Marketers on their game have long been exploring digital hangouts like Houseparty, Facebook Messenger video, Google Hangouts and others.
Digital hangouts are the newest form of online socializing – especially among the Generation Z users who will soon become the biggest spenders in the commercial world.
As a marketer, there exists plenty of potential to engage with these platforms and use them to boost your brand.
Despite some applications being around for a few years, it is still an emerging technology and is evolving daily.
There are possibilities to get involved now before there is any over-saturation.
Here is what the hype is all about and why any marketer should consider using digital hangouts to boost their brand.
What are digital hangouts?
The clue is in the name, digital hangouts are designed for “hanging out” or socializing via online video calls that can be shared with a group of people.
Due to the busy schedule of our lives and globalization on a mass scale, many people are physically apart and unable to share quality time in person.
One of the industry’s leading contenders, Houseparty, says that this technology creates “a human way to connect when physically apart”.
For this reason, group video calling is taking the internet by storm because it allows the feeling of interaction with people.
The top competitors in the hangout space industry are Google Hangouts, Houseparty, Facebook Video Messenger and WhatsApp – yet more are emerging as they see the potential in this market.
Connect with customers
Connecting with customers is the focus of a good marketing strategy.
Hangout spots are the perfect opportunity to do so.
You can connect with audiences and create a human bond by sharing hangout spaces.
HouseParty developers go so far as to say their spaces feel like living rooms.
These more intimate style settings allow for brand image to be built in a sentimental way.
The benefit of building human bonds between customers and business means that a feeling of safety and trust is created to buy your products or service.
Clients will feel they can reach you in times of need for good customer service.
A great marketing technique is to hold “question and answers” sessions with customers so that they can meet and greet you – you’ll also be able to display products to the audience in doing so.
Communicate despite distance
Another bonus of digital hangouts is that people who are physically miles apart can still connect with each other for a real-time conversation – making interactions seem more realistic.
For marketers, this is great news because it instantly opens and diversifies the potential customer base to demonstrate products further afield.
Video conference calls can also be made to international clients who wish to engage in business with your organization.
Digital hangouts are becoming more popular in offices due to home workers and international corporations where employees cannot be present in one office.
Google’s own story related to its Google Hangout design, shows that hangouts can help a business grow because of video communication making it easier to hold conferences.
If digital hangouts continue in popularity among businesses then it becomes an ideal place for marketing campaigns.
Marketers can also benefit on an organizational level by having a more diverse marketing team that video calling can provide.
The digital hangout space enables the marketing team to have a larger area to pool its resources and set up conferences to discuss strategies with other experts.
Boost online presence and traffic
Digital hangouts dramatically improve your online presence and traffic.
Firstly, being able to communicate via live video gives the feeling of being present online to your customers, clients and potential future customer base.
Viewers will be more likely to view related brand content if marketers take good advantage of the hangout possibilities.
For instance, digital hangout events can be used as part of a video-based content campaign.
Your hangout activities can be linked to a collection of videos on the ever-increasingly popular YouTube.
Video campaigns are definitely something marketers should pay attention to in 2018 as more people feel inclined to view videos rather than reading content.
Customers are more likely to buy a product after seeing a video about it.
Some brands have gone so far as to create an online shopping experience whereby products demonstrated in the video sessions can be purchased live by the customer.
Activities such as online press conferences can be created through hangout spaces.
Press conferences are important to promote new products with press media.
Google’s Hangout space has been specifically designed with this type of use in mind to create an easy and fun group video conference – at virtually no cost!
Low-cost marketing
An added extra of hangout spaces is that they are free or low cost to use.
Your marketing techniques can be put to use without breaking the budget – unlike other advertising revenues which can be costly.
Digital hangout spaces are growing in popularity day by day.
It seems that as we become more reliant on social media for our social needs, digital hangouts will be a natural evolution to make our online activities seem more realistic and human.
Marketers can benefit now from really considering the low cost and far-reaching possibilities of using such campaigns, to grow its community of customers, maintain an interesting and interactive online presence, understand its audience and develop their brand.
