If there is one thing that will stand out when people talk about social media in 2016 it would be video, live video to be specific.
Feeding the neighborhood goats! #AnvilLive #PDX #portlandgoats
A video posted by anvilmedia (@anvilmedia) on
Instagram rolled out its latest live video features on Monday, allowing U.S. users to broadcast their every move to followers in real time. The Facebook-owned app already offers a Stories feature, (also new in August 2016) and allows users to upload pictures and videos that disappear after 24 hours, and now live videos will be accessible in the Stories section of the app as well. Our favorite feature of Stories is still Boomerang, like the example here, but who’s to say that won’t change?
Initially only available to a select group of users, it’s now rolling out to the public over the next few days. You can start a live video from the camera in the app’s Stories section, and followers with Instagram open will see a “live” badge while you’re broadcasting.
What really sets Instagram’s approach apart from its parent company Facebook and others is that once a live video has concluded, it disappears from the app and isn’t available for replay afterward. There’s a “Top Live” section in Instagram’s Explore section now to point you toward popular live videos happening at any given moment. But once they’re over, they’re gone. We would love to know everyone’s thoughts on how this will impact Snapchat?
So how will this be different from all the other social media apps with live video functions, including Facebook Live and Snapchat, both of which allow users to post videos in real time?
According to The Verge, similar to Facebook Live, followers will receive notifications and alerts when a user goes live. Unlike Facebook Live and Snapchat, Instagram Live will not store the video for later viewing. On Snapchat, videos and pictures posted remain available for viewing among followers for up to 24 hours after the video or photo is posted. Facebook Live videos remain available for viewing on an account for as long as a user chooses. However, on Instagram Live, videos will only be available during the time a user is actually broadcasting, after which they will disappear once a user ends the video.
Instagram may be ripping off every social channel out there, but their discovery section will also let users browse live videos while they’re broadcasting unlike Snapchat’s version, which only shows snaps/videos of accounts a user is already following making the impressions and impact much higher essentially.
Don’t say goodbye to YouTube influencers just yet, but do know those that live stream are going to become mainstream. The ones you’ve been following are likely to have already flocking to live streaming. It’s much easier for an to broadcast live than to learn to shoot video and edit.
However, live streaming makes tracking compliance even more complicated for the FTC. Disclosing sponsorships should be no different than any other platform, but we can expect some bumps in the road in 2017. Influencers and brands are bound to run into trouble if they don’t stay true to the guidelines.
So, get out there and give it a try, see how you can promote your brand, and let us know what you think!