As a business owner, you know the benefits of meeting customers where they are. A customized and direct experience with your product, service or offering can be the difference between making a sale or leaving a sale. Especially when it comes to certain industries including retail, and gaming, live streaming API gives you the reins to provide direct access to the technology behind streaming live.
Experience firsthand how integrating existing platforms saves time and effort and gives shape to the way you upload, manage and create live streams. It doesn’t have to be a daunting task either. Here’s what you need to know about choosing a live streaming API.
Live streaming API (application programming interface) simplifies video and voice integration so you can augment your offering to engage with your audience in real-time, on any platform, from anywhere. It seamlessly fits into your current app or platform, and gives you the power to connect with customers across space and time.
Ask yourself these 5 questions:
- What features do I need?
Depending which industry you’re in, certain features will be more appealing than others. Do you require heightened security measures? How much integration is necessary for your online presence to thrive? How much customization do you need to support the look and feel of your brand? Make a list of your goals and decide which features are essential and which features you can live without. - What are your technological requirements?
If you’re streaming and interacting with your content and audience or gambling in an online poker room, you’ll want very low latency, low lagging and low delay time. Based on your industry and use case, you’ll need to calculate how much latency is required to come across clearly through video. - What programming languages support the chosen API?
Align with your developers and IT team to provide you insight about the code and specific languages your current technology is already speaking. Typically, live streaming APIs are agnostic (meaning the platform, program or app can receive data in more than one format from different sources and still process data effectively) but understanding specific languages can speed up integration time, save money and produce better end results. - Does the API come with adequate customer service?
When choosing to go with a live streaming API that integrates into your current app or platform, ensure quality customer support is closeby. Whether by email, phone, chatbot, or video, technical support when you need it is a plus considering it’s already-made and fits into what you have. - How do I add live video streaming API to my website?
Look for simplicity, and support. For example, if you’re running a sales demonstration, shopping experience or gaming tournament, it should be as simple as:
Agreeing and signing up to a service
Creating your first video stream
Embedding the code on your website - How do I access and manage content from my website?
Take integration even further by viewing and managing the content from your own website, instead of a third party website. Not only is it efficient and fast, it’s centralized and puts you in control of the backend from your own website. You and your team are in charge of broadcasting, coding, monetization, privacy controls and receiving metrics and analytics.
Choose live streaming API that works to develop the following:
Automating Specific Tasks:
Save time by automating tasks that would otherwise require labor to get the job done. Consider how an API can take care of encoding, scheduling live streams and uploading content in the background while you and your team can do other more important and forward-facing tasks.
Integrating Into What You Already Have:
With just a few short codes and embedding, you can expect to plug and play a live streaming API into your current app or platform and get the technology speaking to each other right off the bat. Businesses find this extra useful when all bits are online and connected: Mobile, web, desktop apps, hardware, cameras, servers, other devices and more.
Growth and Development:
Push videos through your app and platform to generate data, content and creativity, as well as to connect different services in new unimagined ways. Your live stream can work in tandem with social media to bridge content across multiple channels. By leveraging video, you’re able to open up how you create trends and reach audiences with your products and services.
Connecting Different Services:
Think of an API as a building block to take what you already have and push it towards creating a new video and voice construct. Breathe life into your retail experience by connecting to customers worldwide, live streaming sales events, and providing more for customers before, during and after the buying interaction. For gamers, you can bring gaming onto smartphones, integrate with other tools and hone in your online presence with video conferencing features like Gallery and Speaker Views for a professional look and feel.
Consider this live streaming decision tree to provide a quick process to drill down to the basics of what you need regarding live streaming API:
Do you have a budget?
No: Rely on social media and broadcasting tools such YouTube, Facebook, Twitch and Instagram.
Yes: Do you have developer resources?
No: Use Vimeo to connect with your audience.
Yes: Do you need more time, seamless integration, customization, and flexibility?
No: Use Twilio.
Yes: Do you want to build and continue to outsource your own live streaming
solution?
No: Use Pexip.
Yes: Choose iotum’s next generation programmable video and voice.
Iotum moves your business forward with confidence. Experience integration, automation, growth and alignment with a live streaming API solution meant to empower your presence and bring you a return on investment. Find out more about what iotum is doing to connect the world with programmable video and voice here.
