Video marketing has become one of the key strategies being adopted by the businesses today. And by all means, it is one of the most lucrative professions.
With increased usage of internet in all parts of the world, businesses and brands are looking out for the most creative and effective ways of marketing themselves in different digital platforms.
Trends in digital marketing keep changing and currently, it is video streaming which is luring the brands. Live streaming tops the list among all the video marketing strategies. Here is all you need to know about the know-how of live video streaming websites and video streaming software.
There are many ways in which live streaming is being used by businesses to reach out to their customers and increase their brand awareness. Be it a new product or feature launch or a sneak-peek into the behind the camera scenes, live video streaming can make it all possible.
Irrespective of the size and popularity of the brand, every small and big company is making use of video streaming sites, for example, a local football team takes assistance of a video streaming website to stream their match online which may not be possible with big television channels.
Even individuals resort to help from video streaming sites to showcase their talents to the world. These examples prove how much video streaming websites are in demand. Then why not create a live video streaming website and begin your career in video marketing?
Let us start with the technical features and video streaming software that have to be considered before you actually start creating one.
Live streaming involves three main components which are:
- Video Encoder
A video encoder is used to sync audio and video and finally send a single stream to the video streaming platform. Some of the popular video encoders are Flash Media Live Encoder, Microsoft Expression Encoder Pro and TriCaster.
- Video Player
As the name suggests, you would need a video player to play your video and deliver it to the audience. Flash Media Player and VLC Player top the list of most used video players.
- Media Server
Media server is used to make the video files existing in the computer available on the network. Wowza Streaming Server, Microsoft IIS Media Server and Adobe Flash Media Streaming Server are among the top media servers used.
Live video streaming is characterized by features like resolution of the video, bit rate flow and delay in playback. Furthermore, data transfer protocols and codec also affect live video streaming. To ensure that you provide high quality videos on your streaming site, it is advisable to make use of adaptive broadcasting technologies where the bit rate depends on the network characteristics. Playing back remote media files can be done in two ways – one is by making use of a computer or other electronic device that is capable of working with files, both local and the ones in the network. The second option is to make use of a media server and a streaming protocol.
Now that we know about the video streaming software, we shall now move on to the steps involved in creating a live streaming website.
Below is the List of Factors You Must Consider to Ensure a Quality Video Streaming Site
#1. Bandwidth Power
It is very important to use a reliable hosting if you are keen on making your video streaming site a success. Because, as the number of users of your site increase, the hosting should be capable of allowing all the users watch a video simultaneously. Thus, you need a hosting like SSD-hosting that can provide high bandwidth power.
#2. Access Permission
Determine what kind of services you are going to provide through your video streaming site. Decide if you are permitting the users of your site to create streaming videos or is it only you who is authorized to stream live.
#3. Saving Your Videos
For obvious reasons, you would wish to save your videos after they are streamed live. Your users might also want to watch the videos some time later based on their choices. We suggest you to make use of a SDD-store for saving your videos.
#4. Impressive Design
Design your website in such a way that your users would not think of choosing another option. Consider your job is half done if you can maintain an attractive UI design for your site.
#5. Maintaining File Formats
Users broadcasting live videos may make use of different devices that would generate different file formats. Whatever may be the file format, your site must be able to play them with high quality. Wowza Technology must be you first option if you have to solve this problem.
Last Word
Now that you have answers to how to create a live streaming website, go ahead with creating one for yourself. If you require any assistance, drop a line or two. We shall reply in a day or two.
Keep watching this space to get more useful insights on video marketing and live streaming.