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Meerkat is the hot new live streaming app that is taking the world by storm.
Recently, the company teamed up with GoPro to live stream from your GoPro to your phone, and now we have so many new emoji’s. This gets my inner adrenaline junkie revving and makes me excited about what content I can produce this winter.
Katch.me is a NYC-based start-up that lets you record your Meerkat or Periscope streams. Just type in “#katch” into the title of a new Meerkat or Periscope stream and they will automatically record it. It’s awesome!
Even easier, go to katch.me, sign up, and have your streams automatically recorded.
How do these new platforms, tools and the use of live streaming play into your content marketing efforts?
Use Live Streaming for Content Marketing
First You Must Build an Audience
Meerkat and Periscope both allow you to live stream video to your network of followers. While Periscope is winning in the number of downloads (a million downloads in 10 days and up to 7 million now), Meerkat is winning in the number of useful features. Some of the notable features are the cameo ability, GoPro integration and embedded video feature.
Both of these platforms give you the opportunity to build an audience quickly.
Meerkat allows you to build an audience quickly because of what I call the “follow up.” After a Meerkat stream, you can follow up with those who engaged with you on the stream in Twitter.
Periscope allows you to build an audience quickly mostly due to it’s massive native audience. Other bonuses are that any user can watch a “replay” and their is a convenient “world map where users can follow streams around the world.
Bottom line, both platforms have their advantages and disadvantages. That being said, ultimately the bigger your audience the more opportunities to sell yourself and your product.
Those who master live streaming video content will win customer attention in 2016 and beyond
Since February 14, 2005 YouTube has dominated the video world. But more importantly it sparked a revolution of user created video content. Video content has always been deemed the highest “value” in comparison to other pieces of content like blog articles.
Which piece of content do you think would be consumed more, an ebook explaining “how to change your motor oil” or a video explaining “how to change your motor oil?”
The video, of course!
Now what would be better? Watching a video of someone changing the motor oil on YouTube, or watching a live mechanic change the oil who you can ask questions while he does it? I’m going to say you’d probably prefer the live tutorial.
This is the real power of live-streaming. It is the ability to create personalized unique content and interactions with your audience at scale.
How to Use Meerkat, Periscope, and Katch.me
This part is quite simple. Start a stream with Meerkat, Periscope, or both, and use#katch in your title.
With a topic in mind for the stream, talk and engage with your audience. Maybe you are discussing ways to build your Meerkat audience, for example.
After you are done with your stream, Katch.me will record your stream and post it to YouTube.
Download the videos, splice them up and distribute the new video back on your own personal YouTube channel. How convenient is that?
Bonus trick: For the real pros out there, create a content upgrade for your topic and link that to the end of your Meerkat stream.
Meerkat allows you to natively send people to landing pages after a stream. This is an amazing tool to drive traffic to your website, blog article or other social media streams.
A content upgrade relates to your topic but helps users dive in deeper.
Add Live Streaming into Your Content Calendar
If you have the time in your calendar, I highly suggest streaming every day. Setting aside a time every day for 90 minutes to stream helps you grow your audience rapidly. It also gives you a plethora of material to use in other media.
Most of us already have an intense content calendar with interviews, Q and As, podcasts and blog articles. Instead of getting overwhelmed with a new platform, start thinking, “Can I double dip?”
While you are conducting an interview or doing a podcast, can you stream on Meerkat/Periscope? When you are working on a blog article, how about streaming and asking for expert quotes or stats?
During your down time, can you live stream?
Not every stream has to be about pushing your business. Connecting with your audience and showing your personality is also important.
Are you having a drink at the local pub with your mates? Why not whip out your phone and stream.
Watching the Premier League? Stream a rowdy discussion about who is going to win the match.
Like to spend time walking around sightseeing? Bring an eager tour group with you on your phone.
Some of your best content can come from random chance streams.
Pro tip: If you forgot to use #katch in the title of your Meerkat or Periscope stream, you can always drop it in the comments. Just type #katch and it will start recording, so make sure you use katch before all the cool stuff is happening.
Drive Engagement with Live Streaming
Creating amazing content is the first step in your content marketing strategy.
The second step is to get people to actually pay attention. Everyone in business is stepping up their game and making the best content is getting harder than ever. Getting people to pay attention to your content and take action is even more challenging.
Live streaming enables you to cut through all the noise or competition. If your content is solid, it will get shares and more people in the stream. The more attention you can create for yourself and your brand, the more opportunities you have in business.
When you have created an amazing stream that gets tons of social shares and many users paying attention, you can ask for the engagement.
Need people to share a blog post? Ask people to share it.
Just launched a digital product? Ask people to buy it.
The more value you create upfront, the easier it is to drive engagement. This is the entire thesis behind the book “Jab Jab Jab Right Hook,” by Gary Vaynerchuk. Go check it out if you haven’t read it yet. It’ll make you think twice about what you’re doing in your social media strategy.
Periscope, Meerkat, and Katch.me are amazing tools to use in your brand’s content marketing.
How do you plan on using live streaming to promote your brand and create content?