Livestreaming: Part One

In this next series, we’ll cover everything you need to know about livestreaming. In Part One specifically, we’ll go over what livestreaming is and tips to increase engagement.

What is Livestreaming?

According to Wikipedia, livestreaming is media that is simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real time over the internet. Additionally, 80% of livestream viewers prefer to watch a livestream than read a social media or blog post.

So, why should you do it? Essentially, livestreaming is a great option to connect retailers to shoppers. Multiple social platforms have livestreaming capabilities and the popularity continues to grow. Since livestreams are shown in real time, you can get information out quickly, and the preparation doesn’t take much more than recording a normal video.

Tips to Increase Engagement

Check out these tips to help you increase engagement on your first livestream:

• Offer a live Q&A: This incentivizes your viewers to come with questions ready and interact throughout the stream.
• Promote: Promote early to get your followers excited and ready to tune in.
• Look professional: Investing in a camera mount or tripod will go a long way!
• Share the replay: Post the livestream on your social for anyone who missed out.
• Ask for feedback: This is another option for two-sided engagement. Ask if your followers if they can hear you or if they want more information.
• Send reminders: Create more excitement by posting frequent reminders the day of.
• Offer a next step: Have a goal for the livestream. This can be to get more followers to your social platforms (or to your store too of course).

And speaking of real time engagement, don’t forget to register for our AQR Academy All Access Membership. By registering before next Tuesday, you can save $120 and have access to an entire year’s worth of networking and educational opportunities.

Inspiration for this post came from “Connect Through Livestreaming” by Sommer Leigh published in the December 2021 issue of American Quilt Retailer.

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