Live video in marketing can be a very powerful message to transmit to a certain audience you want to communicate with. Many companies are experimenting to attract clients and use the advantage of modern technologies. Streaming videos can be one of them. People nowadays prefer video to plain text so combining video and audio can be a way to keep people interested in the content they display. Celebrities want to have closer contact with their fans so they sometimes do all this as well to bond with their fans. It can be used for fundraiser purposes, marketing, self-promotion, etc. You have to see what is the cause you need. Your stream can be paid or free, the message you send will be broadcast anyway and the benefits will be obtained even if you do a free streaming event for your targeted group.
How does it work
Live streaming can be amateur or professional. We can all be photographers nowadays since we all have smartphones and other devices. This option is economical, but not very professional. For professionals and those who want to make videos that look professional, some different platforms and tools will be described furthermore. Everything can be live-streamed, from your vlog to big concerts. The guidelines for live streaming can be very detailed, but here are some basics:
- Internet connection; This is crucial for any live stream event. It is advised to stream directly from the Ethernet to an exclusive network to which no other devices will have access.
- Power supply; Light, audio, and encoders are each on their own circuit, and the more you stream, the more power it can draw, so this should be one of the major concerns.
- Access to the venue; There will probably be some regulations to follow so check it with the venue and make sure you have enough space to load your equipment and do the work.
- Switcher and encoder; The difference between recording a regular video and live streaming is the encoding since the encoder is what turns the pre-recorded video to what can be viewable on different devices on the internet.
- Space for your video village; make an environment for the best live streaming setup. Bear in mind that swithers and encoders are purposeless on the ground and that a table would be required.
Basic equipment required for live streaming videos
These are some basic tools that are required for live streaming:
- Camera; It depends on the budget but a good camera is extremely useful for this cause.
- Computer or a laptop
- Streaming platform; This can be Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, etc.
- Intermediate; It would be good to have some tech-savvy team to help you with all this, but it’s not crucial.
- Lightning; the quality depends both on the lightning and the camera, the warmth or depth of the footage for example.
Additional equipment for live streaming videos
Here are some additional tools that can make it all more professional-looking and give you better results.
- Tripod for the camera that will help you position it.
- Microphones; The wireless ones are very handy but they require a receiver station that can be connected to your encoder. The standalone microphone is great as well.
- Streaming destination; other than aforementioned social media, streaming pages can be public or private, people can pay or they can be free, they can be stream- only or on-demand, etc.
- Someone who can help you with the camera.
In case after all this, you prefer not to do it on your own, there are always professionals that do live event streaming and have their own equipment so you don’t have to get one.
Things to have in mind
Make sure to have a decent promotion campaign when hosting a live stream event. You can use social media to boost the popularity of your live stream. The more people attend it the better. Choose time and date, make sure all of the participants can attend if people come from different time zones. Don’t hurry, leave enough time for people to know about your event. Check and test your internet connection. A friend of yours can log in and test it. You don’t want it to fail in the middle of the event. Make sure you engage with the participants. It’s a long-term way to make people want to attend your events in the future.
In the era of communication, we must always be creative and find new ways to promote our work. Video live streaming is a very good way to do so and you can decide whether you would like to pay for professional work to be done or do it on your own and learn how to do this whole process. Use your resources and your web or acquaintances to help you if it’s possible. Use the basic guidelines and investigate more because there is always something that can improve your work. Prepare yourself well, promote yourself, test it, and be relaxed during the stream. It’s an excellent start for successful work.