New Instagram Features Help Marketers Capitalize On Live Audiences

IT folks, here’s your opportunity to seem “in-touch” to your marketing department: let them know about Instagram’s latest feature, Live Rooms.

This feature allows up to four people to broadcast live at the same time, where the popular social media app previously only allowed users to stream with one other streamer.

The move may spark more IG Live formats such as talk shows, panel discussions, live music, shopping experiences, and more.

Importantly, it adds another option for marketers hoping to capitalize on the app’s user base.

More details from Tech Crunch: 

In addition to the ability to live stream with more people, Instagram also touts how the new feature can help creators to make more money. Last year, in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, Instagram introduced badges as a way for fans to support their favorite creators during a live video. Once purchased, the badges appear next to a fan’s name throughout the live video, helping them to stand out in the comments and unlock other special features, like placement on the creator’s list of badge holders and access to a special heart.

With Live Rooms, fans can buy badges to support the hosts (one badge per person) as well as use other interactive features like Shopping and Live Fundraisers.

The ability to add more guests to a live stream can also help a creator grow their follower base, as all the guests’ followers are notified about the Live Room, in addition to your own.

As the pandemic wore on throughout 2020 and into 2021, the lack of in-person connection has allowed for other opportunities and even new social networks to grow.

If your organization or company uses Instagram for marketing, this expanded version of IG Live may take some of the stress off of marketing coordinators by allowing them to invite more people to whatever live content is on their schedules.

This story premiered on our sister site, My Tech Decisions.