Homebrewing your Social Strategy through Online Streaming

I write this from my living room sofa as I work from home, my second week working from home during the Coronavirus outbreak that has ripped across the planet this winter and spring. I work for iBec Creative, a digitally focused agency, as a web developer and I am fortunate to have the flexibility to work remotely with little to no impact on my productivity. For most people this is not the case, and remote work feels impractical, daunting, and sudden. The speed at which our plans and expectations have changed is staggering and it is critical to be able to pivot quickly into a new business strategy.

Executing on a social media strategy doesn’t just mean making a facebook page or a twitter account and posting there a few times a week. We all need a respite from the social distancing and social isolation. While your storefront or meeting space may be closed, you can innovate your business using more advanced social media tools.

In the past few years creative and social companies have realized that streaming online is a powerful tool that lets them reach a wider audience in the same way that digital retail has revolutionized sales.

Streaming what you do for a living, what you do for a hobby, and what you are passionate about is an amazing trend.

This is a still from the series Acquisitions Intoxicated, a show about custom brewing beer recipes live on twitch, with audience input. The hosts have a homebrew setup, some cameras and a true passion for brewing. Each week they set up the brew that was designed in the previous week and brew their concoction live, while they work with the audience by taking suggestions and tips to craft the brew for next week. It’s not just for homebrew enthusiasts — I don’t homebrew at all — it’s about enjoying excitement and authenticity from other people all over the world.

More and more stories are emerging of people connecting online amidst a changing world. Across the globe, sporting events and entire sporting seasons are being cancelled, but in the wake of that there are opportunities to grow in a digital environment. Racing and motorsports such as Formula One and NASCAR have had events and seasons cancelled, but drivers and crews are finding ways to keep excitement alive by playing online in racing games against esports athletes, to keep their fans and, most importantly, a sense of community.

Live bands perform on stream. Teachers are turning to streaming platforms to educate. Students are turning to social games like minecraft to hold graduation ceremonies. Developers live cast their programming and problem solving skills. People share their artistic process, their recipes, their work, their successes and their challenges to engage with their audience.

Having streamed content of people doing what they love has been comforting beyond anything I could have anticipated while I work from home. It might be awhile before I can go to a bar and enjoy some live music, but flattening the curve doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a beer and live music with friends – it just means I get to do that from my sofa.

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