Video and streaming content for your business
Your business could benefit from offering your services or promoting your products online using video and streaming services. There are many services and providers available—consider which option could work best for you.
Video is a creative medium with endless possibilities. While there isn't a definitive way to create video content to help a business's goals, the information below will give you a place to start with planning your own.
Streaming content has a somewhat different application, with different requirements, but can still be an effective product.
Creating and using video content
Videos can be used for advertising, website content or as content that can be published through social media and other marketing channels. Video content can range from an externally produced, high-end product to something as simple as a vlog (video blog) that you record yourself on a mobile device.
When developing video content for your business, consider what content is most appropriate for different uses. For example, 'evergreen content' (content that is unlikely to need regular updates) may be suitable for your website, while topical or temporary video content may be more suited to specific advertising campaigns or for social media.
You can use video content to expand your brand across the internet and social media platforms to reach a broader audience. Developing video content can be simple or complex and can fit within any budget.
Considerations before creating video content
Ask yourself the following questions to help you establish how video content can improve your business.
What result do you want to get from the video content you create?
Do you want to:
- showcase your products
- explain how products, or services work
- improve brand loyalty
- increase subscribers, sales or followers
- entertain or educate.
- Do you have a large amount of funding to spend and therefore can hire a camera crew, writers, directors or advertising agencies to create your video content?
- Are you a solo content creator, producing video content using your mobile devices as a low-cost option?
- Do you want to do interviews, product demonstrations, video blogs (vlogs), lifestyle videos, instructional videos, customer testimonials?
- Do you want to hire professional video cameras, lighting, and sound gear?
- Do you want to use your video camera and an attached microphone?
- Would your mobile device film the quality of video you need, therefore reducing your production costs?
In answering these questions, you should have a better understanding of the video content you could produce that would help your business. You can learn more about the following or do your own research into the style of content that interests you:
Streaming video content for your business
There are various video streaming applications that you can use to better offer your services and products online, including live streaming, webinars and video conferencing.
Live streaming
Live streaming is a continuous live video that is delivered directly to the viewers. Live streaming lets you deliver video content in real-time online via a web platform or mobile app. Live streams are often free sources of content for public audiences to consume. You may also have the option of saving a live stream to then be replayed later on a video-sharing platform.
Live streaming is a great way to engage with the followers of your business and continue to build your brand and online audience. Viewers who attend your live streams show they are connected to or are interested in what you offer. Live streaming is a great way to get extensive exposure to broad audiences.
Live streaming apps are often connected to social media platforms, making it easy to get started. YouTube, Facebook and Instagram are widely used live streaming platforms.
How to start live streaming
If it's your first time live streaming, run a practice event with a few trusted friends, family or loyal customers to help you get familiar with the format.
Make sure you choose a live streaming platform that suits your business needs. For example, if you already have a strong follower base on 1 platform, it makes sense to use it for live streaming.
Live streaming guides for popular platforms
All major live streaming platforms will have detailed guides and advice on how to use their streaming services. Learn how to:
Best practices for live streaming
- Assess the areas your audience can see.
- Remove any personal or location-identifying objects (unless you want to promote your own business premises) to protect your privacy.
- Ensure your presentation fits the same branding and style as your business.
- Avoid wearing striped clothing, as this conflicts with clean video capturing on screen.
- Live stream from neat, well-lit areas.
- Make sure your camera is clean and ready to stream.
- Ensure your devices are fully charged or plugged into a power source.
- Let your audience know in advance when you plan to live stream for maximum attendance.
- Consider appropriate lead time for different events that you are covering in your live stream.
- Talk with your attendees—your audience is there to be a part of your live stream.
- Welcome those by name who regularly attend your live streams—your audience wants to connect with you and hear what you have to say.
- Tailor the tone of the live stream to the purpose of the content and the audience.
- Use an informal approach in your presentation—have some fun and communicate more casually.
Webinars
Webinars are live or pre-recorded video presentations where the attendees generally register to attend. They are often one-way communication—the speaker talks to the audience. But in a live webinar, viewers can post or ask questions in advance, enabling viewers to receive immediate expert advice from you.
Webinars can provide the following opportunities for your business:
- share information about your products and services
- connect with customers in different parts of the state, country or world
- educate and engage viewers
- share detailed content with large audiences
- generate new high-quality leads
- deliver low-cost and practical staff training
- attract high volume attendance.
Best practice for webinars
Plan what you are going to deliver during your webinar. It is a good idea to have a written script outlining the points and topics you want to cover.
Decide if you are going to make your webinar available for offline viewing before you go live. If you are recording the live stream, inform all attendees at the start of the stream and again after a few minutes to ensure that privacy and confidentiality requirements are met.
Give some time to answer viewer questions at the end of your live webinar. Questions provide a great way to engage with your viewers, clarify your message and strengthen the value of your brand.
Give plenty of notice of your upcoming webinar, so your audience has time to register. Appropriate lead times will help get more people attending.
Invite experts or personalities to your webinars to cross-promote your business to their social community and followers.
Video conferencing
Video conferences are online meetings between people who are separated geographically, allowing for remote attendance.
Video conferences can provide the following benefits:
- opportunities to nurture business relationships
- two-way engagement with attendees
- enhanced remote communication
- increased productivity
- decreased travel costs
- time savings
- increased attendance to meetings.
Popular video conferencing platforms include:
- Microsoft Teams
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- GoTo Meeting.
Examples of effective business video conferencing
- Doctors can provide medical appointments directly to patients at home.
- Fitness coaches can run online personal or group training classes without the cost of renting a studio or gym.
- Consultations can take place from anywhere in the world.
- Annual company meetings can take place without the added expense of hotels, flights and meals.
- Designers can showcase stages of work to a client directly from the production line.
- Companies can showcase their latest products to employees all over the world before a public release.
- Local winemakers can view their growing crops in overseas vineyards, increasing decision making.
- Your workforce can extend beyond your local area—remote workers can stay connected.
Also consider...
- Learn how to take advantage of online communications and customer reviews.
- Find out how to develop skills for running a business.
- Read about choosing and working with business advisers.