Should We Be Live?
There comes a time in every marketing and comms professional's career when their boss (or client!) comes to them and asks:
"What do you think about [insert trendy marketing tactic]?"
"I'm seeing other organizations trying [insert trendy marketing tactic], should we be doing this?"
“Can you [insert trendy marketing tactic] and make us go viral?”
While anxiety-inducing in the moment, these questions are helpful reminders to put our learning hats back on and see if it's worth the hype, effort, and time to add another thing to your existing marketing plan.
As of late, the new hotness that’s been coming up in our client convos is live-streaming, and most recently LinkedIn Live. LinkedIn introduced its own live-streaming in February 2019, but the pandemic has reignited the need for brands to connect with their audiences authentically and in real-time. And many of our clients are investing more and more in LinkedIn, since Twitter is icky and Facebook is flailing.
In this piece, we'll break down the deets on LinkedIn Live, so you can confidently reply when the "idea fairy" drops by. 🧚
First of all, what is live-streaming?
On all platforms, live video is precisely what it sounds like. You present yourself in real-time to your followers and anyone else on the platform. It's like a public Zoom meeting, but without staring at people's virtual backgrounds or bedroom walls.
We've discussed live-streaming and the benefits of using it in your marketing mix. For a refresher, here are our previous guides:
What's so different about LinkedIn Live?
LinkedIn Live is a free streaming feature on, yes, LinkedIn, that allows approved users to live-stream from their LinkedIn profile, page, or event. The key word to note here is approved. You have to meet specific criteria, apply for access, and be approved before taking advantage of this feature. Not every application is accepted, so make sure to start the application process well before you plan the event or set a date. #nopressure
Another critical thing to note about going live on LinkedIn Live is that the live-streaming platform prohibits selling or promoting an offer during a stream. That means you can use LinkedIn Live to build a community or increase brand awareness, but you cannot make any direct sales pitches.
However! Users can include sponsors' logos in streams as long as the logos are presented “tastefully.”
View the complete list of LinkedIn Live Guidelines here.
Is LinkedIn Live worth the effort?
We think so! Here’s why:
Professional credibility: By streaming using your real identity or company's LinkedIn page, viewers are more likely to regard your content as trustworthy. And the lack of anonymity discourages things like trolling and (hopefully) encourages a more meaningful discussion.
Engagement is better: LinkedIn says that live videos on its platform get 7x more reactions and 24x more comments than posts with pre-recorded videos. Higher engagement on this content makes all of your content appear on more user feeds.
Audience targeting is on point: LinkedIn Live allows you to tap into a targeted audience of professionals. Since live-streaming on LinkedIn is more exclusive than on Facebook or YouTube, you don't have to worry as much about your streaming getting lost in the sea of many others.
One-stop shop for virtual events: Recently, LinkedIn integrated LinkedIn Live with LinkedIn Events. Now you can run a virtual event and live-stream to your attendees in one place. This creates a more seamless virtual event experience for you and your audience.
When should a brand consider "Going Live"?
The short answer is… when you're ready! Given how particular LinkedIn is about who has access to live events, you want to make sure you are doing your due diligence to research if this is the right fit for your brand and your audience. In the words of parents everywhere, don't just jump off the bridge because other brands are doing it.
The best way to decide if you're ready for this commitment and type of content is to ask yourself these six questions:
Could our brand benefit from Q&A sessions and interviews?
Would fireside chats and panels resonate with our target audience?
Do we have a product demo or product launch coming up?
Are there any big events or celebrations we could share with our audience?
Would our audience attend keynotes, panels, or presentations hosted by us?
Would our audience want to get a sneak peek behind-the-scenes look at our company or operations?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, your brand might be ready to give live-streaming a shot.
Okay, But How Do I Actually Go Live?
Once you have access to live broadcast on LinkedIn, here are the steps to get your event up and running:
Choose a streaming tool: Before you can go live on LinkedIn, you'll need to sign up for a third-party streaming tool, because LinkedIn doesn't offer native streaming currently. You can use tools like StreamYard or Socialive. These tools make it easier to see comments and interact with your audience during the stream.
Connect the streaming tool: You've signed up for your streaming tool and received approval for LinkedIn Live; let's connect these two platforms. To do this, log in to your third-party tool and navigate to the area where you can add streaming destinations (this will change depending on your tool). Once you find the right place to add a streaming destination, you should be able to click a LinkedIn profile and connect from there.
Create the event: From LinkedIn.com, navigate to your page's admin view to create a Live Event. You can also live-stream without a LinkedIn Event. If you take this route, write a title and description for the stream. Doing so will let users know what to expect and help get your audience interested in the live stream.
Go live: Enter the studio from your broadcasting tool to start streaming, and check out best practices from LinkedIn's Playbook or sites like dacast to get tips and tricks on making the most of your Live Event. For troubleshooting support, visit the LinkedIn Help Center.
Voila! You are officially in the know about LinkedIn Live and ready for the big screen. Lights, camera, ACTION!
