streaming is a powerful and robust strategy to create authentic content, reach new audiences, and grow engagement. Although it has been around only for a few years, live streaming realized its true potential during the COVID-19 pandemic, when almost every aspect of daily life came to a halt. Today it has evolved as the most popular marketing tool. Hence, it remains imperative to bust the most common myths associated with live streaming.
Did you know?
- 80% of the people prefer watching live videos from a brand rather than reading a blog.
- According to a report by Grand View Research, the global live streaming market was valued at approximately $87.55 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.0% from 2024 to 2030.
Myth #1: You Need Expensive Gear to Start Live Streaming
Reality Check: You can live stream your content merely at a click of a button, right now, and absolutely free. You don’t need any fancy or expensive equipment, gear, or software to get started. You can even live stream straight from your smartphone or a basic webcam and microphone from your laptop or phone can get you started.
The fact is, live streaming can be only as expensive as you want it to be. You might want to invest in a state-of-the-art camera, for instance, to create professional-quality videos. But that’s purely your choice. You may want to invest in professional-quality equipment as you grow, but the best way to live stream is to start simple and focus on your content.
Myth #2: If No One Watches, Your Stream is a Failure
Reality Check: Not every stream is going to have millions of viewers, and that’s okay. Success does not always mean immediate attention, it always takes time. Live streaming is all about consistency, improvement with each stream, and building your audience over time. Even a small number of viewers can help you get feedback and create content that is more aligned with your audience’s needs.
Always try to give something valuable to your audience and remember that your hard work is not wasted. You can also use your content after the live stream ends, so Keep streaming, and your viewers will grow.
Myth #3: You Should Stream for Long Hours to Grow Faster
Reality Check: Streaming for hours is not the key to growing your audience faster. It is not always about quantity so it is better to focus on quality over quantity. A 30-minute live stream can be more successful and beneficial than a 3-hour one if it is filled with valuable and interesting content. Always remember that your viewers expect something meaningful from you, so understand your audience’s attention span and tailor your streams to keep them interested and coming back for more.
Myth #4: Perfect Streams Mean No Technical Issues
Reality Check: No one is perfect, and even the best live streamers experience technical difficulties. It is not about having a perfect stream every time. What matters is how you handle the issues that come up. A few hiccups here and there will not ruin your live streaming career if you stay calm and keep interacting and engaging with your audience. It is part of the learning process, and viewers appreciate your authenticity.
Myth #5: Only Gamers Can be Successful Streamers
Reality Check: Live streaming is not just for gamers. Every individual and every business has a story to tell, and live videos are a powerful medium to bring these stories to the limelight. And hence, live streaming is for anyone and everyone.
People from all industries, including education, fitness, cooking, and entertainment, are finding success with live streaming. It could be a real estate agent, a small-scale clothing retailer, or a multinational conglomerate. Live videos can help your business grow to unrevealed horizons by effectively communicating your story and building connections, establishing strong customer relations, and highlighting your brand.
Myth #6: Live Streaming is Difficult
Reality Check: The market is abundant in professional live streaming platform and services that make live streaming incredibly easy. OneStream Live is a leading cloud-based best live streaming solution that allows the users to multistream both pre-recorded and real-time videos to more than 45 social networks simultaneously and from a single touchpoint. Not only this, but it also allows the users to embed their streams on any external website through RTMP streaming. The Basic Package starts from as low as $12, but you can also get started for free.
Myth #7: The Value of a Live Stream is only During the Live Session
Reality Check: Unknown to many, going live is just one part of live streaming. You can significantly multiply the value of your video content even after you’ve done broadcasting. Even after the session has ended, your live video stays on the live stream platform and social media you’ve broadcasted to and remains open to all sorts of engagement. Most interestingly, it is available to be seen in “replay” to many more viewers after the live broadcast has ended. Also, these videos can be downloaded and repurposed. And you, as a streamer, can reuse these videos for broadcasting later.
Myth #8: Live Streaming is Only Effective for Big Events
Reality Check: As much as it is effective for bigger events where you have your house full, live streaming is equally effective for smaller events. In fact, one of the most commonly cited benefits of live streaming is the magnificent boost it offers to expand your reach beyond all sorts of boundaries of space and time. The size of the event doesn’t dictate the need for live streaming. Be it staff training, customer reviews, product demos, or large-scale product launches; live streaming is a strategic maneuver for one and for all.
Myth #9: Blogs are More Effective than Live Streams
Reality Check: Scroll back to the top of this article – 80% of the people prefer watching live videos from a brand rather than reading a blog. Now, let that sink in. This particular trait of modern-day content consumers has notably altered how big brands project themselves and their content to the outside world. While this doesn’t negate the need for written content or underestimate the power of words, it certainly does force the content creators to consider a healthy mix of content to ensure maximum audience engagement. Hence, live streams are no way less effective than blogs, rather more.
Read More: Top Live Streaming Trends to Watch Out for in 2021
Myth #10: Live Streaming Isn’t as Effective as In-Person Events
Reality Check: Let’s go back to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic when the entire world went into complete lockdown, putting a complete standstill on each aspect of everyday life. That was when live streaming came to the rescue, despite the social distancing directives and other physical restrictions. Live streaming allows you to engage and interact with audiences beyond the limitations of space and time, beyond the physical boundaries, and beyond the demographic profile of your audiences. With live streams, you can target anyone and everyone, from students to church worshipers, from gamers to senior citizens; live streaming has proven to be as effective as in-person events.
Live Streaming is Here to Stay!
In a nutshell, live streaming is an incredibly useful tool for sharing valuable video content. It capitalizes on the ability to harness a wider audience, engage with them on a one-to-one basis, and create visibility. With a growing user base and its growing popularity across various live video platforms, it’s clear that live streaming has staying power.
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 content@onestream.live. You’re also welcome to Write for Us!
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