Jeremy Taylor
The live-streaming app from the folks behind Twitter has been an instant hit. Here’s how your business can use Periscope’s popularity to expand your online reach and promote your brand to a fresh new audience.
What is Periscope?
Periscope’s whole vibe is social streaming. Think of it as an easy way to broadcast live video from a mobile device – i.e. a smartphone or tablet. Anyone with the app can view your live stream, no matter where they are in the world.
Another neat feature? Anyone watching your stream can leave comments in real-time. The comments appear on the screen, overlaid on your video, and are visible to everyone who is watching. Effectively user comments become part of the stream – a live conversation around your content that unfurls in real-time. Watchers can also re-stream to their followers. Which means any stream has viral potential.
What type of stuff are people streaming?
Anything and everything! From the mundane (footage of a cat sleeping) to the motivational (HBO recently gave the world a tour of Manny Pacquiao’s bedroom). Because the type of content you can stream is limited only by your imagination, Periscope can be used by any type of business.
Here are nine ideas for how businesses can use Periscope to win new followers, customers and clients.
1. Q&A sessions
Whether it’s a live Q&A with your company founder or interviews with a partner business or celebrity/pioneer in your industry.
2. Live support
Getting the same support ticket crop up regularly? Difficult to explain over the phone? Live-stream your support to your existing customers and answer multiple queries in one hit.
3. Live tutorials
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a new app feature for your customers, information on how to get the best from your best-selling lawnmower, or training material for your staff. There’s no limit to the possibilities.
4. Live focus groups
When it comes to your business, your customers’ opinions matter. Live focus groups allow you to capture them, whether you are looking for input on a new logo or a new service. The juicy insight you gather could prove invaluable – from feeding-in to company shareholders to planning your next marketing campaign.
5. Live product demonstrations
Launching a new product? What better way to build anticipation than promoting a live reveal through Periscope?
6. Announce flash sales
If you run an online shop, a great way to reward Periscope viewers for engaging with you is to offer viewer-only voucher codes for flash sales.
7. Live tours
Some products – such as hotels – require an experiential sell. If a picture says a thousand words, then how much could you say with a live tour of your hotel bedrooms and facilities? Exactly.
8. Take audience behind the scenes
You might be surprised at how interested people are in a look behind the curtain of your business. Your restaurant kitchen at peak time. Your manufacturing production line at full tilt. Your zoo’s baby giraffes at feeding time. It’s a great opportunity to get people engaged with the story of your business. And the ephemeral nature of Periscope makes it a great platform for a more informal look at your business.
9. Follow your clients/customers (network)
Remember that Periscope is a two-way platform. A conversation. Comments you make on other users’ streams will be displayed to whoever is watching, which is a great way to grab some digital real-estate with insightful, helpful ideas. So follow your clients. Follow people who might be interested in your services. And follow the people who follow you.
Why?
The above suggestions might sound okay. But what’s the point of all this? What’s the overarching strategy? As with most digital marketing, it’s about engagement. It’s about reaching out to your audience and encouraging a two-way conversation. And it’s about finding new ways to get in front of your audience in imaginative, memorable ways.
The live element of Periscope makes the whole experience more visceral than pre-recorded video content. More captivating. More real. It breaks down the barriers between company and consumer. Periscope’s tagline encourages its users to “See the world through someone else’s eyes.”
Why shouldn’t those eyes be yours?
Have you tried using Periscope for your business? We’d love to hear from you. Share your ideas in the comments below.
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