broadcasting your business on YouTube LiveYouTube is a robust streaming service for any personal channel or business that wants to show something live. The video-centric network made it possible to live stream starting in 2012.

Live streaming on YouTube may be associated with things such as gaming, sporting events and concerts, but what it really does is let you create your own live television shows. Businesses are able to utilize YouTube Live for marketing purposes by hosting webinars, broadcast vlogs and more.

Consider the following suggestions for how to use this tool for your brand:

•    Share Live Events – At an industry event? Run your own stream through your smartphone or tablet to give others a look by being the eyes and ears for your audience. Ask viewers what part of the event they want to see and whom they’d like to meet. Be sure to interact with them before, during and after the event.

•    Host Interviews – Broadcast interviews with employees to show a personal side to your branding. Remember to acknowledge your audience and reply to their comments. Let your viewers ask questions and then select the most interesting ones.

•    Behind-the-Scenes Glimpse – Another way to use live streaming to show users a human side of your company is to provide a behind­the­scenes look at your office.

•    Demonstrate Products – Create an infomercial about your new products. Your audience typically can’t see how your products or services are created. This is a great way to give them a glimpse of what is involved in building your brand.

•    Q&A Sessions – Have an interactive Q&A with your customers about a new product launch. It increases engagement because you’re showing people that you care about their thoughts and opinions. Acknowledge questions that are interesting and can provide value to your viewers. Mention the name of the user asking the question to further increase engagement.

The first thing you’ll need to start the live streaming process is a piece of software called an encoder. This will convert the video data into the stream that YouTube can use. YouTube allows any compatible encoder, but they also provide a list of YouTube-ready encoders.

Once your YouTube Live event has ended, your video will be added to your regular video uploads and available to YouTube viewers, based on the privacy settings you configured when you set up the event. Don’t forget to promote your broadcast on all of your social media channels.

Have you used YouTube Live to advertise your business?