Note: This was featured as part of our Web Wednesday segment on Charleston’s 105.5 The Bridge with Box in the Morning. You can catch us every Wednesday morning at 8:20 am ET for your dose of social media & digital marketing news. You can listen to the segment below:
With almost all of the major platforms offering live video, how do you decide which one to use? This week, we talked about the three different options for live-streaming on social media, and what we think each one is best used for.
Facebook Live was released to all audiences in April of 2016, and is by far the most popular option. One of the best features is that your video publishes permanently to your timeline or Facebook Page after your broadcast ends. (Of course, you can delete it if you choose to, but it will not disappear on its own.) After your broadcast, you can save the video to your smartphone to share on other platforms. Although Facebook Live has been mobile only, Facebook just announced that they’re starting to roll out the ability to go live on Pages from desktop computers. Viewers can react and comment in real time, as well as after your broadcast has been ended and published. We believe that Facebook Live should be your live-streaming focus, especially since video content is extremely popular on Facebook, and most people will check your Facebook Page for company updates before any other platform.
Twitter-owned Periscope was actually the first of the major platforms to join the live-streaming game. The app launched at the beginning of 2015 and was purchased by Twitter in March 2015. Initially video was only available for 24 hours, but in the middle of last year, they updated the software to keep all broadcasts. Similarly to Facebook Live, you can save your broadcast to your smartphone. Although users can only go live from mobile, brands have the option to apply to be able to broadcast from professional cameras. You can choose to go live through your Twitter app, or through the Periscope app, and your Twitter and Periscope followers will be able to see if you’re live. Viewers can like and comment in real time, but the option to comment goes away once the broadcast has ended. If your business already has a large following or community on Twitter or Periscope, this is a great live-streaming option. Otherwise, it might not have as many benefits for your business as Facebook Live.
Instagram Live is the baby of the live-streaming apps, having been launched at the tail end of 2016. What really separates it from other platforms is that your video completely disappears after your broadcast ends, and there’s no way to save it. Viewers can like and comment on your Instagram Live in real time as well. This option would be great to use if you want to offer a flash sale or informational segment only for the people who tune in to your broadcast.
Have some other questions about social media marketing? We’re here to help. Fill out our free consultation form to learn what we can do for your business.
