Our pandemic boredom saviour, Instagram, has just announced it is adding a much-requested feature to the app. The launch of ‘Live Rooms’, allows up to four people to broadcast live together at the same time, whereas previously Instagram’s live function only allowed users to live stream with one other person.
In the latest update from the brand, Instagram said the move to add Live Rooms was to ‘open up more creative opportunities for its users and allow for things like talk shows, expanded Q&As, interviews, jam sessions for musicians, live shopping experiences and more to take place’. Now with the ability to add more users to the live stream, Instagram’s offering is unique compared to the long-standing Facebook Live.
This doesn’t seem to be the be all and end all for the announcement either, as Instagram also mentioned it’s developing other tools, like moderator controls and audio features, which will be rolled out later this year.
So why is this something to take note of for B2B brands?
‘Lives’ are popular with consumers because they’re engaging, they give off this sense of ‘bespoke-ness’ to the viewer – they see it as unplanned, authentic, personal and free of charge.
For many brands sat in the B2C and D2C space, the opportunity was seized during the pandemic to use social networks as a tool to connect directly to their audience, see an immediate reaction and engage in two-way conversations. Doctor’s hosted Q&A sessions on the vaccine, fitness experts held live workouts and fashion brands offered a virtual runway look at their new collection.
What B2B brands need to take notice of is the fact that any stakeholder, no matter where they sit within a business, is ultimately a consumer within their own right and they too want to be targeted in an authentic way.
Tools such as ‘Live Rooms’, which are typically seen as only useful for B2C and D2C, can help a B2B company start a conversation and connect with a bigger number of stakeholders in a way that a whitepaper or e-book can’t do. It offers you the chance to bring your stakeholders on the journey with you, allow them to feel like they’re getting inside information and have them connect with the people behind the business on a deeper level.
As a business, you should be maximising your online and social visibility through new sources like Instagram Live Rooms, where connection is everything. We’re all human and humans want to feel connected and if hosting a business conference or CEO Q&A via Instagram Live Rooms is going to help you as a brand to connect with your stakeholders personally, then that’s a win-win in our eyes.