Holding people’s attention, especially in virtual events, can be very difficult to achieve. While livestreaming has gained popularity, lack of engagement can detriment the success of your broadcast. With the increasing popularity of live commerce, there are plenty of tips and tricks that can help retain viewers for as long as possible during your virtual shopping event.
Here are 7 simple and impactful tips that’ll help you keep your viewers engaged during your livestream:
1. Welcome People by Name
Make your viewers feel included by welcoming them by name. Sometimes when people join a livestream, the event is halfway through. You can catch them up on what you are talking about and regularly recap what you have already discussed. As social beings by nature, humans want to feel connected. Take the time to acknowledge your viewers and address them directly to keep your audience watching to your entire stream.
2. Play Engaging Background Music
Depending on your livestreaming content, there might be times where you pause to read comments or switch topics. Engaging background music is a great way to fill the silence and keep the pace. The music shouldn’t distract your viewers from what you are saying, but it shouldn’t put them to sleep either. As you look for good music to play, be sure to look for royalty-free options so you can repurpose your content.
3. Understand and Cater to Your Target Audience
Knowing your audience is an essential part of any livestream. If you’re targeting a young audience, making references to things that happened in pop culture 30 years ago isn’t going to help engage them. Rather, it is going to make your desired audience feel excluded and they will stop coming to watch your livestreams. Do some research on your ideal viewer beforehand and get to know attendees during each event to optimize.
4. Set Time Aside for Q&A
Q&A sessions are a great way to directly engage with your audience. Taking the time to answer their questions, even for as brief as 5 minutes, shows your viewers that you care. It indicates that they are valued in the community you are building. Additionally, Q&A sessions help you to determine what your audience wants to see from you in the future. This is a great way to better meet their desires and continue to grow.
5. Quiz Your Audience and Do Polls
Like hosting a Q&A session, short quizzes and polls help you to interact directly with your audience. These do not have to be extremely detailed. You could share something as simple as a poll about favorite pizza toppings or what your next livestream should cover. The goal is to allow your audience to be a part of the community and start conversations.
6. Host a Promotional Giveaway
Promotional giveaways area great way of helping you to promote your live shopping events. They are also a great way to draw in and hold the attention of your viewers. You could introduce a giveaway at the beginning of your stream and then announce the winner in the chat or comments section. This gives your viewers incentives to stay tuned.
7. Make it a Social Event
Whether you are hosting a celebratory event or doing a product unboxing, encourage your viewers to share your stream. This can be a great way of growing your audience and making them feel like they are hanging out with you. Finding special ways for your audience to enjoy themselves can help build a strong and close community that wants to support you in return.
For more tips and tricks to help you build a successful eCommerce livestream, check out our podcast and visit eStreamly online.
