LiveVideo

Getting the
Most For
Your Brand
Using Live
Video on
Social Media
Kyndall DySard,
Juwan Johnson
and Arvanna Smart

Table of Contents
01 Introduction to Live Streaming
02 Who the Key Players Are
04 Choose the Best Platform
05 When to Use Live Video
09 Pros and Cons of Using Live Video
10 Tips on Using Live Video
12 Using Metrics
14 Resources

Introduction to Live Streaming
Video is a platform like no other. People turn
to video to learn new things, be entertained,
and communicate with others. Live video
streaming is the act of broadcasting what is
happening at that exact moment in time. It
allows viewers to see what is happening as
it’s happening.
Live video on social media is changing the
way brands communicate with their
audiences. It makes brands, and the people
they represent, accessible. The more you
interact, the more likely your viewers are to
react. Because social media is widely
adopted and its distribution is effortless,
video has become a primary source for
content consumption online. Cisco predicts
that by 2020, over 75% of the world’s mobile
data traffic will be video. 1
Audiences crave experiences, and by combining live video with social media, it
allows for the highest interaction, but only if done correctly. A live video can
often feel more personal, genuine, and spontaneous. Blending social media
with live video allows viewers to become co-creators of a brand’s story; putting
greater emphasis on the message the brand is trying to share. Through real
time feedback, customers can positively, or negatively, alter the video’s
message in a matter of seconds.
Facebook was among one of the first social media sites to implement the new
tool of live video streaming in 2016. Since then, other social media sites have
created their own versions of live video such as Twitter Live using Periscope,
Instagram Live, and YouTube Live.
1
1
bit.ly/2tlfsi5

Who the Key Players
Facebook: Since 2016 Facebook Live has become one of the top key players in
live video. This is partially because Facebook has over 2.13 billion monthly active
users. 2 Facebook live allows users to broadcast anything, anywhere, at anytime.
Facebook Live also allows their users to interact by commenting on the video.
What separates Facebook Live from some of the other platforms is the fact that
Facebook Live videos can be saved and accessed later.
Twitter using Periscope: Twitter implemented live video through a separate
extension app called Periscope. Periscope is an app that allows users to create
their own streaming channel where viewers are able to tune in at anytime during
the stream. Viewers are also able to comment as the stream is going on. The
interaction is also accompanied with the ability to ‘Heart’ the stream as it is
happening. This act is similar to the liking and commenting on Instagram.
Instagram: Instagram users can live stream content through Instagram stories.
With this, users are able to post videos throughout the day; similar to the
Snapchat. When posting their story, users have the option to go live. This gives
others the chance to see the person at that very moment. What separates
Instagram from other platforms is the fact that once a user is done going live, the
content is gone. The footage from the live video session can only be viewed for
24 hours after the broadcast has ended, and only if the owner of the video
chooses to save it.
YouTube: Unlike the other live streaming services, YouTube is a video sharing
platform, not a social media platform. This alone separates Youtube from the
other streaming services. Youtube Live allows users to live broadcast from their
channels. The live videos are also saved once the session has ended. With
YouTube Live, users can add automatic closed captions and can tag their videos
with a location enabling viewers to see other live streams in the area. 3 Through
this process, viewers can also buy promotional placement for their chats.
2
2
bit.ly/2oJK7Ba
3
bit.ly/2I9adWc

The number of social media users across the world is
expected to be 2.62 billion in 2018. Because of the
breadth of social media today, these channels have
become a way for brands to meet customers where
they are. Through sharing, commenting, and content
creation, social networks can amplify a brand’s
message quickly, and on a global scale.
Many strategists have started gravitating to live video
because it is naturally more engaging. Live video is as
raw and real as it gets. And because it happens in real
time, viewers can sense the legitimate vulnerabilities of
the brand. It’s also an opportunity for a brand to stay
relevant and meet the needs of the customer in ways
other marketing channels cannot.
3

Choose the Best Platform
The platform you choose can affect your success. You’ll see different audiences on
different platforms, and you want to create content in the place your audience already
goes.
Facebook: As the largest social media platform, Facebook boasts the broadest audience
potential. According to techcrunch, Facebook had 2 billion monthly active users in 2017. 4
Compared to Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, Facebook Live has the best analytics.
Twitter using Periscope: Twitter offers a location-oriented live video environment. While
Twitter’s audience is smaller than Facebook, with 330 million monthly active users in
2017, 5 live videos posted on Twitter can also be seen by 10 million users on Periscope. 6 The
partnership between Twitter’s live video and Periscope allows users to find a live video via
their location.
Instagram: Instagram live videos disappear after 24 hours. Due to the lack of ability to
archive live videos, Instagram has served as a more causal platform than Facebook or
Twitter. Instagram is unique because users can only view
content from people they follow. Twitter and Facebook
are similar, but a user may see content they don’t
follow if one of their followers shares it. This makes
Instagram a more intimate platform for content creators
to interact with their audience. If you’d prefer to
broadcast to users in a far more intimate environment,
choose Instagram, as Facebook and Twitter generally
represent brands more formally.
YouTube: YouTube is a popular destination for
appointment based live videos. YouTube is different
from the other platforms mentioned because it’s a
video sharing platform, not a social media platform.
Technology based companies often use YouTube Live
for public addresses, webinars and tutorials. Adobe
hosts software tutorials for businesses and freelancers
looking to use their products. Similarly to Facebook
and Twitter, YouTube Live also stores videos following
the conclusion of the broadcast.
4
4
tcrn.ch/2tlfKWd
5
bit.ly/2toLaeC
6
for.tn/2FkMDnv

When to Use Live Video
Live video is a popular and growing trend for
marketers to use on social media. It helps them
stand out from the competition by making their
marketing interactive. Live video also has the
power to convey messages faster and more
effectively to
the consumer,
but only if it’s
executed
effectively.
So, why should
you go live?
Companies,
organizations,
and brands often
go live to promote their product/service, connect
with their consumers, and communicate
important messages.
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Product Demonstrations: Utilizing live video can show your social
media followers something they wouldn’t expect from your brand.
Filmed product demonstrations can often come across as spam, but
going live can personalize the demonstration, connect with your
audience, and answer any questions that come through. Not only will
they be more inclined to purchase, but seeing the product being used
live helps show them that it actually works.
Big Announcements: Going live to tell your consumers and followers
some BIG news is a great way to get them excited about your brand.
Strategists can use live video to create hype for an event, or even hype
up the video by promoting when you’re scheduled to go live.
Product Launches: Doing a product launch live can be a great way to
engage your audience and convince your consumers to purchase.
Unboxing a product live can also be a great way to showcase the
product, but also the design and packaging as well. Unboxing and
revealing products live can show viewers the excitement behind your
brand.
Breaking News: Using live video on social media is a great way to
report on breaking news- when there’s little to no time to create a
package. News stations
and journalists often
use live video on
social media to reach,
inform, and educate
their own audience.
Live video on social
media is also a great
way to share news
quickly to reach the
masses.
6

Behind the Scenes Looks: What’s it like to work for your company?
How is your product made? What’s your process for designing
packaging for a new product? Live-streaming works as a great
introduction to the behind-the-scenes action at your company. This
type of video enhances your brand’s trust and transparency with
customers.
Live Events: Live events could include presentations, talks,
conferences, press conferences, performances, concerts, tours, meet
and greets, and more. Going live at an event is a perfect way to show
your viewers what they’re missing out on. If they weren't able to
attend an event, the live video still gives them a taste. The video
could also serve as a way to get consumers interested enough to
attend the next event. For
example, (concerts and
getting people to come to
the next show). In fact,
video of a live event
increases brand
favorability by 63%. 7
Customer Q&A Sessions:
Organize sessions where
you let the audience ask
you about their concerns
or areas of interest. This is a great way to increase engagement
because you’re showing people that you care about their thoughts
and opinions. It’s important to acknowledge questions that are
interesting and can provide value to your viewers. Mentioning the
name of the user asking the question can also increase engagement
and make the session seem more personable.
7
7
bit.ly/2to6T6e

Worried live social video doesn’t fit
with your brand image? The key, with
any live video, is to keep the audience
engaged, entertained, and delighted.
Just because you don’t represent a
bigshot, global consumer brand
doesn’t mean you’re too boring or
small for live social video. In fact, live
video on social media could be the
opportunity your brand has been
looking for to resonate with today’s
digital-first consumers. One way to
help improve your live video tactics on
social media is to study your audience
and take a long look at your metrics.
But before you get started, make sure
you know the pros and cons of using
live video.
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Pros and Cons of Using Live Video
Pros
Easy to use: With current technology advancing, social media sites have found a way
to stay in front of the curve by creating add-ons that are fairly easy to use. Live video is
as simple as clicking a button!
Engagement: Live video encourages the idea of more personal engagement. Live video
encourages engagement through features like the comments section. This means the
host and the user are able to interact with each other through while the live video is
happening through the comments.
Real-Time: Live video provides a more intimate and personable vibe for viewers. Live
video promotes a non-rehearsed, genuine feel that comes from the fact that the video is
in real-time.
Shareable: Just like anything else on social media, live video is shareable. Users are
able to create links to share their live video stream and share it with their friends,
followers, with groups, or to other pages.
Cons
Legalities: Because the video is live, users have to be careful what they show the
world. Examples of legal issues happening from live video include underage drinking,
suicides, murder cases, and more.
Timing: Timing becomes an issue with live video as users have to be aware of when
they choose to go live. Do a little research before going live and see what time your
followers are active on your platform. You should only go live at times they know
others are tuning in.
Technology: Technology can scare a lot of people from using live video, but it doesn’t
have to! Before you go live, make sure you know how live video works. Test it out on a
lesser account or when your followers aren’t online to understand how to work it.
Costs: Although live streaming is free, the more popular your live videos become], the
more you may want to spend. When streaming a live video, you’ll want to have the best
equipment to make the stream look nice, especially if the user is live streaming from
YouTube live, where users often have a more professional look as opposed to Twitter,
Facebook, or Instagram Live.
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Tips on Using Live Video
Practice: Are you camera shy? While some have a natural talent for
being comfortable in front of the camera; those who don’t have natural
talent can achieve a great camera presence by simply rehearsing lines
and securing a location prior to broadcast. Ensure that your background
has minimal distractions so that your viewers will be able to hear and
see you clearly. Before you go live, practice moving the camera or try
setting up a tripod. The extra practice helps ensure that your broadcast
can go on without minimal hiccups. Your viewers will thank you for it!
Plan it Out: Jotting down notes to stay on topic and planning out the
direction of a moving broadcast can save you some stress during the
broadcast. Once the live video starts you can’t pause it to remedy a
logistics issue or adjust after an abrupt lighting change. Have some fun
and set up your location and double check everything so your viewers
can see and hear you clearly.
The subject of the video will be
able to focus more on content if
they have a low-fidelity script or
card holder to work with. The flow
of the live video must remain
consistent in order to maintain
viewers; abrupt changes and
sudden stops will break your
viewers’ attention, encouraging
them to leave your broadcast.
10

Interact/Beware of Video Lag:
The main benefit of live video is
that unlike live television,
viewers can interact with the
subject or host through a
chatfeed or by likes. Unless
you’re presenting at a
conference or in a journalistic
capacity, you must respond to
user questions or comments in
order to maintain viewership and
viewer engagement.
If your live video is about an opinion-oriented topic, share a poll to gain
insight on how your viewers feel. If the audience has questions about
your brand, the host should be prepared to answer them. This makes
the brand appear more personified and organic. In order to maintain
continuity, ending a video with a call to action or compelling question
will ensure that users catch your next live video and arrive with a lot to
say. An easy way to incorporate interactive conversations is to ask
questions. While waiting for users to respond, the host can also provide
context to the question in order to fill in moments of awkward silence.
Interaction will also make the host seem more organic and not just an
individual on the other side of a screen.
Quality: Quality is a HUGE part of what draws people to live videos.
Naturally, viewers enjoy videos where they can see their subject
clearly, hear the subject and not have to think about how they can
better understand the video. If viewers have a hard time seeing and
hearing the live video, they will abandon the video. Investing in a tripod,
or an audio recording device can tremendously improve the quality of
your video and enable users to be more engaged.
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Using Metrics
Facebook Live: Facebook Live videos tend to
appear higher in News Feed when they are live
than when they are no longer live. A Facebook
Live post looks quite similar to a video post. The
only difference is that when the video is live,
there’s a red “LIVE” and a viewer count in the
top-left corner. Facebook has a built-in analytics
platform, Page Insights, that lets you track a wide
variety of statistics on your videos, posts,
campaigns and audiences. With Facebook Live,
content strategists are able to track post
performance, audience engagement, viewer
retention, clicks, reach, and negative feedback.
Instagram Live: Instagram Live videos are
short-lived: as soon as the broadcast ends, the
video disappears. No replays. Instagram live
videos are not viewable or saved after the
live-streaming has ended. However, Instagram sends your followers a
notification whenever you go live. When the live video ends, Instagram
will display the number of viewers who watched any part of the live video.
There is no analytics available for Instagram live videos at the moment, so
make sure to take a screenshot to record
how many viewers you had during
your live video.
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Twitter Live: Twitter’s Live Video function was acquired when Twitter purchased
Periscope. Content strategists are able to view the video’s live viewers, replay
viewers time watched (total, per viewer, and per broadcast minute), duration, and
comments received. Metrics can be found by visiting Twitter and Periscope. These
metrics can be viewed on Twitter desktop by following these instructions:
1. Click your account/bio photo in the top right hand corner of Twitter.
2. Select “Analytics”
3. On the top navigation bar, click “More”
4. Choose “Video”
5. From here, you’re able to look at any all videos published during any
90-day period.
Using the Periscope app, you can find the metrics of individual videos using the
following steps:
1. Tap on the “People” icon (the first icon from the right).
2. Tap on the profile icon in the upper-right corner of the app.
3. Scroll down and tap on “Broadcasts”.
4. Tap on the broadcast that you are interested in.
5. Review your metrics.
YouTube Live: While YouTube might not exactly be a social media platform, it is
the default video hosting platform for most
people. When you use Stream now you'll be
able to see people who are “watching now”
and live chat messages. YouTube metrics
include: watch time, audience retention,
demographics, playback locations, traffic
sources and devices. These metrics will be
available in YouTube Analytics 48-72 hours
after your live stream ends, however Live
Stream metrics on YouTube can be
downloaded as a CSV file after the live
stream ends.
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Resources
Cisco. (2017, June 6). Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology,
2016–2021. Retrieved March 5, 2018, from
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking
-index-vni/complete-white-paper-c11-481360.pdf
Cummings, C. (2016, September 26). Infographic: Latest Twitter Study Sheds Light on
Just How Well Video Is Doing. Retrieved March 05, 2018, from
http://www.adweek.com/digital/infographic-latest-twitter-study-sheds-light-just-howwell-video-doing-173661/
Constine, J. (2017, June 27). Facebook now has 2 billion monthly users... and
responsibility. Retrieved March 05, 2018, from
https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/27/facebook-2-billion-users/
Mark Zuckerberg. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2018, from
https://www.facebook.com/zuck/posts/10102764095821611
Newman, J. (2018, February 26). YouTube adds live streaming features. Retrieved
March 05, 2018, from
https://www.fastcompany.com/40536105/youtube-adds-live-streaming-features-to-ca
tch-up-with-twitch
Periscopers Are Watching 40 Years Of Video Every Day. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05,
2018, from http://fortune.com/2015/08/12/periscope-10-million-accounts/
Top 20 Facebook Statistics - Updated February 2018. (2018, February 16). Retrieved
March 05, 2018, from https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-statistics/
Twitter. (n.d.). Number of monthly active Twitter users worldwide from 1st quarter
2010 to 4th quarter 2017 (in millions). In Statista - The Statistics Portal. Retrieved
March 5, 2018, from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/282087/number-of-monthly-active-twitter-users/.
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