3 Fantastic Examples of Businesses Utilizing Live Videos to Nurture Leads

“It’s time for you to build up your YouTube,” business consultant Bianca Robinson says. “It’s time for you to build up your IGTV and do your Facebook Lives and your Instagram Stories.” Live video is all the rage in the marketing field, but why? Does live video deserve the hype?

The short answer: Yes. The long answer: Read on to learn why 2022 is the year for live video, complete with examples of businesses using live video to drive marketing impact.

Marketing in 2022: Live Videos are Crucial to Success

Videos have taken the social media world by storm. Despite how much consumers love videos, they love live videos even more. According to Livestream.com, 82% of people prefer live video from a brand over standard social media posts for three major reasons:

1. First, because live video is a way to humanize your brand, and it makes your business look more genuine. Live video is vulnerable, so as a brand, it shows you’re willing to be yourself, without the safety net of endless video edits. Consumers love to see the raw footage.
2. Second, it gives brands the ability to interact with consumers in real-time. The golden rule of social media marketing is respond to all comments. With live video, you might not be able to answer every chat, but you can interact with and connect to your audience.“Connection. Intimacy. Authenticity,” Jack Shepard writes. “These are the things people desire from brands.” Live video is the perfect platform to give your consumers what they want.
3. Finally, and perhaps the most compelling reason you should consider filming live videos on social media: Live video increases sales, but keep in mind, this comes after you nurture your leads.

Throughout this article, we’re going to be looking at great examples of businesses using live video to nurture leads. But what does it mean to nurture leads, and why is it important?

A Quick Review: What Does “Nurture Leads” Actually Mean?

If you’re unfamiliar with marketing terms, I want you to first think of the word “nurture.” What does it mean to nurture a relationship with someone? Maybe think of a long-term friendship where you continuously make efforts to connect with them.

That’s exactly the type of feeling we want to invoke when we talk about nurturing business leads – it’s not about selling a product, but rather about creating a connection with consumers to earn their trust.

Nurturing leads is not about selling a product, but rather about creating a connection with consumers to earn their trust.

Of course, in the end, the main goal of nurturing leads is to help consumers continue their journey to purchase (put simply, we want to drive a sale), but it’s more of a brand-building strategy, rather than a quick sale. Develop the connections now, and the sales will come later.

How these three businesses use live video for lead nurture

 Let’s look at some amazing examples of businesses using live videos to nurture leads and build their brand.

1. Walk the walk: use live video to give free demonstrations

 Our first example of a business using a live video to nurture leads comes from Exposure Ninja. This digital marketing agency took a creative spin on live videos, and used them to offer demos. For example, in their YouTube “Website Teardown Workshop,” audience members were able to receive knee-jerk reactions to their websites and marketing presences.

You might be thinking, “Wait, Exposure Ninja just sold their services for free? Why would I do that?” Well, because giving free demonstrations shows consumers that you’re able to effectively give what you’re offering. They prove that you’re not just talking the talk;  you’re walking the walk, and doing an excellent job of it.

Demos are important because, as Jacob Thomas writes, “People want to see how your product works and how it’s going to work for them.” Your service goes from being theoretical to practical, and consumers can see your brand in action.

Exposure Ninja’s live video nurtured their relationships with the brands that they provided free demos to, but also all the other business owners that were listening in. They gave consumers a taste of what working with their brand would be like, nurturing their connection with every single person who watched their live.

Use Exposure Ninja’s brilliant idea of utilizing lives to give free demonstrations by thinking of how your own brand can achieve a similar effect.

2. Show consumers behind-the-scenes content

Did you know 87% of people will watch a live stream if it includes behind-the-scenes content? People want to see your brand for who you truly are, not who you want to be, which is why behind-the-scenes footage is so powerful. It’s genuine, which is key to building a relationship with your consumers.

Providing a behind-the-scenes experience for your consumers is beneficial in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketing. But let’s look at a B2C example: Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics.

If the Kardashian family does one thing well, it’s making people feel like we know them. Kylie uses this behind-the-scenes footage to make consumers feel like they have a backstage pass to get to know her brand. She frequently jumps on Instagram to showcase her makeup products in a way that makes you feel like you’re in the Kylie Cosmetics building with her.

Here is an example of Kylie’s behind-the-scenes videos: Inside Kylie Cosmetics. It’s a three-part series that takes you inside the world of Kylie Cosmetics. The first part starts with Kylie talking to her baby Stormi as if the cameras weren’t even there.

If a brand as successful as Kylie Cosmetics is reliant on behind-the-scenes content, then think of how filming this content live could elevate your marketing strategy, too!

3. Sharing tips to help consumers

 “Consumers don’t want content for content’s sake,” Neil Patel writes. “They want content that can solve their problems.” This idea of marketing by providing help to your consumers is also true when it comes to live videos.

One great example of a brand using live videos to help consumers is Cayden Cay Consulting. Bianca Robinson, the President of Cayden Cay, frequently jumps on Facebook and Instagram lives to share helpful content.

For example, recently, she held a live broadcast entitled “3 Things Needed to Start Your Consulting Business.” By streaming live, rather than creating an on-demand video on the topic, she showcases her expertise. She doesn’t need to follow a script or edit her content. She knows what she’s doing and she’s confident in her ability to share that information.

Throughout this live video, Bianca does an excellent job of reminding watchers how they can work with her further. She often gives her viewers calls-to-actions when they’re relevant.

Instead of sending people to the Cayden Cay site to contact her there, however, she recommends that viewers visit “worksmartprofitsmarter.com,” a domain which she uses to redirect to a landing page with all of her latest offers and products. There, people buy her course or even schedule a free one-on-one call with her using vCita’s appointment scheduler, which then captures leads’ details in the integrated CRM and allows for automated post-meeting follow-up messaging.

Learn from Bianca and share helpful tips, but also use call-to-actions throughout your live video and make it easy to fulfill those call-to-actions.

Pro Tip: Don’t Overthink Tour Live Videos

You can study examples of businesses utilizing live video to nurture leads all day, but the most important aspect of live videos is that your business is authentic and genuine. Of course, be prepared heading into the live video, but don’t be too rigid and controlled. Honesty and trust are important when it comes to building any relationship, especially between a brand and a lead, so just do your best to connect with your audience!

Next Steps: While this article focused on how a business can nurture leads, there are also lots of tips out there that explain how to optimize these videos. For example, collect the email addresses of attendees so that you can continue nurturing those leads through email campaigns! Learn more about optimizing these campaigns here.

Live videos open up the doors to foster intimate connections with your consumers and build your brand, so don’t hesitate to jump on the marketing trend!

About the author: Amanda DiSilvestro is the Editor-in-chief for Plan, Write, GO. She has been writing about all things digital marketing as a ghostwriter, guest writer, and blog manager for over 10 years. If you’re interested in outsourcing your content, check out her blogging services to learn more!