Going Live's Getting Better

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Live video is everywhere right now. Twitter’s live streaming NFL games, platforms have been streaming Presidential debates and more and more brands are getting in on the live streaming game. 79% of marketers say they definitely will or might invest in live stream video advertising. That’s huge for technology that was only on the fringes a year ago.

What’s with the hype? Now, live video is mainstream. Users can open Facebook on their phones and immediately be served up live video. Live video has finally achieved scale, and people are embracing it. They watch live streams three times longer and comment ten times more than they do with regular video.

Beyond that platforms are rewarding live streams. Facebook emphasizes live stream content in their algorithm, creating potential for brands to organically reach customers, connect with them in a live and authentic way, and potentially drive preference.

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What Facebook Can Teach Brands About Disruption

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The Internet has brought about an age of disruption. That’s no secret. From Tesla to Uber to Airbnb to one start-up after another, disruption is all around us, but there is perhaps no greater disruptor that is also a target from fellow disruptors than Facebook. It’s upended the Internet as we know it (with fellow co-conspirators like, most notably, Google), while at the same time being threatened on all sides by the competition (like… Google).

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Live Streaming Isn’t About Broadcasting

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The social web is going in two seemingly opposite directions. Going one way is private messaging where people connect with each other in one-to-one interactions on platforms like WeChat and Facebook Messenger. In the other direction we have video broadcasting platforms like Periscope and Meerkat that allow people to easily share live video of what is happening in the here and now. Somewhere in the middle of those two directions lie our social mainstays: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and company.

Marketers for the most part have those “mainstays” figured out to a certain degree. Those other areas are still a challenge. Private messaging is a challenge because it flies in the face the idea of reaching many people. It’s a one-to-one approach to marketing. Video broadcasting, on the other hand, could potentially reach many people, and it looks like it may be here to stay.

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