As social media becomes less of an afterthought among brands and more of an essential ingredient in the marketing mix, it is increasingly difficult to stand out on these online channels.
There is only so much attention from consumers and customers to go around, after all, and the social streams are overflowing with content in all shapes and sizes.
So unless you want to be like the wallflower at the dance, being boring is not an option on social media. Even if you’re a B2B brand in technology, a regulated brand in healthcare or the biggest brand in an industry of one, there are simply no excuses not to be sharing a deep repertoire of content on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and everywhere else your audience is hanging out online.
And I mean everywhere. If your customers and prospects are spending time on Pinterest and Instagram, you need to establish your own solid presence there. Same goes for Vine, YouTube, Tumblr and Snapchat. Be there or be square.
Industry events and developments. Company updates and corporate culture. Promotions, offers, news and opinion. What you share is important, but sometimes where – and how – you share it is of even greater significance.
That’s where Periscope enters the picture. Launched on March 26 of this year, this live video streaming app owned by Twitter recently eclipsed the 10 million user mark and reports that over 40 years of video are watched per day.
To say that Periscope is kind of a big deal right now would be an understatement.
Of course, you can and should use other channels to share your videos, but to ignore Periscope is to overlook an unparalleled, unprecedented way to connect with people in instantaneous, unfiltered fashion. The brand that uses Periscope comes across as both transparent and authentic, unafraid to cede control of the conversation and willing to share its true identity. Greater trust, better business and a stronger bond between those on either side of the medium is a likely result.
To use Periscope:
1. Download the app to either your Android or iOS device.
2. Log in with your Twitter user name or phone number.
3. Adjust your settings.
4. Set your notifications.
5. Look for people to follow.
6. Prepare to broadcast your own videos live.
It really is that easy.
You can use Periscope for everything from streaming breaking news to giving your audience a behind-the-scenes tour of your office. You can conduct interviews on Periscope, give product demonstrations, take surveys, you name it. What’s streamed on Periscope is limited only by your imagination.
Here are three great examples of videos created with Periscope.
1. Ryan Pinkham’s Live Tutorial
Constant Contact’s Ryan Pinkham used Periscope to record a live tutorial from his desk entitled, Email Design Mistakes Your Readers Hate. He also turned his broadcast into a blog post and archived his recording on YouTube to give his content an indefinite shelf life.
2. Michael Hyatt’s Blog Commentary
Another excellent example of Periscope use is author and speaker Michael Hyatt’s discussion about his original blog post called No, You Don’t Have to Work 24/7 to Succeed. In the blog, Michael also mentions that he broadcasts on a daily basis during the week at 12:30 p.m. CDT.
Keeping a regular schedule like that is a great idea, regardless of what you’re going to cover, as an audience can grow accustomed to tuning in to watch you at the same time every day.
3. An Interactive Tour with the Mayo Clinic
Finally, the Mayo Clinic’s interactive tour of its Rochester, Minnesota campus was originally streamed on Periscope, like the two other videos above. This “after-hours, behind-the-scenes” tour has also been subsequently uploaded to YouTube.
Unfortunately, you can’t watch a replay of someone else’s Periscope video after 24 hours unless they’ve repurposed it elsewhere such as YouTube or Vimeo.
That same inconvenience, however, helps spur real-time viewership, creating a sense of urgency every time you see the words “LIVE on #Periscope.” Chalk it up to the fear of missing out.
Given its immaturity, Periscope is a relatively unproven app, of course, but that certainly hasn’t stopped many brands from having jumped on the Periscope bandwagon, tooting their own horns and throwing any fears of revealing who they are as people to the wind. If you haven’t already, now is the time to try the next big thing in social media.
Note: This post, “Why Periscope is the Next Big Thing in Social Media,” was originally published on ClickZ on September 15, 2015. To read the post there, click here.
