Embrace the Power of Live Streaming to Connect with Your Target Audience: From Mobile Games to Live Shopping
If you’re not utilizing live streaming to engage with your audience, you may be missing out on a significant portion of your target market. Live video has become a popular and rapidly growing medium for content creators to connect with viewers, with 24% of the world’s streaming video content being delivered through live platforms by early 2021. The numbers behind live streaming are impressive, making it essential to incorporate this medium into your mobile marketing strategy to achieve success.
There are several reasons why live streaming has become the preferred content format. Academics suggest that viewers engage with live content because they feel a connection with the host and experience a sense of social presence.
But what exactly is live streaming? It is a powerful way to connect with your target audience and deliver a personalized message in a distinctive manner. By leveraging your social media presence, you can stream live footage to a large audience, providing your followers with a unique glimpse into your company. The live streaming market is expanding exponentially.
The rapid growth of live streaming has caught the attention of marketers, with 28% of them increasing their investments in this area.
Gaming is one of the domains where live streaming has thrived. Twitch, for example, boasts an average of nearly 2.8 million viewers per day, and according to Nielsen SuperData, it is expected to generate $2 billion in revenue by 2020. In 2020 alone, the Twitch community watched over 1 trillion minutes of content across all devices. With the integration of chat and messaging features in gaming apps/platforms, young people have found a way to engage, socialize, and be entertained. This trend highlights the power of live streaming in the gaming industry.
Social apps have also embraced live streaming, contributing to the creation of a second-generation social economy. A report by App Annie reveals that consumers will spend a staggering 548 billion hours on live streaming on top social apps this year. Social apps will account for 44% of all mobile time, representing 740 billion hours of consumer engagement in the second quarter of 2021. The surge in live streaming is fueling the current boom in social app usage.
Live shopping has emerged as a significant focus for social apps, with platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest hosting their own live shopping streams featuring popular creators to maximize their commercial potential. YouTube is also joining the race, planning a series of live holiday shopping streams that allow viewers to interact with influencers and celebrities in real-time while facilitating direct in-app shopping.
Live commerce combines real-time product purchases with app store optimization services viewer engagement through chat features or reaction buttons. In China, live commerce has revolutionized the retail industry, becoming a major sales channel within a short span of five years. Western retailers are following suit, with early adopters reporting significant sales. Fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger, for instance, expanded its live-streaming program to Europe and North America after its success in China, where a show attracted 14 million viewers and sold 1,300 hoodies in just two minutes. Walmart also tested a live fashion event on TikTok in December 2020, drawing seven times more viewers than expected and increasing its TikTok fan base by 25%.
So, how can live streaming benefit your mobile app business?
- Reach a larger audience: Live streaming enables brands to connect with people who may not have heard of them yet, expanding their reach beyond traditional marketing methods like email campaigns.
- Mobile prevalence: With smartphones being ubiquitous, live streams can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Whether it’s during a commute, lunch break, or leisure time at home, people can easily watch live streams on their smartphones.
- Enhanced engagement: Videos capture and maintain viewer attention better than lengthy descriptions, making live streaming a more engaging format. By condensing your message into a few minutes of video, you can effectively communicate with your audience.
- Increased conversion rates: Live streaming attracts more viewers than traditional video and keeps them engaged for longer periods. According to Facebook, live videos are watched three times longer than standard videos. The immersive nature of real-time commerce also accelerates the customer decision-making process, with conversion rates reaching up to 30%, ten times higher than traditional e-commerce.
- Building relationships: Live streaming allows brands to establish a deeper connection with consumers by humanizing their brand and demonstrating a willingness to assist customers. By showcasing your brand’s personality and addressing common issues, you can position yourself as a helpful and trusted market leader.
In conclusion, incorporating live streaming into your mobile marketing strategy can revolutionize the way you engage with your target audience. Whether it’s through gaming, social apps, or live shopping, harnessing the power of live streaming can boost your brand’s visibility, engagement, and ultimately, your bottom line.