With a greater number of brands and marketers realizing the value of blogger and influencer outreach programs, it's becoming necessary for these individuals to find ways to differentiate themselves from their counterparts. If the goal is to engage consumers in new and innovative ways, how can bloggers or influencers stay ahead of the game to be recognized as a leading expert with mass appeal and influence? In short, how do they prove to marketers that they're right for the job?
The increasing use of live video broadcasting from mobile devices might just be the ace in the hole that bloggers and influencers need. There are a number of different phones that support a handful of mobile broadcasting services, such as Qik, Bambuser, and Next2Friends, but Ustream is emerging as one of the most widely used platforms currently available.
Ustream offers a free, interactive video broadcast platform that allows anyone with a webcam and an internet connection (or smartphone with the Ustream Application) to broadcast live, high-quality video to an audience of unlimited size. Users can either broadcast live to their Ustream channel or straight to their own website with an embeddable code.
This 'Social Stream' feature also allows Ustream users to chat live with viewers and simultaneously send updates to their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and AIM accounts - all in real-time. With the combination of this live broadcasting and online connectivity, a new level of interactivity has been created for users.
Imagine that a car company is hosting a test drive for influencers and bloggers. Now imagine that one of the bloggers in attendance is broadcasting the event live to their blog. Using Ustream or similar technologies, they could easily conduct live video interviews with product directors, capture in-the-moment footage of a test drive, demonstrate the car's sound system, or show off the rumble of the car's exhaust. By communicating with viewers in real-time, the blogger is able to tailor the viewers' experience and foster deeper engagement.
As with any sort of endorsement or review, transparent disclosure of the blogger's relationship to the brand and/or product must be shared as well. When done responsibility and consciously, using live and mobile video broadcasting could be a creative way for bloggers and influencers to set themselves apart.
So, I ask you, what best practices would you share when using this technology? What do you see as some of the risks and/or benefits? How will brands and marketers evolve this this to fuel engagement and recommendation?
Image Source: http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/17/ustreams-mobile-video-broadcasting-comes-to-android/
The increasing use of live video broadcasting from mobile devices might just be the ace in the hole that bloggers and influencers need. There are a number of different phones that support a handful of mobile broadcasting services, such as Qik, Bambuser, and Next2Friends, but Ustream is emerging as one of the most widely used platforms currently available.
Ustream offers a free, interactive video broadcast platform that allows anyone with a webcam and an internet connection (or smartphone with the Ustream Application) to broadcast live, high-quality video to an audience of unlimited size. Users can either broadcast live to their Ustream channel or straight to their own website with an embeddable code.
This 'Social Stream' feature also allows Ustream users to chat live with viewers and simultaneously send updates to their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and AIM accounts - all in real-time. With the combination of this live broadcasting and online connectivity, a new level of interactivity has been created for users.Imagine that a car company is hosting a test drive for influencers and bloggers. Now imagine that one of the bloggers in attendance is broadcasting the event live to their blog. Using Ustream or similar technologies, they could easily conduct live video interviews with product directors, capture in-the-moment footage of a test drive, demonstrate the car's sound system, or show off the rumble of the car's exhaust. By communicating with viewers in real-time, the blogger is able to tailor the viewers' experience and foster deeper engagement.
As with any sort of endorsement or review, transparent disclosure of the blogger's relationship to the brand and/or product must be shared as well. When done responsibility and consciously, using live and mobile video broadcasting could be a creative way for bloggers and influencers to set themselves apart.
So, I ask you, what best practices would you share when using this technology? What do you see as some of the risks and/or benefits? How will brands and marketers evolve this this to fuel engagement and recommendation?
Image Source: http://techcrunch.com/2009/09/17/ustreams-mobile-video-broadcasting-comes-to-android/
