What’s the most difficult thing about live streaming? It’s live. This means that if you make mistakes, they’ll probably be noticed by your viewers.
80% of consumers prefer watching live streaming videos from brands over reading blog posts, so you need to be using them as part of your digital marketing strategy. However, making mistakes with live streaming is common, so you need to take steps to prevent them.
Fortunately, with a bit of extra preparation and knowledge, you can avoid making mistakes with live videos. Here are the most common live streaming mistakes that you should avoid.
1. Failing To Create a Clear Plan
One of the biggest mistakes organizations make with live-streaming is not preparing enough beforehand.
It’s important to have a plan for your live stream and to iron out all of the details surrounding it. You should know exactly when the event will start and end.
In addition to this, you should also decide what will happen during the live stream, what topics will be discussed, and how things will flow over the course of the event. You’ll want to decide on whether you’ll have any guests on the live stream, whether you’ll write a script or simply an outline, and anything else that relates to the content.
2. Not Considering Audience Interests
Another big mistake with live streaming is not thinking about what your audience wants to see and hear.
It’s important to gather information before launching a live stream to get an idea of what topics your audience might be interested in. You’ll want to consider their demographics and their interests carefully.
It’s a great idea to poll your audience ahead of time or to ask questions on social media channels to find out what your audience would like to happen during your live stream event. This will help you ensure you’re choosing live stream topics that will drive engagement.
3. Failing To Promote Your Event
Just because your stream is live, it doesn’t mean that anybody is going to watch it. You need to make sure that you’re putting effort into promoting your event ahead of time.
Be sure that you’re trying to build some buzz around your live stream on any social media channels that you use. Post the date and time clearly and include the time zone information. You should also tell your followers more about your live stream and what will be happening during it.
Make sure that you don’t just post about your live stream once. Continue posting about it multiple times leading up to the live stream event date.
4. Bad Audio and Video Quality
While you don’t need to invest in the most top-of-the-line equipment to start live streaming, it is important that you keep the quality of your video and audio in mind.
You should be sure that you have a decent live stream setup that will provide fairly high-quality video and audio. You should also ensure that your internet connection is up for the task of live streaming and that you’re using the best settings for your live stream video. Consider bitrate, resolution, and frame rates settings carefully to ensure that you’ll have a quality broadcast.
The better quality your video is, the better experience your audience will have and the more likely it will be that they’ll continue watching and will tune in for your next live stream.
5. Forgetting to Test Your Stream
Don’t assume that just because you have great equipment and a good setup your streamed event will go smoothly.
It’s important that you spend time testing your live stream before the actual event to ensure that everything is working as it should be. If you want to improve your church live stream, for example, make sure that you test your equipment and software at church first.
Do a test stream so that you can spot any potential mistakes and can ensure that the video and audio quality is up to snuff. Not testing beforehand can be a big mistake and can lead to some embarrassing errors once your actual event begins.
6. Not Prioritizing Audience Engagement
It’s important that you’re actively seeking audience input during your live stream and doing as much as possible to get their attention.
There are many ways to do this. Some of the best ways to make your live stream interactive include running live polls, playing games, having giveaways, or hosting Q&As. It can also be a great idea to do some shout-outs to certain people or to read and respond to live comments as your stream goes on.
Make sure that you acknowledge the people who are watching your live stream and try to interact with them in any way that you can if you want your live stream to be successful.
7. Failing To Follow Up
To make the most of live streaming, you should have a follow-up strategy. You should have a plan to strengthen your bond with audience members and keep them engaged after the stream is over.
Make sure that you use a call-to-action at the end of your live stream if there’s anything that you want your audience to do. After the event, you may want to launch some remarketing ad campaigns or utilize other methods to stay in contact with your audience.
Additionally, remember that it’s usually best to have more than one live stream. Consistently hosting more live streams can help you build a stronger audience over time. Consider choosing a day of the week or a certain day of the month to host a live stream so that your audience can always come back for more.
8. Ignoring Analytics
When hosting a live stream, make sure that you review any analytics that you can afterward. Many live streaming platforms offer analytics tools that can give you a lot of insight into your audience.
By looking at the analytics for your live stream, you can find out a lot about your audience including their geo-locations, what devices they’re using, and more.
With this data, you can better plan your next live stream and can make sure that you’re catering to their needs and interests.
Avoiding These Common Live Streaming Mistakes
While hosting live streams can be a great way to build your audience and provide value to your customers, make sure that you’re avoiding these common live streaming mistakes. Ensure that your stream has quality audio and video and that you’re focused on increasing audience engagement.
Need more helpful tips for promoting and building your organization? Browse our blog now to find more helpful digital marketing articles and guides.