How To Integrate Live Social Video Into Your 2019 Comms Plan - DS Simon
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How To Integrate Live
Social Video Into Your
2019 Comms Plan
1
How To Integrate Live Social Video Into Your
2019 Comms Plan
This report is based on a survey conducted with 125 communication professionals to track trends surrounding
this fast growing and increasingly powerful tool for achieving communications goals—live video streaming.
According to a survey by LiveStream 80% of consumers would rather watch live video from a brand than read
a social post. Facebook says that its live video is three times more engaging than pre-recorded video. Cisco
projects live video will account for 13% of all internet traffic by 2021. All of the major social sites are
increasing their emphasis on live video.
What does this mean for communicators?
We surveyed more than 125 communicators from brands, non-profits and agencies to find out. Our survey
covered three distinct areas:
• How live video streaming is being used for public relations
• The role of the CEO in the live video revolution
• The top goals and opportunities for communicators using video
The results provide excellent guidance for your plans for live video as well as information on missed
opportunities your competitors may be taking advantage of. We are seeing an increased emphasis on
broadcast quality production (LiveStream found that video quality is the most important factor for 67% of
viewers when watching a broadcast); the importance of featuring your CEO for brand authenticity and the
growing use of live streaming to multiple channels at the same time to increase reach.
We hope you find the results valuable and we welcome your feedback.
Douglas Simon President & CEO
E: dougs@dssimonmedia.com | @DSSimon
T: 212.736.2727 | C: 917.952.7007
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Communicators and Live Social Video
57% of Communicators are Using Live Social Video
Source: D S Simon Media
Live video for social media is here to stay. A significant majority of communicators are using live streaming to
achieve communications goals and engage key audiences. According to Facebook, live video is three times
more engaging than video on demand. Live content also offers the added benefit of being repurposed later.
Communicators are using specific communications platforms to achieve goals and build influence. Live
streaming video is also being used to earn media.
81% of Communicators Plan to Increase Live Streaming in 2019
Source: D S Simon Media
The use of live streaming video as a communications tool will continue to grow rapidly. Why? Obviously, it’s
working. One interesting nugget is that it is being accepted at similar rates by both communications agencies
and in-house communication teams. In the coming year, communicators will be using live video to break
news, share thought leadership events, take customers and prospects behind-the-scenes and even engage
them in the content to build relationships in the B2B space.
3
“Live streaming is so great for a brand to show the people behind the company” says Deirdre Breckenridge,
CEO of Pure Performance Communications. “The real test will be as brands open it up to their employees.
Then the value of live video will rise to another level. It will be about trust and creating guidelines to expand it
companywide.”
Facebook is the Most Popular Site for Social Streaming
Source: D S Simon Media
Facebook is effective for increasing brand awareness, generating more leads/sales, increasing engagement
with followers and it is the most versatile site to work with.
Twitter, which scored low, tends to be used heavily by media and for major events. It’s an opportunity for
communicators to piggyback on major events. Increasingly, Twitter is being used for episodic shows to build a
following. It’s an effective platform to promote live events on other platforms and engage with influencers.
YouTube is the easiest to embed videos on multiple web sites, in brand pressrooms, on LinkedIn, etc. It also
allows the highest quality video.
LinkedIn offers the opportunity to share live video on its site with a YouTube code. You can also use it to link
to other sites where the live streaming program is being featured. It’s excellent for thought leadership
interviews, panel discussions and content with partners and prospects.
Instagram does not allow broadcast connectivity. The show lasts 24 hours and one-minute clips can be
uploaded after your livestream ends.
4
17% of Communicators are Using Simultaneous Live Video Streaming
to Multiple Sites
Source: D S Simon Media
Why limit yourself to one social channel when you can engage far larger audiences and influencers while
amortizing production costs for your event? It’s now possible to reach audiences across platforms including
Facebook, Twitter via Periscope, YouTube and LinkedIn at the same time. You can even reach multiple
channels on the same social platform with broadcast quality video production.
Simultaneous live video streaming multiplies the effect of your live video. This builds engagement and makes
your audience more likely to interact. The value of utilizing multiple sites for social media streaming is
increasing for in-house teams as well as agencies. We expect multi-channel streaming to become the fastest
growing piece of the live video streaming puzzle in the next year.
5
The Role of the CEO
40% of Communicators are Featuring Live Video of CEOs on Social
Media
Source: D S Simon Media
Agencies and in-house teams are using live video streaming to feature their CEO at a higher rate than ever
before. More than two-thirds of communicators use live social video to feature their CEO. Pretty impressive.
According to the D S Simon Media Brand Authenticity Survey, 83 percent of journalists say making your CEO
more accessible, also makes a brand feel more authentic for the consumer. Today, within the era of fake news
and polarization, authenticity has become more critical than ever been before. The question then becomes
what should the voice of your CEO video messaging be? It should be used to establish a position of thought
leadership and should also speak in a voice that is of interest to journalists, bloggers and others who will be
covering your brand through their channels.
“Live is here!” according to Martin Waxman, CEO of Waxman Communications. He notes “you have to look at
training your CEO to be comfortable in the live setting.” Our recommendation is to assess the skillset of your
CEO to see if they have the ability to be a host, interviewer or guest. The lowest bar is to position them as a
guest where they can demonstrate their thought leadership.
6
56% of Communicators are Using Pre-Recorded Video of CEOs on
Social Media
Source: D S Simon Media
Featuring your CEO on pre-recorded video is an important stepping stone to making them comfortable
stepping up to live video communications. Some communicators are hesitant about their CEO’s ability to
handle live interaction. We generally advise a mix of live interaction and pre-recorded content to help your
CEO build influence. Communication skills in using video are becoming increasingly important for CEOs to
engage in an authentic way with their key publics. Live social video also includes the opportunity to use
recording segments on different social channels after the live event.
57% of Communicators Plan to Increase Live Social Video of their CEO
in 2019
Source: D S Simon Media
One of the most compelling forms of influencer marketing is to establish your leaders as influencers.
Communicators are getting this, which is why we will see a significant increase in live events featuring CEOs
on social channels.
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How Communicators Value Video
Creating Awareness and Turning Leaders into Influencers
Source: D S Simon Media
Creating awareness campaigns have been a key element of using videos for years so it’s no surprise that was
the most popular choice for communicators. Video is one of the most compelling ways to get your experts out
there and establish their thought leadership and increase their influence. In this B2B environment,
incorporating prospects and partners into your content is a way to build relationships and they’ll frequently
share the content on their own social channels. If your organization is participating in trade shows and creating
thought leadership events, video is a powerful way to create awareness, turn your leaders into influencers and
connect with partners, while winning attention for your brand.
“This survey only reinforces what we have been seeing with our clients for some time as an increasing demand
and reliance on video as a critical tool in connecting with important audiences,” said Andrea Coville, CEO,
Brodeur Partners. “The sensory nature of video and changing methods of delivery -- from livestreaming
events, to short form stories on Instagram and Snapchat, gives marketers more options to stay relevant,
especially with younger Generation Z audiences who have voracious appetites for video.”
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Video for Social Engagement (86%) vs Earning Media (43%)
What’s Up with That?
Source: D S Simon Media
The chart above represents the folly of failing to use video that you’ve created for social engagement to earn
media coverage. 83% of journalists use third-party video as produced so communicators are missing out on a
significant opportunity.
Rural Markets Mean Business
Even if you can’t place your CEO on a national broadcast, there are significant opportunities in local media
markets. Often, these are friendlier environments to present positive stories. The Sinclair broadcasting map
above includes local media outlets that were critical for President Trump in winning the presidential election of
2016. His campaign made an aggressive effort to reach out to people through those channels, while the
Clinton campaign refused to make Clinton available to be interviewed by their political correspondent. As an
organization, do you want to run the risk of not reaching people in those markets to build influence?
9Additional Tools, Resources and Tips
Tips for Live Social Broadcasts
Think live whenever you are doing any video production. You can amortize production costs that you are
already committed to by adding and promoting a live event. This include field shoots, studio production or
after a satellite media tour.
1. Think of the content of your live event as a television show. Is it a talk show or a presentation? Do you
have existing video to integrate? Thinking of these elements beforehand will make the content of the
livestream more compelling.
2. Go on location. Transmission technology improvements have made it more cost-effective to go on
location where the action is for your broadcast. Opportunities include going live from your office, trade
shows or other events.
3. Don’t rely on one social channel. Create a multiplier effect by simultaneously broadcasting to 20
channels or more on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.
4. Maximize your use of influencers who are already advocates for your brand. One powerful way to
maximize the use of influencers is to have multiple influencers interact together during your event
while allowing them to connect with their own followers. Another way is to provide behind-the-scenes
access to an event your target audience won't usually get to see.
5. Promote the content in advance on each of the sites to build a larger audience. Start a week in
advance with information about the event that is posted to the social channel that will be broadcasting.
It can be in the form of a short video or even a simple graphic that identifies the launch date and time
as well as a brief description of the event.
• Click Worthy Description
• Promote with Earned Media
• Promote with Paid Media
• Boost Promotional Posts
• Use Video or Images to Promote it
• Use Paid Promotion on Related Sites and Channels
6. Edit content after the event for multiple social video clips that can be shared across all participating
platforms and feed your own social media ecosystem.
10Broadcast Quality on Live Social Video
Tech Tips to Make it Happen
You will need to connect your camera, or video production switchers, to a computer that is connected to the
internet. You’ll need hardware and software but, don’t worry, it is not very expensive. First, you’ll need a Black
Magic Converter or similar software (picture below). Connect the converter to your computer. You’ll need
software: OBS Studio is free open source software. Wowza is another option but has a monthly fee. You do
need to have a hardwire internet connection to transmit video.
Connect Your Livestream to Popular Social Platforms
Watch a Video to Show You How
11Methodology:
How To Inregrate Live Social Video Into Your 2019 Comms Plan includes results from an online survey
conducted by D S Simon Media using Survey Monkey, an online survey development software with over 25
million users. We surveyed communications professionals, both in the agency world and professionals who
work in-house. We received nearly 125 responses from journalists during a one-month period. Responses were
submitted anonymously.
What’s Your Take?
If you have an opinion you want to share, we are happy to interview you for our video blog.
Contact: Doug Simon
E: dougs@dssimonmedia.com
T: 212.736.2727
About D S Simon Media
D S Simon Media provides video for journalists and for social media on behalf of brands and non-profits. The
most popular offerings include Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) and Social Media LIVE™. Both its media tours and
social broadcasts are produced from its New York studio or from client’s preferred location. Media tours include
25+ bookings and guaranteed audience reach. The company has introduced Social Media LIVE™, providing
live social video streams to more than 25 sites simultaneously on behalf of brands and non-profits.
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