YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms made the king of digital content, attracting so many brands and influencers to strategize their marketing plans around it.

 

Besides using it for user engagement, companies also rely on live streaming on an organizational level when preparing events, professional gatherings, etc. So, this is a powerful means of both external and internal communication. Speaking by numbers, in 2022, managers supposedly attended different meetings and events, 40% of which were held completely online.

 

Beyond relations, whole industries grow based on live streaming, and it's always a useful idea to brainstorm about the potential of live streaming in the new era of digital affairs, having in mind the new emerging such as virtual reality headsets and spatial computing along with the generative AI solutions.

Real-time gaming as a marketing tool

That's right, gone are the days when gaming was a niche field for only and people who preferred having social interactions through gaming. Today, it belongs to all of us, whether we are gaming or paying our monthly subscription fee to Netflix.

 

The streaming giant has expanded its circle of interests, introducing mobile games, based on their beloved movies and series, like the Stranger Things. Already today, they are keen to livestream various interactive events, from cooking to boxing. Is this strategy effective? It definitely gives the people a sense of presence and unparalleled immersiveness.

 

Why do digital casinos ensure live streaming offers when gamers would anyway play their favorite games? Simply because despite the fact that our world is getting fully digitized, many of us still prefer real-life interactions. Live casino games add an extra layer of immersive experience, allowing the players to feel like a traditional casino facility.

 

Having these examples in mind, marketers can integrate gaming experiences and live stream such events through social media. Those can be simple games, like quizzes, interactive tests, and so on, hosted by a professional game introducer. Such events bring another level of engagement and long-lasting digital marketing success.

 

Forget Watching, Think Participating!

The old way of live streaming felt pretty one-sided. You tuned in, typed the occasional comment, and that was about it. But the future of live streaming is all about active engagement. Think about how much more interesting it would be if the audience had a say in what happened! Smart marketers can tap into that by live streams that actively pull the audience in. Here are a few ideas that take live streaming beyond “just watching”:

  • The Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Stream: Let's say you're a travel company hosting a live stream showcase of a new resort. Instead of just a standard virtual tour, let the audience vote! Should the guide take them down to the beach first, or give a peek inside the luxury suites? It gives viewers the power to shape the experience, which makes them feel more connected.
  • Real-Time Challenges and Contests: Turn your live stream into a friendly competition! Think of classic ideas like live trivia, where questions are related to your brand or industry. Award digital prizes to the winners for an extra incentive. You could even draw challenges with a theme related to your brand. People get to use their creativity, submit their work in real-time using a hashtag, and see their sketches showcased to the audience – it's interactive and builds community!
  • Short Video Clip Submissions: Encourage user-generated content! Announce a theme and have people submit clips. Then, feature the best videos during the stream. It keeps things unpredictable and creates a treasure trove of user-generated content for you to use in your marketing later on.

The Future is Immersive (and maybe a little weird!)

Live streaming is about to get a lot more technologically ambitious, and honestly, probably a lot weirder. Virtual reality platforms like VRChat already offer mind-bending social experiences where the limits of self-expression are redefined. Now, imagine a virtual brand launch party where you don't just watch a presentation, you inhabit a bizarre, ever-shifting digital landscape as a neon-haired alien, a talking robot, or…who knows what! Companies could start hosting these immersive live streams within virtual spaces, totally dissolving the line between the “real” world and a digital dreamscape.

But that's just the start. Generative AI tools are evolving at breakneck speed! We're seeing how platforms like ChatGPT can produce engaging dialogue and create personalized responses that feel eerily human. What if a brand used AI to host a live-streamed interview with a digital influencer that looks photorealistic, adapts its personality to match the brand, and reacts to audience questions on the fly with witty banter and genuine insight? It sounds a little out there right now, but these AI-powered events could become mainstream.

Sometimes innovation means embracing the strange, the cutting-edge, the things that push the boundaries of what we thought was possible in a live-streaming experience. There are always creative ways to produce video content, just be aware of trends and try to prioritize live streaming in particular.