You think that Instagram Live might be right for your brand, but you are not sure where to start? Here on Brybe.com, you will find some tips and brands that have found success on this platform!
The COVID-19 pandemic has upturned our lives, completely redefining the way we communicate. Social media usage is up and brands are finding new ways to connect with their audience, most of whom are self-isolating at home.
As screen time increases, many have been utilizing new features like Instagram Live to drive engagement and provide valuable content during this time. In fact, in a recent study, researchers from Klear observed that Instagram Live’s popularity surged 288% from March 15 – April 14. And, this popularity is not just with influencers and celebrities, from fitness to food to performing arts to playboy, many different brands are utilizing this unique feature.
What is Instagram Live and What is So Good About It?
Instagram Live is a component within Instagram Stories, that allows for real-time video streaming and audience interactions (comments and likes). Similar to Stories, Instagram Live offers unfiltered, authentic content. It is a nice replacement for face-to-face and communal interactions during the lockdown and could give your brand a whole lot of freshness – so you should definitely consider using it when planning your next influencer marketing campaign on Brybe.
3 Examples of Succesful Instagram Live Campaigns:
SoulCycle
SoulCycle is a global fitness brand offering cycle-based workouts. The brand has over 90 studios worldwide, all of which have shut down due to coronavirus. For a fitness-brand, whose workout is based on a very specific prop, this posed some technicalities that SoulCycle would have to workaround. The brand decided to offer “Off The Bike”, live courses offered on the official Social Cycle Instagram page, and a calendar of courses offered by SoulCycle instructors on their personal Instagram pages.
Sabra
Sabra is a food and beverage company, offering a variety of Mediterranian style foods including a range of hummus flavors and Guacamole. To better adapt with COVID-19, the brand launched “Hummus at Home”, an initiative to bring sabra-based recipes to people’s homes. Sabra hosts different chefs on their Instagram channel who teach followers how to prepare a fun and delicious recipe.
Durham Performing Arts Center
DPAC is a performing arts center located in Durham, North Carolina. DPAC hosts touring Broadway shows, concerts, comedies, and other live events. It has currently suspended all performances until April 30th, due to the coronavirus pandemic. But, DPAC is still offering fans a small taste of the arts on their Instagram page, by offering Instagram Live interviews with Broadway stars and behind-the-scenes and a “private-tours” of the performing arts center. For theater geeks, this is awesome content.
How to Do It Yourself?
For customer-facing businesses, like fitness centers and hair salons, social distancing completely impacts a brand's ability to give services. Figuring out a format for your brand to operate virtually lets you maintain a relationship with customers, even if it is remote. Just as SoulCycle is offering “off the bike” lessons, Instagram Live is a great place to offer some form of support or service to your customers even if it is not at full capacity.
What is more, if your a food company, perhaps you should have a chef offer your followers a cooking lesson, or if your a beauty brand have an influencer offer your fans a make-up tutorial. Not only are Lives a great format for show-casing how your products can be used, but influencers can give you the stamp of approval. Additionally, remember that you are always going to have people interested in what you know and eager to get to know the people behind the scenes. Many brands, and even celebrities, have been using the Instagram Live tool to host interviews.
Hopefully next time you will at least consider using Instagram Live for your influencer marketing actions – here on Brybe we always encourage our influencers and brands to use as many new tools as possible. After all, we are working in one of the fastest developing industries in the world, right?