A big content marketing trend for 2017 is live streaming and how it can help brands engage and convert prospects into long-term customers. Facebook Live has really upped the live stream game, and you’re seeing huge brands as well as smaller companies utilize this social media tool.

Live streaming can be used in several effective ways, including as a vehicle to launch new products and services, to provide behind-the-scenes insights into your company, to host Q&As that provide valuable information and to solicit opinions and suggestions from users.

What makes live streaming so exciting is that prospects can engage directly with a brand and feel as if they are connecting on a more personal and intimate level with that brand. And we know through multiple studies that building relationships is the most effective way to convert prospects into long-term customers.

What do I mean?

Well, let’s say you’re a weight loss company that wants to attract more prospects.

With a platform like Facebook Live, you could hold a workout session by an expert influencer in which viewers can not only do the workout in real-time, but they can ask questions during the stream. You can also sweeten the pot by offering something like a free 7-day juice cleanser to the first 100 viewers that sign onto the stream as an introduction to your company’s products and services. The live workout is the enticing content that drives your marketing of the cleanse, and gets your prospects to invest in your product in a more visual, engaging way.

Live stream is going to be huge for the remainder of 2017, and it doesn’t matter whether you are a big brand or a small one, if you harness the power of the medium, you can really boost your prospects and conversions.