Live Stream Software: What To Look Out For

Live streaming is now widely used by businesses as an effective marketing tool. It provides consumers with an immediate level of trust and creates the notion of authenticity, simply because it allows brands to show the here and now, rather than a pre-recorded promotional clip.

To get your live streams right though and stand out from the crowd, professionals need a decent set up. You’ll need a laptop, camera, rode microphone, encoding software or hardware, reliable internet access, and a top-quality live streaming platform. Despite the fact that live stream software is the final step in your streaming set-up, it is by no means the least important. Using the right software can make or break your live videos.

Let’s look at some of the main things to look out for when seeking a live streaming platform…

Which is the best live stream software for you?

 Budget

 First things first, you should make sure to find a streaming platform that fits your company’s budget. There are many free tools out there and you can now go live using social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but your features will be limited. Free streaming tools are designed for individuals, not businesses, meaning you may not have the necessary freedom to brand up or share your videos on multiple web-pages.

Zidivo’s video hosting and streaming platform offers a wide range of features designed to suit professionals looking to implement large scale strategies and incorporate live video into their marketing campaigns. Their streaming wizard is completely user-friendly, allowing broadcasters to go live from any device on as many webpages as they like. What’s more, Zidivo pride themselves on their affordability. Starting at just £20 per month, their platform provides all the features needed by professionals, without the high fees.

 Purpose

 The platform that’s right for you will largely depend on the purpose of your live streams. If a business is looking to use live streaming for largely internal communications, interviews, and staff training etc. they will need to ensure that their platform provides sufficient security. For example, you may need to password protect or restrict your streams to only be playable by certain IP addresses.

Branding

Businesses that plan to use live video largely as a marketing tool may require less security features and instead more branding and creative freedom from a streaming platform. Some platforms may provide a high degree of customisation where the appearance of your streams is concerned, whereas others may be more restrictive. Always consider what you will be using your streams for to find a platform that does the job.

 Support

Last but not least, when researching live stream software, take into account the level of support provided for  users. While the big names in the streaming industry like Vimeo and OBS Studio may offer an impressive range of useful features, the support available is limited. Opting for a reliable platform like Zidivo means you can count on the customer support team to be available should any issues crop up, as they tend to do when businesses are new to the world of live streaming!