So, you’ve just gotten the approval to start live streaming… where do you begin?
You’ll need cameras, a streaming computer, an encoder, software, streaming websites; it all sounds a little overwhelming and you have no idea what you’re doing. Even if you do know what you’re doing, besides handling the live streaming set-up, videography, production, streaming, and troubleshooting, you still have to engage with your congregation and stay on top of your ministry work.
Here are three reasons why you should be outsourcing your live streaming needs:
You can focus on what you do best.
Something that our clients have pointed out is that working with LiveControl allows them to spend more time doing what they do best - putting their energy into engaging with their congregation. Instead of having to teach a new volunteer how to operate your cameras every week, why not find an easy to use solution that is easy for anyone on your team to pick up? Or, better yet, find a solution where someone else can take care of the technical issues for you.
By outsourcing their technological and live streaming needs, you can focus on strengthening your church community.
It can be more affordable than figuring it out yourself.
When you aren’t sure what resources you need to get started, it is easy to make the mistake of spending more than you need to on hardware that will end up needing an upgrade in a year or two.
Looking for a solution that focuses on software instead of hardware will be both more sustainable and more affordable. You won’t have to continuously spend money on new hardware, and you won’t have to worry about troubleshooting problems with all of your different devices if you limit the pieces of hardware that you use.
We have a whole blog post talking about why you should try to find a software based solution instead of a hardware based solution, you can check it out here.
A high quality live stream could expand and strengthen your church community.
More than 50% of live stream viewers will abandon a poor quality live stream in 90 seconds or less. So, when you’re getting started, you’re going to want to give your congregants a good quality live stream that they will engage with and share with their friends and family.
Some of our clients have found that people will find a church online before attending in person services. Through their live streamed services, prospective congregants are able to see whether the church is a good fit for them.
You and your church are not expected to be a production company, but giving your audience a high quality live stream is important both to engage with your existing congregants and to bring in new members to your church community. That’s where outsourcing your videography, production, and streaming comes in to allow you to do what you do best!
If you’re looking for some help to get started live streaming, or to improve your current live stream, you can schedule a free demo with the LiveControl team here!