Unless you have been living under a rock lately, by now we are all familiar with the live video phenomenon that has taken over social media. As a business, adopting video broadcasting into a marketing strategy has opened up a new avenue for us to connect with our audience on a more personal level.

We have the ability to share a different side of our business, putting faces to names and personality to our brand. Unlike high production videography, live broadcast is available to businesses of all sizes and budgets.

Not only is it great from a branding perspective, but it is also now an imperative marketing tool for businesses to set themselves apart from their competitors. With all of the content that is being shared every second, and over 100 million people using Instagram's video feature a day, finding ways to cut through the noise can be challenging. Stand out from the crowd and emotionally connect with your audience by getting your viewers to not just watch, but engage.

3 Ways to Fuel Instagram Live Engagement with Promotional Products

1: Exclusive Giveaways

Create a campaign offering special, high-end custom promotional products to be given away at random to a handful of viewers during your broadcast. Promote your contest on your social platforms and via email marketing campaigns, enticing your network to tune in for a chance to win one of these high-ticket items. Create a sign-up form to collect their contact information prior to your live segment, including their Instagram handle, and announce the lucky winners sporadically while streaming.

2: Promo Code Mentions

One of the unique features of streaming live on Instagram is that your broadcast is completely ephemeral. Unlike other live video platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, your Instagram Live content immediately disappears as soon as your broadcast is over.

Take advantage of the element of anticipation and urgency around this platform by releasing exclusive promo codes to your viewers, redeemable for only a limited time. Build a social strategy leading up to your segment to let people know when and where to tune in to participate, promoting the fact that this exclusive offer cannot be found elsewhere.

Gift the promo code redeemers with awesome custom merchandise to further advertise your brand, and create a buzz about your live stream.

3: Real-time Engagement Rewards

Attracting viewers is only half the battle. Give your audience a reason to engage during your broadcast by rewarding those who interact with your segment with promotional merchandise like custom blankets or custom hats.

Choose a topic to discuss, and ask your viewers to submit their responses or questions in a comment in real-time. After the segment, send a direct message to all of the users who followed your criteria with a hyperlink to a page to claim their reward.

Keep the conversation going on a regular basis to nurture your viewers into rabid fans, and have multiple promotional items on hand to continue to bring them back for more. Curating a collection of branded merchandise, such as branded water bottles or custom sweatshirts, is a great way to tell a cohesive brand story the more people engage with your brand.

Now it's time to put your Instagram Live strategy to the test. Watch your engagement grow as you entice your audience with these three proven techniques.