When it was confirmed that Twitter acquired Periscope, the live-streaming video app, it was only a matter of time before the what’s, how’s and why’s would begin to be answered and start to make sense. Now that it has become main stream, how can marketers and business owners tap into this system’s live stream capabilities to better market their brands?
It’s a question that we’re often asked. And with so many different ways to use it both personally and for business, it can be hard to figure out where to start. So, here are 10 ways that you can market your business on Periscope:
- Make Special Announcements
Periscope presents a fun and interesting way to announce special offers or even contests, giving brands a new way to push instant traffic to their website. While a traditional tweet may only have a small life cycle, a live-stream audience is much more engaged, which presents an opportunity for much larger traffic surges.
Companies that really connect with their Periscope audience correctly can build an army of promoters. Think about it: When the commercials come on during your favorite TV show, do you head to the kitchen or return phone calls? Would a restaurant see a better return from primetime TV commercials or from thousands of potential patrons viewing a live stream from said restaurant promoting a special event that weekend? Marketing executives, you’re likely drooling right about now.
You could share company news with the internal team and the entire world simultaneously.
Though you aren’t able to schedule anything or create an actual event, like you can with Facebook, you can still use Periscope as a place to tell your supporters about something new happening with your business. You can, of course, start building up anticipation for your big moment, especially if it’s something dramatic. “Don’t miss our big announcement this Sunday on Periscope!”
Alternatively, you can combine a preview of what’s to come with a regular update. Like if you try to schedule new video content every Thursday morning, slip in your company announcement.
Hearing the CEO deliver the news could be more effective than a press release. You can even make it fun — provided the announcement is good news, of course! It also could be a way to deliver a message to all followers at once, including employees.
You don’t even have to make a full production out of this either – you can have someone film and stream the entire announcement. Done, and done. Less headaches, and more engaged potential customers.
- New level of endorsement/influencer marketing
Want ridiculous engagement rates? Have a celebrity “take over” the company’s Periscope for a live broadcast. Imagine if Sprite announced a Lebron James take over. Millions would tune in and Sprite sales would be imminent. “We’re looking at you, Sprite marketers.”
Lower costs and higher engagement rates will be appealing to corporate advertising executives, so it may be imminent that live streaming will one day replace old fashioned television commercials.
- Showcase Your Company culture & the People Behind the Brand
Consumers are infatuated with behind the scene information and Periscope allows companies to take their customers on office tours, production facility tours, as well as introduce them to the faces behind the brand. A real goal of social media is to engage and, “show the human side” of your brand, and what an excellent tool Periscope can be for just that.
This personal connection is, or was hard, for big brands but now Periscope provides such easy direct access to help establish and build that connection. Expect to see major brands take full advantage of this.
- Live Q&A sessions and instant feedback
The best way to find out what your customers wants is to flat out ask them. Periscope connects brands to their customers in real-time. Hosting a live Q&A session is a great way to get instant answers to questions.
Imagine if a company fired up a Periscope live-broadcast in the middle of a planning meeting to get some instant feedback on a new idea? Or, if a nightclub launched their Periscope prior to an upcoming weekend event to engage their prospective guests?
- Sneak peeks and teasers
What if a company wants to build up excitement and buzz right before a product launch? Fire off a few live-streams from retailers the night before as the shelves are being stocked, providing consumers with a glimpse to trigger a “you need this” subliminal message. Hold a live stream event with the band that will be playing at a local concert hall.
- Live group support
If your product needs updating, or has new uses that can help to build new sales, why not announce this and hold somewhat of a “how-to” event on this subject in a live stream setting?
- New product features
Interactive demonstrations are possible with watchers asking questions and providing live feedback, think “could you show me how that works again?”.
A video update can provide a proud display of your products. Streaming live demos instead of static photos will be much more helpful for customers. Hold up something new or cool that’s on sale. Think like a home shopping show – “isn’t this cool? Look at this! Don’t you want it?” but with your particular twist and personality.
However, unlike a traditional commercial, your presentation can be much more interactive – you can monitor questions from followers and respond in real time.
- Crowdsourcing
Whether you are just asking for advice to stimulate discussion or seeking an actual call to action for fund-raising purposes. Live streaming a pitch to an audience who already follows you with a with a personal plea is a much better way than sending emails or cold calling.
- Candid Expert interviews
Allow customers to gain a peek behind the scenes of what happens at your company and you’ll be creating a stronger connection.
Who doesn’t love feeling exclusive, for example, being able to go backstage at a concert?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson offered his followers a taste of this recently – he was the guest host of “Saturday Night Live,” on NBC. The Rock said he appreciated being able to offer something extra in his own words.
Small Business marketing can use the service to provide sneak peeks of anything – their office, different departments or their involvement in a public/community event. It can be a chance to let followers see what goes on and put faces to names.
Live-streaming can expand your reach beyond just Twitter as anyone on the web can watch. Also, watchers can re-stream to their followers in real-time, meaning that your live video has the potential to go viral. This also helps to include those that don’t have or want a Twitter account and may have missed out on communications in the past.
If you’re like most businesses, your social media audience is fragmented – some users may only like you through Facebook, others are deliberately non-Facebook but don’t mind following you on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat or some other service. But access to live video content can be a good central place to bring everyone together. You can even put the same message on all of your channels, and your site, inviting people to tune in, whether it’s a regular update or something special.
You can also use your existing audience to help spread the word – they can watch your stream and then re-stream it to their own followers.
- Host an Event
When your company decides to host an event, there’s usually a motive behind it. You may be able to host upwards of 1,000 stakeholders and influencers in a massive convention center, but we’d all jump at the chance to open our guest list to the masses.
If you hold an annual event and live stream it through Periscope, people will recognize your events as can’t-miss and your ticket sales will boost next time around. You can still leverage the popularity of Twitter to promote your live stream and ensure you have a strong following leading up to the event. You can convey your company culture and personalize your brand by interacting with viewers. And you can capitalize on the fact that you can see who’s interacting with your event for lead-generation purposes
This direct to target-consumer advertising opportunity is priceless. Periscope has arrived and so has live-stream marketing. Companies will need to adapt or be left behind.
About the Author: Chris Williams
Founder at Aginto Solutions, and an organic marketing specialist, Chris has worked on everything from SEO to social media marketing to conversion optimization. He spends his downtime obsessing over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Twitter. You can follow him here.When it was confirmed that Twitter acquired Periscope, the live-streaming video app, it was only a matter of time before the what’s, how’s and why’s would begin to be answered and start to make sense. Now that it has become main stream, how can marketers and business owners tap into this system’s live stream capabilities to better market their brands?
It’s a question that we’re often asked. And with so many different ways to use it both personally and for business, it can be hard to figure out where to start. So, here are 10 ways that you can market your business on Periscope:
- Make Special Announcements
Periscope presents a fun and interesting way to announce special offers or even contests, giving brands a new way to push instant traffic to their website. While a traditional tweet may only have a small life cycle, a live-stream audience is much more engaged, which presents an opportunity for much larger traffic surges.
Companies that really connect with their Periscope audience correctly can build an army of promoters. Think about it: When the commercials come on during your favorite TV show, do you head to the kitchen or return phone calls? Would a restaurant see a better return from primetime TV commercials or from thousands of potential patrons viewing a live stream from said restaurant promoting a special event that weekend? Marketing executives, you’re likely drooling right about now.
You could share company news with the internal team and the entire world simultaneously.
Though you aren’t able to schedule anything or create an actual event, like you can with Facebook, you can still use Periscope as a place to tell your supporters about something new happening with your business. You can, of course, start building up anticipation for your big moment, especially if it’s something dramatic. “Don’t miss our big announcement this Sunday on Periscope!”
Alternatively, you can combine a preview of what’s to come with a regular update. Like if you try to schedule new video content every Thursday morning, slip in your company announcement.
Hearing the CEO deliver the news could be more effective than a press release. You can even make it fun — provided the announcement is good news, of course! It also could be a way to deliver a message to all followers at once, including employees.
You don’t even have to make a full production out of this either – you can have someone film and stream the entire announcement. Done, and done. Less headaches, and more engaged potential customers.
- New level of endorsement/influencer marketing
Want ridiculous engagement rates? Have a celebrity “take over” the company’s Periscope for a live broadcast. Imagine if Sprite announced a Lebron James take over. Millions would tune in and Sprite sales would be imminent. “We’re looking at you, Sprite marketers.”
Lower costs and higher engagement rates will be appealing to corporate advertising executives, so it may be imminent that live streaming will one day replace old fashioned television commercials.
- Showcase Your Company culture & the People Behind the Brand
Consumers are infatuated with behind the scene information and Periscope allows companies to take their customers on office tours, production facility tours, as well as introduce them to the faces behind the brand. A real goal of social media is to engage and, “show the human side” of your brand, and what an excellent tool Periscope can be for just that.
This personal connection is, or was hard, for big brands but now Periscope provides such easy direct access to help establish and build that connection. Expect to see major brands take full advantage of this.
- Live Q&A sessions and instant feedback
The best way to find out what your customers wants is to flat out ask them. Periscope connects brands to their customers in real-time. Hosting a live Q&A session is a great way to get instant answers to questions.
Imagine if a company fired up a Periscope live-broadcast in the middle of a planning meeting to get some instant feedback on a new idea? Or, if a nightclub launched their Periscope prior to an upcoming weekend event to engage their prospective guests?
- Sneak peeks and teasers
What if a company wants to build up excitement and buzz right before a product launch? Fire off a few live-streams from retailers the night before as the shelves are being stocked, providing consumers with a glimpse to trigger a “you need this” subliminal message. Hold a live stream event with the band that will be playing at a local concert hall.
- Live group support
If your product needs updating, or has new uses that can help to build new sales, why not announce this and hold somewhat of a “how-to” event on this subject in a live stream setting?
- New product features
Interactive demonstrations are possible with watchers asking questions and providing live feedback, think “could you show me how that works again?”.
A video update can provide a proud display of your products. Streaming live demos instead of static photos will be much more helpful for customers. Hold up something new or cool that’s on sale. Think like a home shopping show – “isn’t this cool? Look at this! Don’t you want it?” but with your particular twist and personality.
However, unlike a traditional commercial, your presentation can be much more interactive – you can monitor questions from followers and respond in real time.
- Crowdsourcing
Whether you are just asking for advice to stimulate discussion or seeking an actual call to action for fund-raising purposes. Live streaming a pitch to an audience who already follows you with a with a personal plea is a much better way than sending emails or cold calling.
- Candid Expert interviews
Allow customers to gain a peek behind the scenes of what happens at your company and you’ll be creating a stronger connection.
Who doesn’t love feeling exclusive, for example, being able to go backstage at a concert?
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson offered his followers a taste of this recently – he was the guest host of “Saturday Night Live,” on NBC. The Rock said he appreciated being able to offer something extra in his own words.
Small Business marketing can use the service to provide sneak peeks of anything – their office, different departments or their involvement in a public/community event. It can be a chance to let followers see what goes on and put faces to names.
Live-streaming can expand your reach beyond just Twitter as anyone on the web can watch. Also, watchers can re-stream to their followers in real-time, meaning that your live video has the potential to go viral. This also helps to include those that don’t have or want a Twitter account and may have missed out on communications in the past.
If you’re like most businesses, your social media audience is fragmented – some users may only like you through Facebook, others are deliberately non-Facebook but don’t mind following you on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat or some other service. But access to live video content can be a good central place to bring everyone together. You can even put the same message on all of your channels, and your site, inviting people to tune in, whether it’s a regular update or something special.
You can also use your existing audience to help spread the word – they can watch your stream and then re-stream it to their own followers.
- Host an Event
When your company decides to host an event, there’s usually a motive behind it. You may be able to host upwards of 1,000 stakeholders and influencers in a massive convention center, but we’d all jump at the chance to open our guest list to the masses.
If you hold an annual event and live stream it through Periscope, people will recognize your events as can’t-miss and your ticket sales will boost next time around. You can still leverage the popularity of Twitter to promote your live stream and ensure you have a strong following leading up to the event. You can convey your company culture and personalize your brand by interacting with viewers. And you can capitalize on the fact that you can see who’s interacting with your event for lead-generation purposes
This direct to target-consumer advertising opportunity is priceless. Periscope has arrived and so has live-stream marketing. Companies will need to adapt or be left behind.
About the Author: Chris Williams
Founder at Aginto Solutions, and an organic marketing specialist, Chris has worked on everything from SEO to social media marketing to conversion optimization. He spends his downtime obsessing over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Twitter. You can follow him here.