Livestreaming has been dubbed the major social media marketing trend of 2016 by many experts, and with good reason. Nearly a quarter of brands have amped up their budgets for livestreaming this year. Periscope and Meerkat have already amassed a large following and Facebook recently entered the ring with Facebook Live, the platform’s own livestreaming service. While fashion brand have been utilizing livestreaming for runway shows for years, these new apps and services offer greater video quality and ease of use. They also allow audiences to watch directly from their social media feeds. But like any social platform, there are do’s and dont’s for marketers. If your brand is considering livestreaming your next fashion show, follow these tips to make the biggest impact.
Make it a two way conversation.
Engage audiences by offering them more than a one way broadcast. Including a special hashtag, encouraging viewers to comment or tweet at you, and responding to these viewers will create a conversation about your content and brand. As seen above, Kenneth Cole had a live twitter feed layered over their stream. This allows viewers to feel like they are at the show themselves, talking to other attendees and brand representatives. Ultimately, you want to use livestreaming to make your audience feel like they are a part of the brand experience.
Offer behind the scenes access.
Make viewers feel like they’re doing more than just watching model after model on the runway—after all, they could see this content from countless Snapchats and pictures posted online. By offering behind the scenes exclusives, viewers will get an intimate look at your brand and feel like they have VIP access to your show.
Leverage viewer feedback for your marketing plans.
As mentioned before, you should allow audiences to have a conversation about your show and react in real time. In addition to better engaging your viewers, this provides your brand with valuable data. You can use viewer feedback to measure sentiment about your collection and find out which pieces and trends received the most buzz. Designer Rebecca Minkoff recently weighed in on the value of social media conversations surrounding live streamed shows.
“We had a pair of trousers that buyers initially didn’t want. I showed them the social reaction — how many bloggers wrote about them, how well they performed on Twitter, how much fanfare they had. They took the feedback and decided to stock them for major department stores.”
Let customers go directly from viewing to buying.
We’ve all seen a gorgeous dress being modeled on the runway and wished we could buy it right there and then. Thanks to livestreaming and other social media advances, now you can! Racked notes that brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein allow livestreamers to buy similar pieces through a “shop now” button. This is a great way to turn your livestreaming and social media efforts directly into sales.
Livestreaming a fashion show is just one way that fashion and beauty brands can use this new and trendy tool to amp up their social media efforts. You can also stream special announcements, exclusive interviews, and product demos, just to name a few examples. By using these tips, you can make sure you get the most out of your livestreaming efforts.
Title image via The Future of Luxury
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