How to Use Instagram Live Streaming to Grow Your Business

January 5, 2023
Contents

Instagram Live streaming is an essential tool for all businesses and brands to use nowadays.

Instagram Live streaming is becoming increasingly popular, and for a good reason, it’s a quick and easy way to get your business or product in front of your potential customers. 

This blog will help you understand what Instagram Live streaming is and how it can benefit your business or brand.

What Is Instagram Live?

Instagram Live is a feature on Instagram that lets users broadcast videos to their followers. 

To go live on Instagram, you must open your Instagram account and tap on the “Your Story” option at the top left side of the screen. 

You will get options to add stories, posts, and even reels in that option. But keep sliding left until you see the live option, as shown below. 

You can tap on the “Live” option and go live. It’s that easy. 

Why Do People Use Instagram Live?

Instagram is becoming the most popular social media platform for the young and the old. 

The content on Instagram is wholesome; everyone with an account at least spends some time on the app.

We have mentioned a few reasons why people use Instagram Live and why you should start using it as well:

  • Large audience to tap into
  • Instagram Live gives you higher visibility
  • It is fun and more interactive

Large Audience to Tap Into

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Instagram is the fourth most prominent social media network, with 1.4 billion monthly active users. It has a large audience you can tap into. 

If your target audience is on the platform, you can easily reach them using Instagram live. 

Gives You Higher Visibility

Going live on Instagram will give you a prime spot on your followers’ feeds. When you go live, your live streaming notification will be sent to users who have not turned off their live stream notifications. 

Moreover, your story will be colorful and visible. It will be the first story on your followers’ feeds; this gives you an advantage. 

Because a post or reel may not be instantly visible to your followers, Instagram Live helps you steal the spotlight, thus allowing you to reach a larger audience.

Fun and More Interactive

Live broadcasting can be helpful for businesses and brands. More importantly, it’s fun for people who want to interact with their followers in a way that isn’t possible with other social media platforms. 

If you’re looking to get more views on your posts, but don’t want to spend a lot of money or time creating them, then using Instagram Live could be just what you need.

The Power of Instagram Live for Businesses

Instagram Live is a feature that’s been around for a while(since 2016), but it’s only recently become a valuable tool for businesses. 

Instagram Live is a feature that allows people to broadcast their lives in real-time. It’s an excellent marketing tool for businesses of all sizes, including small ones.

Millions of people use Instagram to share videos, photos, and text updates with friends and followers. 

And if you’re looking for ways to turn your Instagram account into a business marketing tool, Instagram Live can be an excellent opportunity for your brand.

How to Use Instagram Live?

Instagram Live is a tool that can do your business much good if you know how to use it. It is not rocket science, and you can understand the feature once you start using it. 

How to Go Live on Instagram

  • Open your Instagram app
  • Log in (if you aren’t already logged in)
  • Tap on the “Your Story” option
  • Swipe left until you find the “Live” option
  • Add a title to your Livestream before going live 

How to Moderate Comments on Instagram Live

Sometimes, the comments on your Instagram Live may not be tasteful. For situations like that, Instagram announced a feature called “Moderator.” 

A moderator can filter comments based on phrases and where they come from. Here is how you do it:

  • When you are live, you can add a moderator. 
  • Go live
  • Tap the three dots next to Comment at the bottom.
  • Choose “Add Moderator”
  • You can search for the account you want to set as a moderator and tap “Add.”
  • Choose “Confirm”

This account can moderate all the comments people post on your Instagram Live. Here is what they can do:

  • They can report a comment.
  • They can block an account from watching the live video.
  • They can turn off all commenting from a specific account.

How to Share Your Finished Instagram Live Stream

Once your live streaming has ended, you can share it on your Instagram profile by clicking “Share video” on the screen.

While Instagram Live is not considered reels, followers can find the live video under your feed’s “Reels” section. 

You also have the option to download the Instagram live-stream video and share it on other platforms. 

Instagram Live Stream Ideas for Business

1. Influencer Collaborations

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One of the best ways to use Instagram Live streams is to collaborate with other influencers on your feed. 

This will help you reach more people who have a similar audience as you do. You can also use these collaborations as an opportunity for cross-promotion between brands or products you’re promoting. 

If you have a large following and are in the right industry, you can partner with other influencers to create a live stream that you and your followers will share. 

You’ll probably see great engagement from this type of partnership because it’s prevalent and highly coveted by followers.

For example, as a brand, you could sponsor an influencer to go live and promote your product during the video!

2. Go Live at an Event

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Instagram Live streaming is a great way to broadcast events like conferences, workshops, or product launches without paying for expensive equipment or travel expenses. 

Just set up a small tent or pop-up screen at the venue and go live with guests from your business or community members interested in participating in the event.

Why not use your Instagram account to engage with attendees if you’re hosting a conference or event?

You could go live from the event itself and give viewers an inside look into what they’re seeing while they’re there. This could also work well if you promote your products or services through an event.

3. Host A Tutorial, Workshop, Or Class

If you’re a teacher or coach, hosting an Instagram Live stream shows people that you’re accessible and willing to help them. 

You can also set up an interactive live session where viewers can ask questions and interact with you in real time.

You could teach your followers if you are an expert in a field. It could be digital marketing or how to run an Instagram store; you can host a tutorial for your followers. 

A value-based live session will entertain your followers and educate them the next time you go live; they will join you. 

4. Q&A Session

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If you have many followers or have specific knowledge that only some people on your account understand, then having a Q&A session could be the perfect fit for your Instagram Live stream. 

This is especially true if you have a community of people interested in the subject matter you’re talking about.

If you have unique products or services that are difficult to explain on social media, then this could be the perfect time to share them with your audience and show off what makes them different from everyone else.

5. Product Unboxing and Demo

If you have any new products coming out soon and are looking for ways to get the word out about them, consider doing an unboxing or demo of your new product on Instagram live.

You can do this by either sharing footage of yourself opening up boxes of products in front of the camera or by sharing footage of customers opening their packages (either way, it will be a fun way to show off new products).

6. Talk to a Happy Customer

You can use Instagram Live streams to connect with customers in real-time by chatting with them directly or sharing behind-the-scenes looks at how products or services are made. 

You could also ask them what they like about the product or service and share that information with your followers. 

You could also include a coupon code or discount code in this stream, which will allow you to reach out to new customers, make sales, and generate buzz around your brand.

7. Review

One of the best ways to use Instagram Live is to review products, services, events, news, or anything related to your industry.

You can discuss your opinion on everything related to your brand and industry. 

If something new would be good for your followers, go ahead and post it!

8. Behind The Scenes

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If you have an event coming up (like a launch party), do a live stream to give people behind-the-scenes access to what’s happening at the event. 

This allows them to ask questions and get answers from those planning the event. It also gives them a chance to see what it looks like from some of the best vantage points around the venue – things they might not otherwise get a chance to see if they were just posted about it online later on!

Showing behind-the-scenes footage of how your business works can also be exciting to hook your followers in.  

9. Announce a New Product or Service

Posting a new product or service you’re launching can be an exciting way to engage with your community, and it’s easy to do. 

Just take a few minutes to think about what you want to share and set up a live stream on Instagram Stories.

Instagram is the perfect platform to announce new products and services. You can create a live stream event and showcase your new product or service to your followers. 

This is an excellent way to build hype around your product and get people excited about it. 

You can also include a link in the description so people can learn more about it through your website or blog posts, or you can share the link to the product so your followers can buy it.  

10. Share Your Thoughts

If you want to share something on your mind, then there’s nothing better than doing so via Instagram Live stream! 

You’ll be able to reach thousands of people at once and share your thoughts with them in real-time, which makes it easier for others to engage with you and get involved in the conversation (which is excellent for building a community around yourself). 

If you have something important to you and want people to know about (for example, if you’re looking for funding for some project), then using Instagram Live streaming is a great way to do this.

11. Interview

Interviewing other people is one of the best ways to generate leads and sales through social media! It’s easy to set up an interview on Instagram. 

All you have to do is go live and add the person you want to interview to your Live session. Before you do that, you can talk to them personally to ask permission to interview them. 

Many influencers, as well as brands, do interviews on Instagram live. It not only excites the audience but also increases the number of audiences.

Because when you are Live with someone with more followers, their followers will also get the notification of the person going live. 

So, it won’t be your audience but the interviewee’s following.

12. Present a Case Study

How do other brands in similar industries do it? What is their process like? What does their marketing strategy look like? 

How do they use Instagram Live? These are all questions that potential customers want to be answered, so why not give them one of those answers through Instagram live? 

If you have an intriguing product or service, creating video content about how it works could benefit your brand’s visibility. 

You could create some simple case studies and share them online when you are Live. It would be an interactive experience for your viewers.

13. Create a Flash Sale

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms that allows users to live stream. 

This feature allows you to promote sales and discounts for your products or services. 

You can use this feature to create a “flash sale” where people can purchase your items at a discount or for free if they are lucky enough to win the item. 

You can also create a live streaming event where users can participate in your flash sale or win prizes by watching the live stream.

How to Watch Instagram Live

Watching Instagram Live is as easy as watching Netflix. When someone you follow goes live, you will be notified(if you haven’t turned off the notifications). 

Once you open your app, you can see their profile picture will appear at the top of your feed with a colorful ring around it. 

You can tap on that ring and watch their Instagram live. While watching Instagram live, you can leave comments and reactions as well.  

Instagram Live Best Practices for Brands

Have A Purpose for Your Livestream

The first step in creating a successful social media campaign has a clear direction and purpose. 

When planning an Instagram Live stream, think about why this event is happening and what you want people to get out of it. 

This will help you determine whether or not this type of content should be promoted organically or paid for through advertising. 

Make sure all your social media channels reflect the purpose behind the live stream so your followers know what they’re getting into when they tune in! 

Set a S.M.A.R.T. Goal

Setting a goal is crucial because it lets you know where to focus your efforts and gives you a place to measure success.  

The S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Your goals need to be achievable within a specific time frame.

For example, if you aim to increase traffic by 50% during your live session, then focus only on people who have recently visited your Instagram page and are yet to interact with any content on your account.

If this is too difficult for you, try setting more specific goals, such as increasing followers by 5%. Remember that these numbers are just estimates — they’ll change based on how your Instagram Live works. 

Create a Plan

Before you begin setting up your broadcast, take some time to think about the goals of your program and what kind of content you want to share with your followers. 

You can create a template as a guide when creating your plan. Before starting your first Instagram Live stream, you must know what you want to achieve with your content. 

Decide what kind of response you want from your audience and how much time you want to spend on it by creating a plan for each episode.

Set Your Streaming Schedule

You may be tempted to start broadcasting at any time, but scheduling will help make sure that you have enough time between episodes or shows so that viewers don’t get bored with your broadcasts. 

It also helps if you have a regular time slot (for example, 10 am EST) or day of the week (for example, Tuesdays). 

This way, viewers know when they’ll see something new and won’t miss out on your live streams!

Prepare Before You Start Each Episode

Before starting your first broadcast, make sure you have everything prepared. This includes having an idea of what you want to talk about and how long your episode should be.

Prepare an outline/ tentative script for each episode. Plan out your live streams in advance with your goals in mind. So you don’t stare aimlessly into the camera later.

Also, have all the equipment before starting the live stream (camera, microphone, etc.). This will ensure that you don’t miss any action because of technical issues.

Promote Your Live Stream in Advance

You can promote your live streams by reaching out on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and sharing the notifications with your friends and followers. 

This will allow them to watch the stream, and they won’t miss it. You could also share a countdown on Instagram stories, so your followers know when you are going live. 

Go Live for More Than 10 Minutes

You might be tempted to go live for just a few minutes, but there are better ways to engage viewers. 

Brands that go live for more than 10 minutes tend to have many followers because they can keep their audience engaged longer. 

It’s also easier for viewers to get involved and comment if they know they will have time with them.

Engage Your Viewers

If you plan on going live, it’s vital that you know your audience and what they like or dislike about your brand. 

This will help ensure you build a relationship with them instead of just trying to sell products or services immediately. 

Make sure you have something exciting or unique about your brand that people can talk about while they watch you go live on Instagram!

You can respond to comments and even go live with one of your followers. 

Try Different Camera Views

The first thing you should do when setting up your live feed is to pick a great camera view. Instagram offers multiple camera angles for your live videos but only two default ones — frontal and back-facing. 

You can change these by tapping on the screen while holding your smartphone’s power button. 

There are many options to choose from other than the default ones (wide-angle, medium-angle, close-up), so try out some different ones to see which one looks best for your content.

Leverage Instagram Filters

Filters are an excellent way to add extra fun and excitement to your live video feed. 

You can use filters like split screen or reverse, which are great for showing two views simultaneously. Or you can add some snow or rain effects for added drama!

You can get as creative as you want. There are filters that not only add effects but are quizzes and contests. You can use that to engage with the audience. 

FAQs: Instagram Live Streaming for Business

Is Instagram Live good for business?

Yes, it is! Instagram Live is a great way to connect with your customers and build loyalty. 

You can create an event or broadcast a message to all your followers who are watching. It’s a great way to engage with your audience and get them involved with your brand.

Can you do live streaming on Instagram?

Yes, you can! You can broadcast yourself on Instagram Live and have your followers watch directly from their mobile devices. 

This is a great way to introduce yourself as a brand or share information about your business. 

If you feel creative, you can even use it to promote new products or services.

How many followers do you need to go live on Instagram?

The number of followers does not determine how many people can see your live stream, but it does help determine whether you can monetize your content. 

If you want to monetize your Instagram Live stream, you need to have at least 10K followers. 

Where can I find my Instagram Live video?

You can find your Instagram Live video when you open your profile feed. In your profile feed, tap on the reels button, and you can see your Instagram Live video on your profile grid. 

While the reels section of your profile is meant for reels, you can find longer videos like Instagram Live there as well. 

Can I restrict who sees my Instagram Live?

Yes, you can restrict who sees your Instagram live. 

For that, you can open your profile, tap on the three lines on the top right side, and click on “Settings”>” Privacy”>” Live”>” Hide Live from.” You can choose the users you want to restrict.

How do I turn off the comments?

You can turn off comments on your live session using a moderator. The moderator can restrict any user from commenting and watching your Instagram live. 

Conclusion: Instagram Live Streaming for Business

Instagram Live could be a very successful promotion method for some brands and businesses. It just depends on what types of products you are trying to sell. 

Alternatively, simply sharing your life with others is also a great way to get more out of Instagram. You don’t have to go about it forcefully.

Just be yourself and embrace the creative outlet you will often have during these live streams.

Written By
Ankita

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