Live Streaming Going Viral: Biggest Content Marketing Trend to Adopt in 2017 by Academia

By ASMA On May 3, 2017

3 min read

Social media is one of the most dynamic industry domains where cutting edge innovation in technology changes things overnight. The same happened when Facebook Live was introduced in April, 2016 where Facebook empowered its users to live stream real-time happenings online. It rapidly became a game changing tool for content marketers worldwide.

But before we move ahead, let us see a few statistics gathered from various sources on the internet that shows why live streaming is here to stay leveraging the power of social media space.

Cisco’s Visual Networking Index forecasts that video will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic by 2019.
68% of users are said to share the videos they watch on their smartphones, implying that the most used apps are perfect spaces for brands to advertize.
In 2016, social media sphere enjoyed more than 2.3 billion active users and more than 1.9 billion active mobile social users.
More than 83% of marketers have already utilized social media marketing to boost their sales and gain better brand identity.
Millennials love video content and were the most active video viewers of any age group in 2016. They are not likely to slow down in 2017.
14% of marketers experimented with it (live streaming videos) in 2016 itself and 43% plan to use live video this year. (As per Social Media Examiner).

YouTube was the first social media platform that built the foundation for promoting video content online. Now Live streaming is taking it to the next level by airing content as it takes place. The technology first got attention and popularity by the launch of Twitter’s Periscope. Now Facebook Live has come in to action. Instagram and Snapchat are the next to follow with their own live video options for telling stories, and by no means are they going to be the last platform to implement live streaming video technology. YouTube already has this feature. So, the world of digital media is changing fast with the arrival of live streaming of videos. It is giving rise to marketing live and authentic content.
Why Live Streaming Videos for Academia?

By broadcasting live, Institutions can make viewers also feel part of the action, thereby creating a strengthened bond and connection. Video is easier to consume than written content. It helps to recreate real time situations for experiencing a product or service. Recording feature helps to ensure longevity of the content which can later be shared with friends too. Hence, it is a powerful tool for using experiential marketing technique for better brand engagement.
Colleges/Universities can use the feature of live video for airing certain events/programs of the Institute to connect larger audience for increasing brand outreach. It can further be used to organize short Q&A sessions with prospective students. It could be a good platform to start a conversation for relationship building with admission aspirants and other stakeholders such as recruiters.
It’s also an excellent story-telling medium based on pre-identified campaign objectives, with huge potential to grow in that area as more institutions adapt. It is a powerful medium to build new relationships in the process
However, it is important to identify the right social channel for live streaming videos beforehand. For this the academic institution should firstly analyze the platform where its target audience spends most of the time. Accordingly it can come up with a plan to connect with them on those networks. Institutions can use this feature to keep their followers engaged and the added advantage is that the followers can watch an event live which they otherwise might not be able to attend. Enjoying ‘in-the moment’ content rather than seeing a recorded video later is a joyful experience in itself.

Conclusion
2017 will be the year to see how companies and academia alike are going to leverage this technology where new features are being added frequently. In fact, Facebook is expected to expand its broadcast feature to enable live streaming of 360 degree videos too. It will be an exciting development to watch which will have the interesting aspect of 360 technology built-in with instant engaging features of a live coverage.
So, if your College or University hasn’t thought of a Live Video Strategy for promotion yet, now is the time to get one in place.