Despite consequences brought on by the pandemic, Barnes and Noble events did not stop and instead became accessible to more people around the US and the world. How did the bookstore’s marketing team pull that off? Simple: Live streaming!
Connecting Authors and Readers Through the Screen
With the COVID-19 pandemic practically halting all in-store operations, Senior Social Media Analyst Alex Garcia had to think of a way to continue Barnes and Noble events for both authors and readers. That’s when he came across BeLive on a USA Today article.Â
After exploring the app, he decided to give live streaming with BeLive a shot. Now, they’ve been using the Official Facebook Solutions Partner for their various events to much success!
After just a month of live streaming, Barnes and Noble have done more than a dozen shows for their Facebook page reaching a maximum of 614 concurrent views! Traffic is still in the early stages but it’s slowly and surely growing!
Why Go into Live Streaming?
Before the US’ Stay-at-Home orders, Barnes and Noble regularly conducted in-store events such as Saturday Story Time with writers, book launches, and more. With the health threat looming over everyone’s shoulders Alex decided to focus more on live streaming to continue customer interactions.
Live streaming also allowed authors to talk about their books and still be able to talk to their fans in real-time. Going live also offered fans from hundreds of miles away a chance to be involved in book launches, readings, and other activities that they would not have been able to go to.
I gave it a try and so far it’s working beautifully.
How BeLive Helped with Marketing Activities
The biggest concern for the Barnes and Noble team during past live streaming activities was security. BeLive allowed Alex to invite authors to the show without sharing any log-in credentials, just a link for them to join.
Aside from giving the bookstore the security it needed for these online events, the customization features also allowed the team to create more formal broadcasts. Additionally, interviews, readings, and discussions with fans can all be produced by just one person behind the scenes.
The scheduling feature was also a lifesaver, helping the team to promote a show before it airs. Meanwhile, the Agenda reminds Alex to stick to the show’s flow. Another feature that everyone involved in the shows find quite useful is the ability to push comments to the screen during the actual broadcast. This is such a great way for authors to engage with fans in real-time!
Vanessa Williams reading her book, Bubble Kisses.
Going Beyond Facebook Live
Barnes and Noble conducts its live streaming events on Facebook Live since it has already gained quite an audience on the site. However, the hustle doesn’t end there. According to Alex, expanding to YouTube and gaining as much – if not a bigger – following is the dream. The good news? With BeLive’s recent developments, that can definitely be achieved!
BeLive recently launched simulcast which gives users the ability to go live on both Facebook and YouTube at the same time! Users can also go live on two different Facebook groups or pages with this feature.
Now, growing Barnes and Noble’s YouTube channel and reaching out to more people won’t just be a pipe dream. With this feature, the bookstore chain will be able to establish a stronger presence on Google as well.
Watch “Crazy Rich Asians” best-selling author Kevin Kwan talking about his new book, “Sex and Vanity,” in this #BNEvents live stream.
Live streaming won’t just be limited to the pandemic for Barnes and Noble. Even after stores re-open, the team will continue to go live to reach more people. After all, live streaming is the future of marketing.
Have you tried live streaming to promote events for your business like Barnes and Noble? Give it a try by signing up to BeLive!
You can also join our online community and get more useful tips from over 20k content creators.Â
Pam is part of BeLive’s marketing team as a content writer. Living in the Philippines, she loves the comfort of home but jumps at the chance to travel anywhere new! This means exploring new places (particularly restaurants) makes her happy! She’s eager to try cuisine from around the world, but a lot of times her palate prefers Filipino food made with love. Overall, she lives in awe of everything new and tries to live life in the most exciting way she can.
