In recent months, movie premieres, concerts, and red carpet events have attracted millions of viewers, which isn’t a surprise, by any means. The game-changer is the medium through which viewers have been tuning in - live video streaming. Online broadcasting isn’t a new tool, but the numbers for these entertainment events show potential for its popularity and use as a marketing device.

Live streaming means providing content to end users as it happens, as opposed to downloading a video that was previously recorded and then uploaded.  This eliminates valuable processing time and, thanks to interactive features provided by many live streaming host sites, allows broadcasters to engage with viewers in real time as well.

It’s not hard to see how live streaming has promise as a marketing tool. Broadcasts have the ability to reach a huge audience - anyone with an Internet connection can tune in. They’re also easy to set up and free, although that doesn’t mean they should be used by every company all the time. The key is to share what’s worth sharing, in a way that benefits your company and engages viewers.

Before jumping on a live streaming channel and broadcasting day-to-day operations, meetings, or company updates, consider whether the target viewing audience - and your business - could benefit from the extra level of transparency. Giving away trade secrets wouldn’t be smart, but broadcasting a conference could give a unique opportunity to for viewers to participate, ask questions, and contribute ideas to discussions through the host site interactive features. Weekly informational broadcasts, such as how-to shows, could be another option to build a positive following for your company.  But again, the key is to use live streaming in a way that benefits your company, not just because it’s how everyone else uses the tool.

Mashable predicts that 2010 will be a big year for live video. Will you be streaming along?  Check out popular online broadcasting sites like Livestream and UStream for more information.