What is Live Streaming – Everything You Need to Know

Avoid making a mistake or not getting live streaming right. Knowing what live streaming is and how it works will help you remain eye-to-eye in business conversations.

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following information on live streaming, its applications, and its benefits.

What is Live Streaming and How Does it Work?

Live streaming is when a streamed video is broadcast live over the internet (without previously being recorded and archived). Currently, tutorials, workouts, and social media videos can all be live-streamed.

What is an Example of Live Streaming?

Livestream services can cover a multitude of topics, from social media to video games to professional sports. Platforms such as Facebook Live, Periscope, Douyu, and 17 include the streaming of promotions, celebrity events, and streaming between users (videotelephony).

Is Live Streaming Free?

There are free social media platforms, like YouTube Live and Facebook Live, among others, that allow you to live stream an event free of charge (your costs are the production equipment and hired talent).

What’s the difference between streaming and live TV?

Live streaming is considered the same as streaming, except it permits content to be delivered over the internet as a real-time data stream. For example, encoded media files are broadcast for single-purpose transmission and real-time playback over the internet.

How do I watch live streaming?

To view a live stream, all you are required to have is an internet-enabled device, like a laptop, smart phone, or tablet, and access to the live stream’s platform. Current popular live-streaming apps include Facebook Live, Instagram Live stories, Twitch TV, and Tik Tok.

What are the benefits of live streaming?

Consider a few of the reasons why knowledgeable broadcasters use professional video services, and the valuable advantages live streaming has on hosting virtual live streaming events:

• Customer Support
• Mobile Streaming
• Superior Quality Streams
• Increased Audience Potential
• Unlimited Varieties of Content Use
• Analytics Tracking

What are the disadvantages of live streaming?

A potential drawback of live streaming events is the required increase in bandwidth. Live streaming demands substantial bandwidth, as synced audio and video data are transmitted in real-time over the internet.

Pros & Cons of Streaming Media on a Website

Media streaming has grown in popularity due to advancements in innovation and technology. Similar to other technology-inspired ventures, there are pros and cons associated with streaming media on a website:

Pros of Live Streaming

Instant Viewing – You get immediate access to the content, even when traveling. Various platforms will charge a flat monthly fee to receive full access to their programming.

No Download Time – Streaming platforms have made it easier for audiences to watch their content without stressing over download time or delays. Only a stable internet connection is required for you to watch or attend.

No Memory Space Requirements – There are no downloads involved, and you don’t have to stress over disk or memory space. Live streaming is becoming highly desired, as downloading content on your computer could take up immense amounts of memory, which can adversely affect the performance of your device.

Immediate Playback – In the earlier days of the internet, there was a need for users to include a link on their website if they wanted to share a video with their audience. The visitor had to download the content to watch it later. Now, with video streaming, you can get instant playback.

Multiple Streaming Options – Streaming websites offer you a vast list of options, and there are no limits on how many videos you can watch in a day, provided your subscription is up to date.

Cons of Streaming Media

Online Only – A downside to streaming media from a website is that the videos are only available online. This option severely limits content accessibility to those without internet access.

Internet Speed – Another disadvantage of streaming content is the requirement of a stable internet connection. For the best experience, you will need a minimum of 2MBPS of internet connection. Any less, and you will likely experience buffering and slow web pages.

Security – There is also a risk of exposing or losing financial and personal details when purchasing a subscription from an untrusted platform. However, reputable sites are adopting security measures to ensure your information security.

Live Streaming Technology

In this article, you discovered valuable information about live streaming, its multiple applications, advantages, and disadvantages.

Applying live streaming to your marketing strategy will help enhance the market performance of your products, increase your business’s visibility, and give your audience real-time information.

Ignoring this technology creates space and opportunity for your competitors to reach your audience and ultimately capture their business, decreasing your potential revenue.

Sources:
its.umich.edu/communication/television-video/live-event-streaming/basics
marketing-toolbox.davidson.edu/photography-video/live-streaming/

See https://webcastingandvirtualevents.com/what-is-live-streaming/ for the first version of this content.

13 Ways To Make Your Virtual Event More Engaging

Prevent a dull and uneventful virtual event experience from driving attendance down. Knowing how to engage your audience and make them feel like an active participant will contribute to a significantly more successful virtual event.

webcastingandvirtualevents.com gathered the following 13 ways to energize your online audience and keep their attention focused on your event content.

How To Make Virtual Events More Engaging

With virtual meetings or events like webinars and conferences, operating outside the box is truly the only solution for keeping your participants tuned in from the beginning till the end. The following are 13 ingenious ways to keep your audience’s interest focused and avoid their premature leaving:

1. Present Compelling Content

When you go virtual, there is increased pressure on your content to attract and keep attention. Convincing attendees to show up for your event requires offering compelling content that captures their interest more than the movie that was just released on Netflix. Read more on leveraging content at webcastingandvirtualevents.com/content-marketing-guide-with-examples/

2. Shout Out Attendees by Name

While no one particularly likes to be called out in the middle of a meeting, it will certainly keep you alert. The same way some influencers single out members of their audience, have experienced speakers mention attendee names in the session.

3. Be Observant of Meeting Length

You might have the impression that because attendees are sitting at in-person events and virtual events, that their session durations shouldn’t change. But, there’s a striking difference between sitting in a two-hour in-person presentation with other engaged attendees, watching a presentation filled with music, performance, and inspiring speeches, and sitting alone in a chair at home.

Virtual sessions can feel longer, and attendees are more likely to click away during the event. Keep your meetings and sessions shorter than normal to keep your attendees focused on the content.

4. Collaborate With Other Creators

If you’re putting on a multiple-day virtual event, collaborate with other creators. This will help diversify the format and better appeal to your audience, keeping them engaged throughout the whole event.

You can do this by having:

• Interactive topic panels 
• Case studies from past participants
• Panel-style presentations and interactions


5. Production/Product Quality

The final production and product quality of your virtual event and its content is your opportunity to make a profound impact. Look to video best practices to truly make your mark. Acquire the highest quality cameras, branded props, crisp mics, and quality of your presentations. Stunning graphics and excellent video quality will keep your event attendees mesmerized with the screen. Read more on video content creation at webcastingandvirtualevents.com/video-content-creation-tips-and-tools/

6. Live Q&A

Let attendees pose questions and provide answers during Q&A sessions. By offering exceptional content, your attendees will have questions and want answers from the expert(s). Include Q&A time in the same way you would at an in-person event.

7. FAQs and Tips and Tricks for Virtual Events

Build an easily accessible page on your event website specifically for FAQs. Create a guide for your attendees with information about how to get the most out of a virtual event. Think beyond the typically written guide and make a series of video tutorials instead.

8. Surveys and Knowledge Tests

Hold your attendees intellectually accountable. Give surveys after each information block, whether it’s live or an on-demand event, or give a simple knowledge test to see if they were tuned in or not. This is an exceptional tool for educational content.

9. Live Keynotes

Your keynotes need to be engaging, inspirational, and educational. And, in a virtual setting, it’s best for them to be live. If your virtual event comprises many blocks or sessions, try to place a live keynote speaker to build a sense of excitement and online community. Encourage attendees to post their favorite quotes and thoughts to social media and message streams.

10. Networking

In-person events focus heavily on networking. Virtual meetings can make the most of networking, too. Using your mobile event app’s attendee list and connect your attendees based on common interests or shared event goals. Promote virtual happy hours or gatherings for attendees to make valuable connections.

11. On-Demand, Diverse, and Flexible Content

Sitting in a chair all day and watching videos can get very old and tedious quickly. On-demand sessions permit attendees to see content and watch sessions at their own speed. Offer sessions that can be watched at any time. If you want attendees to stick to a fixed schedule, give them space and add time in for breaks.

12. Messaging in the Event App

Maximize the use of your virtual event technology. Mobile event apps usually have built-in messaging capabilities. Encourage your attendees to talk to one another and interact. Keep them talking throughout the event in the easiest way possible – with a tool built into the event app. or software.

13. Swag

If you have collected your event attendee’s street addresses, you should send them swag. If you only have their email addresses, you can still send them swag. Virtual event attendees (like most people) love free things. Consider gifting them with an e-gift card for coffee or mail out t-shirts, pens, hats, or other branded material before the event for attendees to wear throughout the virtual event.

Think Outside the Box with Your Virtual Event

A virtual event isn’t required to be a stripped-down version of an in-person event. While it can’t match the experience of an in-person event, engagement should still be one of the top priorities. Going virtual only means that you will have to amp up your creativity about keeping attendees focused and inspired.

Create an Engaging Virtual Event

In this article, you discovered 13 ways to increase a virtual audience’s interest in exploring your content and promotional activities.

When you offer your virtual audience activities and purpose, you transform them from spectators into active participants.

Leaving your virtual audience not engaged will result in low interest and even lower virtual event attendance.

Sources:
socialmediatoday.com/news/how-to-shift-from-physical-to-virtual-events-and-maximize-event-outcomes/574048/
stonybrook.edu/commcms/studentaffairs/sac/Club_Org_Resources/managing_clubs_and_orgs_virtually/Planning_Virtual_Events.php

p>See https://webcastingandvirtualevents.com/13-ways-to-make-virtual-event-more-engaging/ for the first version of this content.