How does it work?
Periscope’s live feeds can be shot from iPhones and iPads and watched through smartphones, desktops or laptops either through the app or on theTwitter site.
Periscope offers the opportunity to create a show, to tell stories, to let people know why you do what you do, to tell them who are you and what are you doing….and it lets you share all of this with a huge global audience! As free marketing tools go, this has to be as good as it gets, so let’s take a look at how you can get the most out of it for your small business.
Be authentic
I blogged recently about the importance of letting the real you shine through your online content, and live streaming provides a great way to achieve this by allowing you to connect in a personal way with your audience, showing the face behind the brand. Remember to be real live streaming isn’t scripted, it’s meant to feel spontaneous and immediate, rather than polished and prepared.
Take your audience backstage
Live streaming offers you an opportunity to connect with customers and prospects on a different level than any other social platform. Use this to your advantage and give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at your business that they don’t have access to anywhere else. Show them how and/or where you work, how your product is made, how you develop your services etc. Giving viewers this exclusive insight allows them to feel like they have a truly special connection with you and your business. This builds loyalty and business.
Showcase new products
A great way to launch and introduce new products or services, Periscope enables you to deliver interactive demonstrations, with watchers providing feedback and asking questions as they learn in real time. The power to monitor and respond to multiple requests in real-time with minimal resources is priceless!
Get to know your customers
Use Periscope to build a close relationship with your customers. Live streaming represents a new kind of engagement that, if handled properly, will help customers feel included, valued and well-informed.
Impromptu Q&A sessions
Formal webinars are a great way to connect with your audience and deliver information, but they take time and resources to plan, coordinate and deliver. Live streaming a Q&A session, on the other hand, offers a quick and easy way to engage with your audience in real-time. Customers will feel connected to you as they receive answers to questions, expert advice and useful tips.
Expand your reach to everyone on the web
Your live-streaming won’t just reach people on Twitter: anyone on the web can watch. Also, watchers can re-stream to their followers in real-time, which means that your live video has the potential to go viral!
Make the effort
The recording may be easy, but it takes work to build an audience for your videos and make your shows a success. As we say with every social media platform, if you’re going to do it, do it properly: be committed to it, take the time to make sure the basics are taken care of: a well- written bio and a great profile photo are essentials. Make sure your shows are interesting: be creative, lively, entertaining and, above all, USEFUL.
Market it
Not much will happen if you just do one show and sit back and wait for it to be a success; you need to let people know that it exists and sell it: do this by sharing on twitter, using great headlines with hashtags, asking people to share it, thinking ahead, planning ideas and schedules. Letting your audience know what’s coming next will garner interest and create a buzz.
Keep showing up
Consistency is key when it comes to live streaming, you need to keep showing up and showing off your products and services in the best possible way if you want to get the most out of Periscope.
So, if you haven’t experimented with Periscope as a marketing tool for your small business, we suggest you take a look and have a go. Live streaming is not just a passing fad; it’s here to stay and its potential for business promotion and marketing will just continue to grow. So, please don’t overlook the enormous benefits of a tool which enables you to reach a global audience on a shoestring: download the app and get to it. Get streaming, get talking, get social, and remember to have some fun while you’re at it!
Download your FREE copy of my 52 Tips to Grow Your Business Online
