Have you been hearing about Periscope but aren’t sure what to do with it? Ack, another social media platform to figure out! Don’t worry, Periscope is easy to get to know and love. It’s the perfect blend of Twitter and Youtube.
For those of you who are new to Periscope, it’s a live streaming app (you can only use from your mobile device), that allows you to film with your phone and broadcast whatever is happening in front of you right now. Your followers will get notified that you’re broadcasting and can watch live. They can also comment and interact with each other as your broadcast progresses. Your recorded video will stay up in the platform for 24 hours and then it’s gone. You can save it and republish to other places if you’d like to keep it. It’s genius.
Why is it so great? In a nutshell, it’s live! Which means your videos have flaws and they could end in disaster, but that’s what makes it so engaging for the audience. So much of today’s content is mass produced and it often has a nice polished sheen to it. This is great for the perfectionists in us, but it can make your content smell like marketing. And when something smells like marketing… guess what, people stop listening.
What Periscope does is help you keep the immediacy and authenticity that you often lose on the editing room floor when perfecting your content pieces. So you have the opportunity to be open with your audience, have fun and show them who you really are. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to build a relationship with them. Plus, you don’t have to spend hours editing to perfection. Win win.
So how can you use Periscope for B2B marketing? I have some ideas (32 to be exact):
- Interview your conference attendees like HubSpot is doing at their Inbound Conference right now (#inbound15)
- Announce a new product feature with a live reveal and demonstration
- Feature your CEO commenting on an industry change or event
- Showcase a client using your product
- Film a company party (great for recruiting too!)
- Interview employees about what they love about what they do (also great for recruiting)
- Show something unique about your office space or location
- Ask employees what they think is the best thing about your company’s clients
- Feature product managers excitedly talking about what’s coming next for your products
- Launch a contest for the best new lyrics for a popular song, featuring your company name
- Interview kids of your employees on bring-your-kids-to-work days
- Share facts from a recent survey your target market will be interested in (bonus points for a flipchart with graphs)
- Interview industry experts from outside your company
- Feature a new marketing piece, logo or campaign and ask for feedback
- Draw a flowchart of how your product, service or offering works
- Show the atmosphere behind the scenes at a major event or product reveal
- Interview customers about what they think about a new product or feature
- Answer common support questions
- Q&A with a celebrity related to your business
- Feature a segment of info you’ll cover in an upcoming webinar or event to drive interest
- Show off your team’s ping pong (or office golf, or nerf ball throwing) skillz
- Interview the office dog
- Show how your product is made, how your developers come up with ideas and work together
- Give tutorials on how to do a particular procedure with your product
- Live stream your in-person events
- Broadcast a panel discussion with your execs and feature customer questions
- Answer common industry questions–what do your prospects ask you first?
- Ask a survey question–with Periscope’s live interaction, you’ll get feedback on the spot
- Make a product offer or run a pricing promotion
- Develop deeper relationships with industry influencers by interacting with their Periscope broadcasts
- Build an email or contact list by asking participants to leave their info in the comments
- Run a charity campaign that benefits your company’s favorite cause–be sure to film the recipients of your donations
Did I miss any? How are you using Periscope? This is an exciting new platform so get out there and try some stuff. And, if it doesn’t turn out great, no worries, it’s gone with the wind in 24 hours. Marketing is all about trial and error so give it a whirl!
Photo by Suzie Tremmel via Flickr Commons