Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/834717
38 | Boating Industry | July 2017 [ Organic and Authentic ] www.BoatingIndustry.com Instant connection In recent years, streaming live video on social media has become very popular, particularly once Facebook (and most recently Instagram) added streaming to their platforms. On Face- book, live videos are archived on your page so followers can watch if they missed the live feed. Instagram recently added the option for users to save their live videos after the fact. The network will build a live viewership by reaching out to all of your followers and alerting them you are live. It is described by marketers as the most organic reach you can have with followers on social media today, par- ticularly in a world where algorithms and paid boosting rule access. "For me to post a YouTube video that I spent four days working on editing with voiceovers, shooting content, once I post that as a business page it gets minimal [views] without a boost. With live video, Facebook automati- cally puts that in the forefront and drives people to watch it as it's happening. We'll see almost 20 times the viewers on a live video right away in that 24-hour window than if we just post a video up," said Veverka. "Live videos are a way to just get traffi c instantly much quicker without spending a dime." Sea Ray started using live video at the Miami International Boat Show this year to showcase its new models for customers. The fi rst video of the L550 had over 15,000 views in less than 12 hours, and most of the manufacturer's live videos have had over 10,000 views. "With Facebook Live, it gives us the opportu- nity to release that boat to market more quickly than a traditional video shoot that we would produce," said Kirby. "We still invest money in producing those videos at the brand-quality level, but the walkthroughs are very organic and customers seem to really love them." With live video, followers can comment and ask questions as you are fi lming, which allows for direct contact with the customer. Followers on Sea Ray's live videos asked about specifi c fea- tures in the boat, and the person conducting the walkthrough was able to answer and display the features in real time. "You may never show the inside of the cabi- netry or the storage beneath the bow or the en- gine room [during a video walkthrough]. Those are things that are traditionally left out of some of our videos that customers fi nd really interesting and intriguing," said Kirby. Buckeye Marine also conducts live walk- throughs of its newest models with a salesperson, almost as if giving a product presentation to a customer at a show or in the showroom. "We do some edited full-content video but the nice thing about the live setup is you do it and then it's done. You don't have to fi lm some- thing and then spend a bunch of time cutting it or uploading it," said Jay Poole, marketing man- ager at Buckeye Marine. The boating industry has a huge advantage when it comes to generating live content that is engaging for followers: all you have to do is add water. Poole will go live when he is able to get out on the water for the fi rst time after the ice goes out and get Buckeye Marine customers excited about nice weather ahead. Perry noted that the bombardment of mar- keting messages on social media can be over- whelming for customers, and a candid look at a brand's products, how they're made and how they're used is refreshing for your followers. "As a brand, it's important to us to keep our audience feeling inclusive with everything we have going on at Nautique, and live content re- ally does that for us," he said. "Social [media], for us, is really about inspiring people, so if we can get them that inside look of how much fun it is to own a Nautique, then we're probably doing our jobs correctly." BUT WHAT ABOUT PERISCOPE OR SNAPCHAT? We've talked heavily about live video and stories, but have spoken very little about Periscope or Snapchat, the original live streaming and story curators, respectively. And while they certainly deserve credit for being the innovator of the platforms, your audience should really determine your presence on those two services. In many cases, your audience will largely be on Facebook and Instagram already, so using the live video and stories in those existing platforms will be a better use of your time, and you can bring new content to your existing follower base without starting from scratch. "If I was able to create [content in] one place and then share to all platforms instantaneously and easily with the click of a button … but it's not," said Veverka specifi cally regarding live streaming. "You have to originally create content for each of those platforms, so why do it [multiple] times?" Of course, this isn't the fi nal word on Periscope or Snapchat – if you fi nd your audience is beginning to migrate to those platforms, you will need to follow suit. Nautique launched its GS20 at an event that was broadcast on Facebook Live.