Social media revolutionized the way businesses talk to their customers, and it made the relationship more personal. Businesses and their customers had more access to each other than ever before, and businesses had to adapt to make the most of it. That relationship changed again with the widespread use of cell phones and social media. Customers are always engaged with social media, so they respond immediately to things happening in their world, and they expect businesses to do the same. Digital Marketing is about looking forward. We look at what’s going on in the digital landscape and try to figure what the next big thing will be so we can help businesses respond and get ahead of the curve. The next trend in social media is starting, and it’s a culmination of the two most drastic changes in the industry. It’s live media.

We’ve been getting closer and closer to live content interaction. Twitter helped get it started with live-tweeting. Twitter users post in real-time about significant events, as they happen, creating a massive live-discussion among millions of users. The trend picked up more traction on Facebook. Facebook Live lets users stream a live feed while viewers comment in real-time. The most important part of this interaction and the most challenging is that the streamer can respond to user comments immediately.

Any good salesman knows that people don’t buy products, they buy the people selling them. Live content restores the selling power of an individual salesman but on a large scale. Through live content, you can talk to your customers in a way that, to the customer, feels like a one-on-one interaction but involves only one person streaming content to an unlimited number of users. Thanks to the boom in mobile devices, users expect faster responses than ever before and live content offers a reply as fast as an in-person conversation. Live content also overcomes one of the most significant challenges posed by online interaction; misinterpreted messages. When customers can see and hear the person they’re talking to, it allows for more natural, personal conversation. Live content makes interaction conversation, rather than just messaging.

The best part is the level of freedom the content offers. No matter what kind of business you have, your business can benefit from live content. The main objective of live content is to build a personal relationship with your customers, and your content just needs to be centered around that goal. The possibilities for content creation are endless. There are dozens of streaming websites, from juggernauts like YouTube and Facebook down to niche websites for specific kinds of content. Live content can be tailored to any business and target to the right audience, with ease.

The most successful social media campaigns center around building a relationship between businesses and customers. Live content offers a unique opportunity to make online integration feel more like a conversation. Live content eliminates latency so you can have live discussions with customers. Most importantly, live content is where the industry is heading so this is the best time to start thinking about how to incorporate it into your marketing plan.

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